Colonials Trio Help Softball All-Stars into Championship

With all of the year round club softball being played 12 month, it can get difficult at times to distinguish one tournament from another.

One tournament that stands alone is the Carpenter Cup: a yearly softball competition run by the Philadelphia Phillies and held in FDR park.

Since its inception in 2005, the purpose of the Softball Carpenter tournament is to provide high school players in the tri-state area with an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of college scouts.

Upper Dublin head softball coach Heather Boyer has been with the tournament since its beginnings and looks forward each year coaching the all stars of the Suburban One League’s American and Continental conferences.

“I have been since the inaugural year,” she said. “It is fun every year to get to work with kids that all love the game and see how they all come together. They work all season and then they come to a venue like this and go ‘wow, I’ve spent all year trying to beat them and not like them and they are really kind of cool.’”

“It’s a unique experience that’s for sure,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh junior Corinne Watson. “I do work outs in the gym and I help coach my brother, we are actually going to have winter work outs this year for the first time so I am pretty excited.”

Following an opening round comeback victory in the tenth and a dramatic 6-5 walk off win in the Group One final on Monday afternoon, it would have been understandable if the Suburban One American and Continental squad had a let down in the winners bracket final on Wednesday.

The SOL squad jumped out to an early 2-0 against Mercer County (3-1) when C.B East junior Allie Chase drove in the eventual game winning run belting a base hit in the top of the fifth inning.

“This is so much fun,” she said. “I have been getting some good pitches to hit and have been able to get the bat on them in scoring situations. It was so great that we had to play only one game today, and we are in the championship game, which is just awesome.”

Defensively, the SOL squad continued to dazzle with a solid combination of Sharp, Plymouth Whitemarsh junior Erica Miller and Norristown’ s Samantha Kidd.

“I just try to get a good jump on balls hit to me,” said Sharp. “I was able to see it right off the bat and had plenty of time to get under it. It would be so incredible to win this tomorrow coming off a not o great high school season, we would love to win this for coach Boyer and the other coaches they have really helped us all come together in a very short time.”

 “It was great we only had to play one game today while some will end up playing four or five," said Colonials Erica Miller, who has recorded six put outs thus far. "This line up has so many people that can hit, it's great to know that we are going to score some runs. We have all come together so well, the coaches are great and I love the girls. I am pretty excited about tomorrow and can’t wait to get started.”