West Chester East edges Cardinal O’Hara to advance to state quarterfinals

SPRINGFIELD – Over the course of the softball season, West Chester East found itself in enough hotly contested games, that a little first inning stumble wasn’t going to get the Vikings unnerved. Monday afternoon at Cardinal O’Hara for the first round of the PIAA, Class 5A state tournament, East spotted the host Lions an early lead, but rebounded to walk away with a 5-4 victory.

With the win, the Vikings (17-8 overall) advance to the quarterfinals, where they will square off against Springfield (Delco), a 4-1 winner over District 11 champ Southern Lehigh winner on Monday, at a site and time to be determined.

“We have the type of team that is resilient,” said Vikings’ coach Bobby Swier. “We don’t care whether it takes nine or ten innings, or five, we’re just going to play the way we do the whole time. These girls are never going to stop fighting.”

East did strike first, plating a run in the top half of the first when Caelyn Rodriguez knocked in Daria Cross with an RBI single. But O’Hara answered back with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of a couple walks and three singles. The Lions tacked on another in the second, keyed by an RBI double from Emily Dill, to go up 4-1.

But after those early hiccups, East starter Ava Ferri settled in, thanks in no small part to some great glove work from the defense behind her. Shortstop Rodriguez and centerfielder Cross, in particular, made some highlight reel worth plays.

“That’s been a big part of our success all year,” said Swier. “We know we can count on everyone to get the job done on offense until our bats can come around and put runs on the board.”

Ferri picked up the win in the circle with seven strong innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Ferri struck out four and walked three, and allowed just one hit over the last five innings.

“It feels really great to win this first round game,” said Ferri. “This is the first state game I’ve gotten to play in, so it feels amazing to get the win. As we went on, we made some simple adjustments, started hitting the ball, and making plays on defense.”

Ferri got the job done with her bat, too. With the game tied at four apiece headed to the top of the seventh, Daria Cross (1-for-4, 2 runs scored) reached on a fielder’s choice, and moved up to second with a stolen base. Ferri came to the plate with two outs, and drove a 2-2 pitch up the middle to score cross with the go ahead run.

Ferri then retired the side in order in the seventh to lock up the victory.

“I work hard on my hitting, because I never want to let my team down,” said Ferri, who finished the day at the plate going 3 for 4, with two runs scored, and another pair knocked in. “I really just tried to put the ball in play, and tried to score the runner.”

In all, the Vikings pounded out nine hits in the game, with Rodriguez joining Ferri in the three-hit club, going 3 for 4 with a double and three runs batted in.

“Almost all of us were here last year (in the first round of states),” said Rodriguez. We added Ava (Ferri) and a couple others, but we all knew how much we wanted to get back here. Now we just have to keep hitting, and keep playing defense like we can, and see how far we can take it.”

West Chester East 5, Cardinal O’Hara 4

West Chester East                          1 0 1 0 2 0 1 – 5

Cardinal O’Hara                              3 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 4

2B — Dill, Rodriguez. SB — Cross, Antczak, Ferri.

WP – Ferri. LP – Sisson.