Photos/Videos: Mike Szcepkowski, Kathy Leister, Mark Zimmaro

By: John Knebels

PHILADELPHIA – It’s no secret that two programs have distinctly dominated recent Philadelphia Catholic League softball.

Over the past 10 seasons, Archbishop Ryan has been involved in seven PCL finals, winning three straight from 2014 through 2016 in addition to single titles in 2018 and 2021.

Meanwhile, after an uncharacteristic drought, Conwell-Egan has reached the past four championships, losing to Ryan in 2021, Archbishop Wood in 2022, and then taking back-to-back crowns in 2023 and 2024 at the expense of Ryan.

“Having the returning players who have been in the situations in championships and knowing what is on the line this year has also been passed down to the new freshmen, and they have adapted so well to the PCL schedule we face.

“The teams we have had on the schedule have shown us top-notch talent and helped us to prepare for our league games and become better players. We know we are far from done and we haven’t seen all of the PCL talent yet, so we use our games to better prepare us,” added McBeth. 

Led by the league’s most celebrated pitcher, Hayden Sissons, the Lions (5-0) are off to their best start since finishing undefeated during the regular season in 2019 before being stunned by St. Hubert’s, 6-5 in nine innings, in the championship.

Through 27 innings, Sissons has surrendered a miserly nine hits, two earned runs, and seven walks while striking out 53. In a 2-0 win over Bonner-Prendergast, the returning All-Catholic also knocked in a run.

In a 10-2 victory at Nazareth Academy, sophomore Ava Dill smashed two home runs and finished with five RBI. Earlier this season, Sissons surpassed 500 career strikeouts.

Archbishop Ryan (3-1) is coming off a hugely satisfying 8-2 win at Archbishop Carroll on April 15. Buoyed by senior pitcher Maddie Velez’s two-hit, one-earned-run performance, and strong hitting by freshman Maddy Tracy (three hits and four RBI) and senior Moira Maw (three RBI), the Ragdolls won their third straight.

Nazareth Academy (3-1) came back from a 6-4 deficit in the seventh by scoring three runs and then held on to edge Archbishop Wood on April 1.

“This is my second year on varsity and coming onto the team as a freshman last year, everyone was extremely welcoming and that helped me become more comfortable,” said Kryzwicki. “Now, a year later, we have all grown closer both on and off the field, which definitely has shown so far this season.

“The chemistry among this group of girls has played a major role in helping us accomplish many things this year. I’m looking forward to the rest of our season and seeing what we can make out of it.”

St. Hubert’s (2-1) opened many eyes with a convincing 9-2 victory at Archbishop Ryan on April 2. Junior leadoff hitter Sarah Scott pounded out a program-record-tying four doubles and drove home four runs. Junior Sam Staublein and senior Ashleigh Baisch each delivered two hits. Freshman pitcher Savannah Bovitt befuddled the Ragdolls on the mound, allowing two runs while striking out 16.

“It’s been amazing having a different perspective of the game as coach, too. I feel it’s more rewarding now getting those types of wins as a coach since you get to see overall improvements of everyone’s game. But at the end of the day, it’s the girls who went out there and executed and got that big win.” 

Bonner-Prendergast (3-2) not only pushed undefeated Cardinal O’Hara to the hilt before dropping a 2-0 decision, they outslugged Archbishop Carroll, 11-9, and outplayed Archbishop Wood, 6-2.

In the Carroll victory, a huge effort by sophomore Mia Lamberto (career-high five RBI) aided a four-run sixth inning that erased an 8-7 deficit. At Wood, Lamberto once again shined with two hits, two RBI, and a sensational game-ending snare of a line drive that saved two runs and preserved the complete-game win for junior pitcher Julia Brown. 

“Confidence is definitely big this year,” said junior catcher Georgie Mariani, who slugged a homer against Wood. “We’re all trying to stay confident, and we are always picking each other up.

“Fun is also big. We have been splitting up the amount of fun and the amount of seriousness within our practices and games. We lost a lot of players, but our mindsets are really helping us.”

On the heels of two defeats against two probable PCL playoff teams, Archbishop Wood (2-2) steadied the ship with a thorough, must-have 9-2 win over a St. Hubert’s squad that entered the frigid, windy April 15 game undefeated, and featured a Wood team minus two starters felled by a stomach bug.

“They have started working together and staying more focused,” said Wood coach Jackie Ecker. “We had two starters not there because of sickness and we had girls step up. If everyone can keep contributing, we should be okay.”

Archbishop Carroll (1-2) is off to a rare slow start. But it’s never smart to count out the Patriots, who have plenty of opportunity to get back on track.

“I’m confident that with our (non-league) win over Baldwin, the team’s momentum has changed and our bats are going to stay hot,” said Carroll senior Maddie Long. “Some of our underclassmen have taken over key positions and we as a team are starting to gel together.

“We all know how important the rest of the season is with the remainder of the PCL games, and we are excited to see how it plays out.”

Little Flower (0-5) sped to a shocking 4-0 lead in the first inning April 3 at Archbishop Ryan. Although the Sentinels could not maintain their lead, the 9-5 loss against one of the PCL’s perennial juggernauts was particularly memorable for the sophomore brigade of Rose Asimos (two hits), Kelly Trahey (two hits), Cecilia Bowdren (two RBI), and pitcher Molly Pawlowski (one earned run allowed in 3 1/3 innings of relief).

“It’s exciting having such a young roster because there is so much potential and room to grow,” said Little Flower coach Tori Sherwood. “They already have such good chemistry together, which is great to see, and I look forward to seeing where it will take them in the years to come.” 

Neumann-Goretti (0-4) has struggled on the field, but coach Tina Kelly notices the big picture.

“I am proud of my girls,” said Kelly. “I’m proud of how they’re coming together, learning a lot, and just having fun with the process.”

(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.)