PENNSBURY:
Falcons untested yet in the SOL
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
Last season at Pennsbury, nearly a dozen seniors who were coming off a state championship season took the field for the Lady Falcons. Naturally, expectations were high.
So when SOL national champion Pennsbury was ousted from districts in a second-round pairing with Upper Darby, the Falcons were devastated.
“It was heartbreaking,” senior Alyssa Becker explained. “We were all just devastated--we all wanted it so bad.”
While the bar always seems to be set high for the orange and black, the jury is still out on this year’s Pennsbury softball team.
Despite the mass exodus, Becker says the Falcons’ hopes are set high.
“I think [the bar] is still set pretty high even though we didn’t make it that far last year,” she said. “I think people look at it like it’s a newer team, so maybe the outcome will be different this year.
“We want it to be better and we think it will be.”
That group of seniors--which numbered 11--has since graduated leaving head coach Frank McSherry and staff a slew of holes to fill, with the number one void in the circle.
In addition to outgoing pitcher Jenna Berger, shortstop Nikki Cognigni, third baseman Jess Rhodunda, outfielder Dani Straub, second baseman Lauren June, and catcher Steph Morrison have all left for greener pastures.
The good news is that righthander Kait Schilling is filling in admirably for Berger, now pitching--and doing well for--Mercer County Community College (she’s 15-0 last we checked).
Still, there are others with varsity experience playing their first season at a new post. One such player is senior Lauren Rossi who has taken Cognigni’s spot at short. Senior Brooke Downs has taken Morrison’s post behind the plate. Leadoff hitter D’Anna Devine has jumped from centerfield to second base. Junior Rebecca Erb has taken up Rhodunda’s spot on the hot corner. And junior Sarah Gosselin is seeing time in centerfield.
The Falcons kicked off the season with a non-league victory over Interboro before adding a trio of SOL National triumphs over Council Rock North, Bensalem and William Tennent.
In the win over Interboro, Schilling scattered eight hits and struck out five.
All the Pennsbury scoring came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single by Devine, an error and walk to Lauren Rossi, cleanup hitter Kirby Groves came up clutch with a two-run single. Rebecca Erb also doubled for the Falcons.
Rossi is batting in the three spot with Groves hitting cleanup. In addition to supplying a lot of power at the top of the order, the two captains provide a lot of leadership.
“They know how to handle us,” explained Becker. “They’ve been on varsity since freshman year so they know what [coach] McSherry expects.”
Pennsbury easily improved to 2-0 with a 7-1 road win over the Rock. Schilling pitched a two-hitter and struck out three for her second victory of the season.
Groves doubled, knocked in two runs and had two hits along with Devine and Kelsey Bunda, who made her first varsity appearance at the plate.
Chelsea Reynolds also doubled for the Falcons.
Two more triumphs over SOL National rivals ensued. Both were lopsided affairs with a 12-2 win over the Owls and a 14-4 victory over the Panthers. So the question that comes first to mind, “is this team good enough to get back to states?”
“That remains to be seen,” stated McSherry at a recent practice. “We lost a lot of seniors so we do have a lot of varsity inexperience.
“But we also have a quality nucleus so the hope is that those kids will drive the newcomers.”
The Mount St. Dominic Invitational slated for April 10 in North Jersey might have been an indicator of where this team stood in comparison to the area softball powers.
Red Bank Catholic, Toms River East and St. John Vianney, the numbers 1, 2 and 4 teams at the shore, were scheduled to attend, as well as the host and Delaware softball power Caravel Academy.
“That would have given us an idea of what we were made of,” said McSherry. “Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.”
The tourney has been reset for Sunday May 3.
As of tax day--April 15--Becker doesn’t believe the Falcons have been truly tested either.
“Every game we’ve come out strong but I don’t think we’ve really been tested yet,” she said.
But Pennsbury has come to every game ready to do battle. Becker cites the team’s April 8 home pairing with Tennent as an example of such. The Panthers got out of the gate quickly when pitcher Ashley Alden tagged Schilling for a first-inning homer.
But the Falcons didn’t quiver over the solo shot, says Becker.
“We came back from that and we jumped on them,” she stated.
Jumped on them, yes--to the tune of eight runs in the home half of the frame.
Erb slammed two doubles and knocked in three runs. Groves doubled and drove in three runs. Devine (3 RBIs) and Lauren Rossi tripled and Pennsbury went on to a 14-4 triumph over Tennent.
The Falcons will surely get a test today when they take on the newly revitalized Truman softball team which until yesterday at Neshaminy was also unbeaten in the SOL National conference. Becker says the Tigers will be gunning for the orange and black.
“I know they want to beat us really bad,” she said. “A couple of girls have said it.”
How Pennsbury stacks up against HST hurler Rachael Alligood--who stifled the Redskins through six shutout innings--and Neshaminy’s Sarah McGowan--who struck out 16 Truman hitters--remains to be seen.
***
The Falcons’ annual pairing with Philly Catholic League rival Conwell-Egan, originally set for April 6, has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 9 at the Lower Makefield baseball/ softball complex on the field behind LMT pool.
