Senior pitcher Anna Sidlowski and Garnet Valley travel to Cumberland Valley to play a PIAA Class 6A tournament first-round game Monday. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
The Haverford High softball team is in the PIAA Class 6A tournament for a third straight season.
The Fords were not a sure bet this year, unlike the previous two when the club was led by pitcher Emma Taylor (Yale), the two-time Player of the Year in Delaware County, and All-Delco third baseman Kerri McCallum (Lock Haven).
This year’s team had a lot to prove. That made the Fords’ incredible run in the District 1 playoffs all the more special.
“I said to the girls that if someone had said to me we were going to place second in districts, we would’ve taken it,” Haverford coach Bob Newman said after a 5-0 loss to North Penn in the District 1 championship game. “No one is hanging their head. We battled and we beat four good teams and showed we deserve to be here.”
Senior shortstop Shannon Gavigan and junior first baseman Annabelle Knese were starters on the 2021 team that played for a PIAA Class 6A championship, the only softball team in Haverford history to make a state final. Senior outfielder Kylie Ingram was an important role player off the bench.
“We feel we are getting better as a team and we showed we really came together (during the district tournament),” Gavigan said. “We are excited to go back to states.”
Junior pitcher Lucy Wolf had a stellar run in the district tournament. Even in the loss to North Penn, she kept the Fords in the game. Alas the Fords’ bats were silenced by Maryland-bound Julia Shearer, who racked up 16 strikeouts en route to a perfect game.
Haverford hosts District 11’s Easton Area (15-9), which lost to Nazareth, 9-6, in the district final. The Red Rovers committed six errors in the game.
“I think we all want the same thing. We’re all here. We all want to win,” Wolf said. “We’re all coming together and playing like a team and I think that’s what’s taking us far. Everyone’s coming together and bonding and we’re having fun.”
“It’s great we will be at home (at Haverford Reserve),” Newman said. “Hopefully we can win the first one and get on a little bit of a roll.”
Elsewhere in the Class 6A tournament, District 1 sixth-place finisher Garnet Valley (21-3) hits the road to play at Cumberland Valley (17-5). First pitch is 4.
After winning the Central League title, the Jaguars earned the third seed for the District 1 tournament. But after a 3-1 win over No. 19 Conestoga in the second round, the Jags were blanked by sixth-seeded Downingtown East, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. GV secured its spot in the PIAA tourney with a 4-2 victory over No. 18 Central Bucks South. The Jaguars concluded district playbacks with a 10-8 loss to No. 13 Pennridge, which eliminated Ridley from state playoff contention.
The Jags are led by senior Anna Sidlowski, the top pitcher in Delco who also has a three-home run performance on her ledger this season. Zoey Rogers and Emily Orsini are also key contributors in the field and at the plate.
Cumberland Valley won its first district title in nine years with a 6-3 decision over Central Dauphin. Sydney May struck out eight from the circle and Evie Coburn delivered a two-run double during the Eagles’ six-run fourth inning.
The Garnet Valley-Cumberland Valley winner will advance to the quarterfinal round to play either Haverford or Easton.
Class 5A
Cardinal O’Hara defeated Franklin Towne Charter, 4-2, to capture the District 12 championship. In that game All-Delco pitcher Hayden Sissons struck out 13 and Brigid MacGillivray clubbed a solo home run.
The Lions are making their second appearance in a PIAA tournament. They will host a first-round game against Upper Dublin Monday at 1 p.m.
The Cardinals were the top seed in the District 1 playoffs, but lost to No. 5 Rustin in the semifinals and then fell to No. 7 Hatboro-Horsham in the third-place contest.