It was a little bit of a slow start.
But the Central Bucks West softball team used a seven-run fifth inning to cruise to a 10-1 win over host Council Rock North in a Suburban One League crossover game on Monday.
The Bucks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Laila Murray.
CR North tied it up in the bottom of the third inning, the only run CB West winning pitcher Sienna Lawson surrendered in her complete game performance.
CB West added two more runs in the top of the fourth, then exploded for seven runs in the fifth to seal the win.
“I really do believe in our team, but I thought we started out a little shaky today,” said Lawson, a senior. “We were a little rough. But we stayed in the game and picked each other up. Then we came back with our bats and that made a difference.
“I definitely feel like we’re a lot stronger than we were last year. Last year we were struggling with our bats a lot but in the offseason we worked on the pitching machine and with live pitching. I saw we were doing a lot better with hitting so I had a really good feeling about us before the season even started. I can see us going to districts this year. We have a lot of momentum right now.”
Lawson gave up five hits, fanned four and walked one for the day.
Ana Glemser went 2-for-5, Chloe Dryden went 2-for-4 with a double, Taylor Hooven and Jill Boyle each contributed a two-run double while Molly Gibson, Julia Thomas and Avery Rubenstein each had an RBI single for the Bucks.
“It was a total team effort,” said CB West catcher Ava Mattes, a senior. “We’re definitely hitting a lot better this year.
“We had that one big inning and I’m very proud of that. We capitalized on our opportunities and we’re working better as a team. We had last year to jell and that’s been good for us. It’s important to work together and now that we’ve had some experience, we’re really doing things as a team now. It’s not a one-man team it’s everyone together.
“I’m very excited for this year, and I think we can go far. We have the right mindset.”
Mattes will continue her playing career at Kings College, where she plans to major in exercise science.
The game featured a lot of blooper hits.
“Definitely, there were a lot of balls that were right between the infield and the outfield where you had to lay out or you wouldn’t get it,” Lawson said.
Earlier in the year, the Bucks posted a huge come-from-behind win to defeat the defending PIAA champions, North Penn, 6-5.
“That win really got us going,” said Lawson, who will pitch at Misericordia next season while majoring in speech language pathology. “Since we hit against North Penn, we really believe we can hit.
“I’ve never been to the playoffs before, and I think this is our year to get there. I’m really looking forward to that.”
For CR North, Zoe Hardy tripled and Taylor Gearhart went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Kayla Ripper, Sierra Klein and Haley Edelman each singled for the Indians.
The CR North seniors had just gotten back from their class trip.
“This wasn’t what we were hoping for,” said Gearhart, a senior captain who plays shortstop. “We haven’t had a practice in a week with everyone there, and that showed.
“We need to be more together as a team, which we’ve done a great job of so far this season. We just didn’t have it today. We need to get our energy up and if we do that, we’ll be fine. We just have to put this one behind us and move on.
“I see a ton of potential in our team. Everyone works so hard in practice and gives 100 percent on the field.”
She plans to play softball at Kutztown while studying early education.
CR North had no seniors on last year’s squad, returning the entire starting lineup.
“I think we can go pretty far this year,” said Klein, a junior captain who plays third base. “This year’s varsity team is pretty much the same as last year’s so we know what we need to work on and what we’re good at.
“Having no new people starting this year is an advantage for us because we have a really good connection. It makes it easier for everyone to bond.
“Our offense definitely could have been stronger in this game. We were waiting for pitches that didn’t come and some of the calls weren’t in our favor, but we need to come out strong and be more aggressive at the plate.”
There were things the Indians did well.
“We definitely picked each other up,” said senior captain Evie Passanante, who pinch hit in the game. “The energy dwindled at the end of the game, but we were good at keeping each other up. Even if we weren’t loud in the dugout, we were encouraging each other. I think that’s important to keep up for the rest of the season.
“You’ve got to learn from what you do. This was a good learning experience for everyone and we’ll be back.”
She will study special education for elementary age at the University of New Hampshire.
“I won’t be playing softball so this is my last year and it’s starting to get real,” she said. “It goes by so fast. Last year making it to playoffs was amazing and this year I think we’ll go farther.”
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