Sports Editor
Last season at Pennsbury, nearly a dozen seniors who were coming off a state championship season took the field for the Lady Falcons. Naturally, expectations were high.
So when SOL national champion Pennsbury was ousted from districts in a second-round pairing with Upper Darby, the Falcons were devastated.
“It was heartbreaking,” senior Alyssa Becker explained. “We were all just devastated--we all wanted it so bad.”
While the bar always seems to be set high for the orange and black, the jury is still out on this year’s Pennsbury softball team.
Despite the mass exodus, Becker says the Falcons’ hopes are set high.
“I think [the bar] is still set pretty high even though we didn’t make it that far last year,” she said. “I think people look at it like it’s a newer team, so maybe the outcome will be different this year.
“We want it to be better and we think it will be.”
That group of seniors--which numbered 11--has since graduated leaving head coach Frank McSherry and staff a slew of holes to fill, with the number one void in the circle.
In addition to outgoing pitcher Jenna Berger, shortstop Nikki Cognigni, third baseman Jess Rhodunda, outfielder Dani Straub, second baseman Lauren June, and catcher Steph Morrison have all left for greener pastures.
The good news is that righthander Kait Schilling is filling in admirably for Berger, now pitching--and doing well for--Mercer County Community College (she’s 15-0 last we checked).
Still, there are others with varsity experience playing their first season at a new post. One such player is senior Lauren Rossi who has taken Cognigni’s spot at short. Senior Brooke Downs has taken Morrison’s post behind the plate. Leadoff hitter D’Anna Devine has jumped from centerfield to second base. Junior Rebecca Erb has taken up Rhodunda’s spot on the hot corner. And junior Sarah Gosselin is seeing time in centerfield.
The Falcons kicked off the season with a non-league victory over Interboro before adding a trio of SOL National triumphs over Council Rock North, Bensalem and William Tennent.
In the win over Interboro, Schilling scattered eight hits and struck out five.
All the Pennsbury scoring came in the bottom of the fifth. After a single by Devine, an error and walk to Lauren Rossi, cleanup hitter Kirby Groves came up clutch with a two-run single. Rebecca Erb also doubled for the Falcons.
Rossi is batting in the three spot with Groves hitting cleanup. In addition to supplying a lot of power at the top of the order, the two captains provide a lot of leadership.
“They know how to handle us,” explained Becker. “They’ve been on varsity since freshman year so they know what [coach] McSherry expects.”
Pennsbury easily improved to 2-0 with a 7-1 road win over the Rock. Schilling pitched a two-hitter and struck out three for her second victory of the season.
Groves doubled, knocked in two runs and had two hits along with Devine and Kelsey Bunda, who made her first varsity appearance at the plate.
Chelsea Reynolds also doubled for the Falcons.
Two more triumphs over SOL National rivals ensued. Both were lopsided affairs with a 12-2 win over the Owls and a 14-4 victory over the Panthers. So the question that comes first to mind, “is this team good enough to get back to states?”
“That remains to be seen,” stated McSherry at a recent practice. “We lost a lot of seniors so we do have a lot of varsity inexperience.
“But we also have a quality nucleus so the hope is that those kids will drive the newcomers.”
The Mount St. Dominic Invitational slated for April 10 in North Jersey might have been an indicator of where this team stood in comparison to the area softball powers.
Red Bank Catholic, Toms River East and St. John Vianney, the numbers 1, 2 and 4 teams at the shore, were scheduled to attend, as well as the host and Delaware softball power Caravel Academy.
“That would have given us an idea of what we were made of,” said McSherry. “Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.”
The tourney has been reset for Sunday May 3.
As of tax day--April 15--Becker doesn’t believe the Falcons have been truly tested either.
“Every game we’ve come out strong but I don’t think we’ve really been tested yet,” she said.
But Pennsbury has come to every game ready to do battle. Becker cites the team’s April 8 home pairing with Tennent as an example of such. The Panthers got out of the gate quickly when pitcher Ashley Alden tagged Schilling for a first-inning homer.
But the Falcons didn’t quiver over the solo shot, says Becker.
“We came back from that and we jumped on them,” she stated.
Jumped on them, yes--to the tune of eight runs in the home half of the frame.
Erb slammed two doubles and knocked in three runs. Groves doubled and drove in three runs. Devine (3 RBIs) and Lauren Rossi tripled and Pennsbury went on to a 14-4 triumph over Tennent.
The Falcons will surely get a test today when they take on the newly revitalized Truman softball team which until yesterday at Neshaminy was also unbeaten in the SOL National conference. Becker says the Tigers will be gunning for the orange and black.
“I know they want to beat us really bad,” she said. “A couple of girls have said it.”
How Pennsbury stacks up against HST hurler Rachael Alligood--who stifled the Redskins through six shutout innings--and Neshaminy’s Sarah McGowan--who struck out 16 Truman hitters--remains to be seen.
***
The Falcons’ annual pairing with Philly Catholic League rival Conwell-Egan, originally set for April 6, has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 9 at the Lower Makefield baseball/ softball complex on the field behind LMT pool.
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