Making a (large) dent

Pennsville’s Harris hits two homers, one of which bangs off the family truck, drives in seven during Eagles’ rout of Pitman

TUESDAY SOFTBALL
Pennsville 18, Pitman 0
Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0
Overbrook 4, Schalick 3

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Most of the time when a child comes home with a ding in the family car dad is none too pleased.

Pennsville’s Kylie Harris doesn’t even drive yet, but she put a dent in her step-dad’s big ol’ truck Tuesday night and nobody seemed too upset about it.

Harris led off the Eagles’ first inning by parking a homer off the roof of her stepdad’s 2014 Dodge Ram that was parked just beyond the left-field fence at Watson Field, leaving a half-dollar sized welt that might could be explained away to some unsuspecting insurance man as hail damage. It was one of two homers the sophomore catcher hit in a career-best seven-RBI game in the Eagles’ 18-0 rout of Pitman.

“I’ve never seen him happier,” Harris said. “I didn’t know it was headed for the truck; I knew it was out though. I could tell that one right off the bat. It was a good feeling when I saw it hit the truck. As soon as I saw him come out the truck with his hands up it made me smile. I can’t wait to get out there and see it.”

Ironically, the shot might have caught her mom’s car in the windshield had she not moved it moments earlier to give stepdad a place to park.

Harris’ second homer – a three-run shot in the third inning to make it 18-0 – almost got another truck, but landed between two vehicles parked just beyond an access trail. 

“I was like, ‘Dang, two?’” Harris said. “I don’t know that (other) truck so I’d have felt a little bad.”

Pennsville coach Beth Jackson said the first homer “brought a calm over everybody” after plenty of uncertainty in the run-up to the game. It was the Eagles’ Senior Night, but the rainy weather put a damper on the way they were going to recognize the upperclassmen and even whether they’d play the game. As it was, the early innings were played in the rain.

The Eagles batted around in each of the first two innings. They got nine hits out of the first six spots in the lineup and eight of the nine spots scored at least two runs. Harris had three hits, Savannah Palverento had two and senior Bella Rappa had two in one inning.

Harris’ homers weren’t the only ones the Eagles hit. Rappa hit her first high school homer in the eight-run second inning. She hit her first homer on any level last summer playing for the Pennsville LL Senior Softball World Series team.

“This one is more cooler just because it’s Senior Night,” Rappa said. “Just to watch their center fielder do this (turn and watch it go out) was really cool.”

While the Eagles’ hitters were having a field day, Palverento continued to literally be unhittable in the circle. She pitched the first three innings without allowing a hit – for the third consecutive game — extending her streak of hitless innings over her last four games to 12 1/3. 

She did issue three one-out walks – one in each inning – but they never became a threat.

“I feel like this year I’ve been given more opportunities to pitch more and with more game time and reps at practice it’s just helped me become more consistent,” Palverento said. “The most impressive part is that I’m not even primarily a pitcher. I’m more a fielder, probably third base or outfield, but I’ve been used as a pitcher because our pitching staff is kind of low, so I feel like this stepping up is what’s impressing me the most.

“I don’t like to boast, but I’ve been feeling pretty good and hopefully I can continue this little streak towards next game against Clayton.”

She probably could have finished it and maybe recorded a third straight run-rule no-hitter, but because it was Senior Night senior Sierra Stultz came on to pitch the fourth. The Panthers got their only hit of the game off her, a two-out double that went nowhere.

“I just think she’s getting better,” Jackson said of Palverento. “I don’t know exactly when she started (pitching), but she hasn’t been pitching her whole life, so every single game she’s getting better. She threw a changeup for a strike today and we’ve been working with her to get comfortable with that. She’s put the work in and really come a long way.” 

OVERBROOK 4, SCHALICK 3: Cecelia Mitchell singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to cap the Rams’ two-run rally. They scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly.

The Cougars built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first (Cloe Elliott’s sacrifice fly), third and fifth (Cayla Sbrana’s RBI single). The Rams closed the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth.

 Taylor Sparks and Lucianna Virga had two hits each for Schalick.

The win keeps Overbrook mathematically alive for a share of the division title with Woodstown, although Woodstown beat the Rams twice during the season.

WOODSTOWN 5, GLASSBORO 0: Tulana Mingin went 4-for-4 to set the program’s all-time hits record (132) and Liv Boultinghouse spun a four-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. Mingin broke the record with a slap double in the fifth inning. The Wolverines won their 26th straight Tri-County division game and clinched at least a share of the Diamond Division title.

The Wolverines are two games up on Overbrook in the loss column with two to play and have won both games with Overbrook during the season.

On the cover: Pennsville catcher Kylie Harris’ stepdad Jesse Brenneis (R) points to the spot on the roof of his truck where Kylie’ first homer of the game landed in the first inning Tuesday night.