Lady Hatters Look to Rebound After Softball Loss to Souderton

Through the first two games of the Suburban One/Continental Conference softball season, Hatboro-Horsham High School learned quickly the subtle difference between winning and losing in Pennsylvania's best 4-A conference.

Just a couple of days removed from from an impressive 7-4 road victory over Central Bucks East in the season-opening varsity game last Tuesday, the Lady Hatters showed what happens when defensive mistakes occur and timely hitting is absent in a surprising 3-2 loss to Souderton Thursday at home.

That early loss makes Tuesday's home game against a struggling Pennridge team all the more important when the Lady Hatters (2-1 overall, 1-1 in conference) host another rival at 3:30 p.m.

A dropped pop-up with two outs and no one on base in the first inning last Thursday gave Souderton the opportunity for two quick runs and the Indians (3-1, 1-0) never trailed the rest of the way, wasting a solid pitching effort by Lexie Campbell and Kaeli Simmons.

Paige Shelly of Souderton eventually worked a two-out walk on a 3-2 after her pop fly fell safely to give her a second chance. Haley Delany followed with a single to center and Dayna Shelly laced a double to right that just eluded Deanna Moyer for two runs.

Hatboro-Horsham tied the game in the second, despite having Jen Cader thrown out at second trying to stretch a lead-off single into a double.

Second baseman Jaynie Black earned a four-pitch walk and went to second on a passed ball. After designated player Jackie Locke also walked, first baseman Kylie Flagler singled hard to right-center field to load the bases.

Left fielder Jamie Mroz continued her clutch, early-season hitting despite an early 0-2 hole at the plate. She fought off several two-strike pitches before getting a high change-up and plunking it into center for an RBI single.

But with only one out and the bases still loaded, HHHS couldn't score again in the second.

Campbell struggled with control at times, walking five in 5 2/3 innings of work, but made the pitches she needed to keep the game close.

Souderton didn't get an earned run off Campbell until the fourth when singles by Allison Klee and Yoder and a popped-up bunt by Erelle Sowers loaded the bases to set up Angie Carty's sacrifice fly to center.

Sowers, who came on to pitch in relief in the second inning, allowed only four hits the rest of the way.

Simmons relieved Campbell to pitch out of a jam with two on in the sixth and was a perfect one-two-three in the seventh.

Hatboro-Horsham pulled closer in the sixth when third baseman Daria Edwards lashed a ground-rule double down the left-field line, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Black's single up the middle.

Souderton dodged a big bullet in that inning when Cader crushed a shot to right that was caught. Locke also had a line drive that was snagged by Sowers in the circle.

Edwards just missed a first-inning home run when her two-strike blast to deep center was hauled in against the fence.

The lack of luck continued in the seventh when Mroz lined out to center, but freshman pinch-hitter Brynn Griffith beat out a nubber up the third-base line for an infield hit.

But with the tying run on first and one out, Moyer lined into a double play with Griffith breaking on the shot to short and that ended the game.

Late-inning heroics helped the Lady Hatter JVs come back from an early 3-0 deficit to win 9-8 in nine innings.

Pitcher Taylor Sciuba started off the winning rally with a one-out single, with Jessica Eble and Stephanie Eble following with perfectly executed bunts for base hits. 

First baseman Cameron Fisher then looped a fly over the head of the second baseman and in front of the center fielder for a well-placed game-winning hit as the HHHS junior varsity improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in conference.