Spring Sports Finish on a High Note

Congratulations to the varsity softball team for their 1-0 championship victory over Shipley School in the PAISAA finals last Thursday at Arcadia University. Pitcher Sam Klug did not allow a single run, throwing a complete game shutout and leading the Blue Devils to the win. Klug also only allowed one hit and struck out 12. SCH got things started in the second inning when senior captain Marissa Wolff led off the inning with a great hit. Sophomore Kama Bode just missed a homerun and settled for a double, putting Wolff on third, and then sophomore Emma Blaszczak put down a perfectly placed bunt to load the bases with no outs. Junior Courtney Oliver came up and drew the walk, leading to Wolff scoring the only run of the game. Senior captain Darby Casey led the defense and made outstanding plays at second base on the four balls hit to her. Overall, the defense made no errors! We are so proud of this tough, hard-working, and talented team, the 2022 PAISAA and Inter-Academic Softball Champions! 

The varsity girls lacrosse team advanced to the PAISAA finals for the first time in the program’s history, ending the season with an excellent record of 17-5 and tied for third in the Inter-Ac, with wins over PC, EA, and a PAISAA victory over AIS. The team took on league rival Penn Charter at Cabrini last Thursday in the championship game and finished as the runner-up in an 8-7 battle that went to the last second. Junior Emma Bradbury rallied the team in the second half to cut the deficit along with senior CeCe Reilly, but the Blue Devils ran out of time to catch PC. Bradbury ended the game with 3 goals, sophomore Madison Freeman scored 1, CeCe Reilly tallied 1 goal and 1 assist, and sophomore Alex Reilly chipped in 1. Senior All-American Lucy Pearson added 7 to her 300+ career saves and had a stellar game. The future of SCH lacrosse is bright, and we are so excited to see what it holds for all of our talented players! 

The crew team had 5 boats that qualified for SRAA Nationals, held at the Cooper River in NJ last Friday and Saturday. Every boat made it to finals by finishing in one of the top 3 places in their heat, not an easy task with some great competition from all over the country. The Girls’ Freshman Quad: Caitlin Keough, Emma Schwartz, Emma Ludwikowski, and Nadia Stockman blew the competition out of the water, winning a gold by 4 seconds in the finals over the 2nd place boat! The Boys’ Lightweight Quad: Sammy Meyer, Eli Eckert, Matt Leon-Palfrey, and Luca Belmonte took silver, second to Belen Jesuit, a crew from Miami. The Boys’ Varsity Quad: AJ Topping, Jack Stephenson, Jude Halfpenny, and Charlie Miles brought home a bronze, beating Haddon, East Grand Rapids (MI), and Burnt Hills (NY). The Girls’ Varsity Quad: Kaia McTigue, Ashley Keough, Sam Simon, and Gaby Leon-Palfrey raced in a too close to call finish, but were edged out of medal contention. Lastly, the Girls’ JV Double: Alexandra Cross and Olivia Caione finished 5th, facing boats from Michigan, Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania. It was an excellent season, and we are so very proud of all of the SCH scullers who have competed throughout the year! 

The baseball team advanced to the PAISAA semis last Thursday with early round victories over Westtown and Friends’ Central but had to face Inter-Ac champions Malvern Prep to move on to the finals. The Blue Devils led the Friars 2-1 after 4 innings, but Malvern rallied to go up 3-2 in the 5th where the score would stay, despite SCH’s best efforts. Great work by all of the boys, your grit, work ethic, and the seniors’ leadership were much appreciated this season!