District 1-6A Softball: Homa’s homer helps Boyertown to 5-1 win over Souderton

by dennis weller

BOYERTOWN >> A go-ahead home run can erase a lot of ills that had gone before, not to mention invigorate a team that had been flat up until then.

That’s what a two-run shot by Lauren Homa in the fourth inning on Monday afternoon did for Boyertown, sparking the Bears to a 5-1 win over Souderton in the opening round of the District 1-6A softball playoffs at Bear Park.

Boyertown left-hander Ella Hurter threw 6 2/3’s innings of no-hit ball and Kyra Neiswender came in from shortstop to retire the only batter she faced on a grounder to short to wrap up the win. The No. 12 seed Bears (16-6) will travel to No. 5 Haverford for a second-round contest on Wednesday. The season came to an end for No. 21 Souderton (10-10), with 10 seniors playing their final game for the Indians.

The Bears allowed an unearned run in the second inning and still trailed 1-0 when Homa hit one out to dead center with one away and Neiswender on second base.

“My first at bat, I struggled,” said Homa, who went down swinging in the second after failing to get a bunt down to advance Sammy Sobeck, who had walked to start the inning. “I wanted to get a single, honestly. The singles are really contagious. That’s how we usually score runs, getting hit after hit.”

“It really pumped our team up,” said Hurter.

Boyertown added two runs in the fifth on an RBI single through the middle by Neiswender and a wild pitch with two out. An RBI double off the fence in right by Jenna Fox made it 5-1 in the sixth.

“They were a little flat early on, but they talk to each other,” Bear coach Kim Musselman said concerning her players. “We try to pump the girls up and try to tell them to string singles together.”

Hurter struck out the side on 11 pitches in the first inning, but Souderton took the lead in the second on a catcher’s interference call, two wild pitches and an error on a grounder to third with two out.

Indian starter McKenna Schroding allowed only one hit – a two-out single to left in the first by Hurter – through the first three frames.

“I thought we got off to a slow start,” said Homa. “The energy started low. But once one person gets on, the dugout rallies. Ella pitching strikeout after strikeout picked us up.”

Neiswender reached first on a throwing error to start the fourth and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Sobeck, setting the stage for the clutch hit by Homa.

Hurter fanned nine and walked four, with two of the bases on balls coming in the seventh and was taken out after going 2-0 on a batter with a runner on first.

“It wasn’t the best game,” said Hurter. “The heat got to me.”

“I thought Ella played a great game,” said Musselman. “I asked her if she could finish it, going out to start the seventh. She was tired at the end. It’s convenient having Kyra in the infield. She’s the utility player. She’s pitched and caught for me and she plays shortstop. I trusted her to come in and get an out.”

Souderton put seven runners on base, but had few hard-hit balls off Hurter.

“I think we kept battling,” said Indian coach Carol Atkinson. “We just didn’t come up with hits when we needed to. We kept them on their toes. (Hurter) is a great pitcher.

“It’s always difficult when you get here and lose. They’ve done well. They played with heart all season. We’ll have a young team coming up next year.”

The Bears have had trouble making it past the second round recently, losing to Pennridge 5-3 last season and falling to Haverford 1-0 at that point in 2022.

“Having good defense is a key and Ella pitching her game is a game-changer” said Homa.

“I just need to do what I need to do,” Hurter added. “We have to keep playing like we have been playing and keep our bats hot.”

Sixteen teams now remain in contention and the Bears will need to win on Wednesday in order to have a shot at one of the district’s six berths in the PIAA Class 6A Tournament.

“We’re going to have to come out with a lot more energy on Wednesday,” said Musselman. “I keep telling them any game can be your last game.”

Boyertown 5, Souderton 1

Souderton 010 000 0 – 10 2

Boyertown 000 221 – x – 5 5 3

Souderton ab r h bi

Fadden lf 3 0 0 0

Nadolski ss 3 0 0 0

Clemmer rf 3 0 0 0

Michelcic c 2 0 0 0

Messmer cr 0 1 0 0

Schroding p 1 0 0 0

Plinke cr 0 0 0 0