Sports Round-up: Diamonds Rained Out, Lacrosse Keeps Going

While rain forced baseball and softball teams to stay indoors this past week, lacrosse players braved the weather as the local lacrosse scene heated up.

On Thursday, despite visiting Springside’s balanced attack, the Lions still lost, 15-10, to Germantown Academy in an Inter-Ac League showdown. Libbie Maine led Springside with three goals. Kitty Morrissey added two while Annelise Davies, Vanessa Peirce, Carly Schwartz, Ellie Stout and Casey Sullivan each added one goal apiece. Brooke Kiley powered G.A. with a game-high eight goals.

Springside’s loss to G.A. marked its seventh loss in a row. The Lions (0-7 overall) also fell, 15-7, to the Peddie School on Monday.

Springside’s neighbor, Chestnut Hill Academy, also had a tough week. The Blue Devils were torched on Tuesday by Inter-Ac League foe Germantown Academy, 15-5, in a game where eight different Patriots scored, including Reid Weber, who finished with a team-high five goals. Tuesday’s loss followed a heart-breaking, 6-4, loss to Shipley. Last Friday, CHA and Shipley were knotted at 4-4 after the first quarter, but the Blue Devils were shut out the rest of the way.

While the Lions and Blue Devils struggled, Germantown Friends School had mixed results.

The Tigers nearly took down Archbishop Wood in Tuesday’s non-league match, but ultimately fell short and lost, 13-9. Lyles Swift-Farley notched four goals to lead the Tigers. Iris Williamson added two while Hannah Drake, Annie Morrissey and Lily Tyson each added one goal apiece. Morrissey was also credited with an assist. Tigers’ goalie Alex Gillian posted 15 stops.  Caitlin McCartney sparked Wood’s offense with eight goals and an assist.

The Vikings led 8-6 at halftime and held off GFS enough in the second half to clinch the win.

GFS’ loss came just days after the visiting Tigers (2-4 overall) edged the Hun School, 16-15, last Saturday. Trailing 6-1, Williamson carried GFS to a victory by finding the netting four times to help the visitors take a lead late in the first half. The Tigers never trailed again and held of Hun by maintaining possession in the last few minutes of regulation.

Williamson finished with five goals and an assist. She was helped out by Annie Morrissey, who had three goals and an assist. Eve Maxson, Schuyler Nissen and Swift-Farley all tallied two goals apiece. Swift-Farley also led the team with in assists with four, Maxson had one.

Anne Bezahler and Hannah Drake each scored a goal for GFS too. Drake and Ally Love also dished out an assist.

In net, Gilliam held off Hun’s attacker and finished with nine saves. She was helped out greatly by defensemen Alex Clarke, Sierra Carter Gordon, Isabella DiDio and Sophie Mercuris, who combined for six draw control wins and eight ground balls sparking the Tigers’ fluid midfield transition.

Rain, rain, go away

While rain did postpone a number of baseball and softball games this week, there still were some headline-grabbing contests. Most notably was Thursday’s Inter-Ac clash between Penn Charter and Chestnut Hill Academy. PC broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth and Quakers’ ace Ken Koplove held off the Blue Devils to earn the complete game victory. In seven innings, Koplove struck out eight while surrendering just three hits.

Last Saturday, CHA knocked off GAMP, 17-6, in a non-league game that only lasted six innings. Zach Jancarski belted a three-run homer in the third to break the game wide open. Jancarski went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four runs batted in. Matt Primavera went 3-for-5, including a two-run double, with two runs scored and four RBI. Nich Barile (2-for-3, double, two runs two RBI) and Brian Dones (2-for-3, three runs, one RBI) also helped out CHA on offense. Pitcher Mike Hayes picked up the easy win. In addition to three strong innings on the hill where he struck out five batters, he also drove in a run.

GFS’s squad only played two-plus innings in the last seven days. On Tuesday, the Tigers led the George School, 8-0, in the third inning before the game was suspended due to rain.

In the local softball scene, Springside notched two impressive wins. First, the Lions absolutely crushed Episcopal Academy, 16-1, in Monday’s Inter-Ac League action, and then Springside snuck past G.A., 6-5, in Thursday’s league battle.

Against Episcopal, Resyna Hughes went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI while Jenna Moriarity went 3-for-3 with one run scored and two RBI. Brenna Coll (2-for-5) tallied three RBI. Lions’ hurler Michelle Cyburalz, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI at the plate, struck out six from the mound to pick up the win

The Lions had to dig deep to best the Patriots on Thursday. Alexis Giovinazzo sparked Springside’s offense with three RBI and hit a double and a triple. Michelle Cyburlarz picked up the win. In seven innings in the circle, Cyburalz allowed five runs on seven hits, three walks and three errors while striking out seven.

The Lions scored the game-winning run in the top of the seventh. In the bottom frame of the seventh, G.A. had runners at second and third with no outs, but Springside worked out of the jam with good defense and a little luck. A tag at home got the first one and then G.A. was charged with a second out when a Patriot baserunner was called for interference. A groundout led to the final out.

In GFS news, the Tigers pinned a 14-3 victory over visiting Barrack Hebrew on Monday. Lauren Kelly (3-for-4) led the way by driving in three runs and scoring twice. Pitcher Anita Thatchet collected the win.

Just warming up

With the Penn Relays and the postseason right around the corner, local teams are gearing up, include Springside. The Lions competed in the Lady Skins Invitational last Saturday at Neshaminy High School where Taylor Ellis-Watson took first in the 200-meter sprint and the 400 event. In the 200, she clocked in at 24.68 seconds, good enough for a new school record. She was recorded at 56.10 in the 400.

Natalee Bates snagged a sixth place finish in the 300 hurdles with a new school record time of 48.98. Ashlee Hale placed 13th in the shot put with a mark of 30-feet, nine inches, which was also a new Lions’ record.

GFS also competed in the Neshaminy meet with Sarah Santos (24th overall, 100 dash) having the best showing for the Tigers.

Middle School Report

Springside’s middle school track team had a strong showing against Episcopal Academy on Thursday. First place winners included: Sophia Haegley (100 hurdles, 21.0), Singley Risico (100, 13.7), Ayana Rhym (400, 1:09.0), Brenna Isackman (1,600, 6:20.0), 4x100 relay (57.4, Ryhm, Hunter Smith, Calder McNeil, Risico), Amirah Lewis (shot put, 28-10), Jordan Stahl (long jump, 12-8.5) and Alana Jing-White (high jump, 3-10).

The Lions also had a number of second place finishers, including: Smith (100), Jing-White (400), Maia Taranta (800, shot put), Nicole Novo (1,600) and Olivia Byron (long jump). Ryhm (100), Stahl (100), Risico (400), Gini Peyton (800) and Byron (high jump) also bagged third place points.