PHILADELPHIA- “Failure is not an option,” said Pottsgrove junior Jessica Kurtz, who shrugged off the effect of a bruised knee from Monday’s action to help lead the Chester County all-stars two consecutive wins, eliminating two squads on Wednesday morning.
It wasn’t failure that ended the Chester County team's hopes of a Carpenter Cup championship.
Heat, fatigue, a hard-hitting Lehigh Valley squad and perhaps most of all ghost runners where the culprit that ended the day for a very talented Chester County club.
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After rolling to back-to-back wins to start the day, Lehigh Valley and an eight run first inning, put the brakes on Chester County’s roll to the finals with a 9-3 loss.
“It sucks to have to give up six to eight outs a game,” said Chester County manager Brooke Tymeson. “In a tournament of this caliber, every out is so important, to have to give up any of them is hard enough but it cost us (12) outs in the first two games, which we were able to overcome and still win the games.”
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Kurtz and Falcons teammate Taylor Robinson combined for a 3-for-6 run, 2RBI performances in a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Catholic league all-stars and continued to shred the ball in the second game leading Chester County to a 3-2 extra inning win to eliminate Berks County.
In the first wins of the day, Owen J. Roberts junior Maddie Galdi pitched in both contests and did not allow a base hit in seven innings of work.
Galdi, who had an opportunity in regulation to win the Berks County game, scored the game winner in the bottom of the eighth inning when she stole third and raced home as the throw escaped the third baseman.
“I wanted to make up for striking out with the base loaded,’ said Galdi. “I was so glad to be able to score the run there for us to win. I stole because the catcher bobbled the ball a little but then when she threw the ball away the third basemen was on top of me at first. I had to move her off of me and score the run."
Although the group fell short of their goal to make it to the final three teams, it did not dampen the spirits of their head coach.
“I have coached in every Carpenter Cup and have had many teams,” said Tymeson. “This is by far the best team I have ever coached here. To win this many games against the quality of opponents here and give away a third of our outs is incredible. They have made it a point to tell us how much fun they have had and believe me when I say it has been my privilege and pleasure to work with these remarkable young women. They have all bonded so well like they have played together for years, which honestly does not happen every year.”
“This has been an amazing experience,” said Phoenixville junior Courtney Wieland. “It stinks that we had a coupled of people not show up today and two injuries, I think we could have really had a chance to win this, these girls have been so much fun to play and practice with, I have 14 new friends.”
“I am so excited to be a part of this,” said PJP2 catcher Patsy Murphy. “Of course it’s tough playing a lot of games in one day, but we all love to play softball. “We all have built confidence in each other and really have gotten to know and respect each other for travel ball coming up and next season.”
“I will see most of these girls in the next few months playing travel,” said Courtney Wieland. “We all know each other just a little better than we did and I can not wait to see them at tournaments, even though we didn’t get to the championship game, I am happy with the way ewe played.”
Schedule for Championship day:
9 a.m. - Game #29- Mercer County vs. Lehigh Valley
11 a.m. – game #30- Winner of Game #29 vs SOL American and Continental
1 p.m. – Game # 31- if necessary the same opponents as game #30
9 a.m. game
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Phila Catholic
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
3
1
Chester County
1
0
1
0
3
0
X
5
10
1
11 a.m. game
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Berks County
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
7
2
Chester County
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
3
7
1
3p.m. game
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Chester County
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
3
7
1
Lehigh Valley
8
0
0
0
0
1
X
9
7
0
Composite stats from all three games:
School
Player
POS
AB
R
H
RBI
PG
Robinson
Of
10
2
6
2
PG
Kurtz
Of
11
0
4
3
PJP2
Murphy
C
4
1
0
0
PV
Shoemaker
Of
10
5
4
1
OJR
Galdi
P
4
1
1
0
PHX
Wieland
1b
3
0
0
0
Pitching stats
SCHL
Player
G
IP
R
ER
H
BB
K
W/L/S
OJR
Galdi
3
10
5
2
6
3
6
1W, !S
