Penn Charter aims to bounce back from lone softball loss

Eileen Hennessy needed to go for a run.

Hours before, her Penn Charter softball team suffered its first loss of the season, a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat that Episcopal Academy won in walk-off fashion.

The loss ruined the Quakers' chance at a perfect season and the opportunity to be the first team in league history to finish 12-0 in Inter-Ac play.

And so, after "snapping" on her mother, Denise, during the car ride home and then talking about the game with her father, Jamie, the senior third baseman decided it would be best for her to go into her Chalfont neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia and jog a couple of miles.

That's what she likes to do when she has "too much going on" in her head, Hennessy said. She'll put on some upbeat music to clear her mind - and yes sometimes, that something is "Come On Eileen."

Hennessy didn't need to venture out very far to know she didn't want to feel that way again. That was the big takeaway from the contest against the Churchwomen.

Thursday's loss was a big moment for the Quakers (17-1). It engendered a shift for the squad, a refocus now that the state tournament is all that remains this season.

"We needed a game like today," Hennessy said. "We went the whole season blowing everyone out and we needed to get our heads back in it. We will refocus now; it is a new challenge for us."

The Quakers haven't had many challenges so far, rolling through the season as they have outscored opponents, 223-34, notched 10 or more runs in 14 contests, and have beaten foes 13 times by the 10-run rule.

"I thought last year's offense was amazing, solid, but I think this year it has gotten even better," coach Doc Mittica said. "I think it is a blend. We've got a lot of power hitters, a lot of contact hitters, we don't strike out much. It's just a balanced team."

"We know how deep our lineup is. It is something we take deep pride in," senior centerfielder Devon Loftus said. "We are aggressive, but we also know how to get a walk or take pitches. That discipline at the plate has really helped us."

On Thursday, the Inter-Ac champions will host the winner of Notre Dame-Baldwin in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools state playoffs. The Quakers are the defending champions, having captured the program's first title last year.

"I think it would be incredible," Loftus said. "It would be such an honor for me for my last game in high school uniform to be a state championship. It would be awesome to go out like that."

Hennessy agreed. After the EA game, she and junior Brigitte Gutpelet promised each other they weren't going to let their team lose again. They wanted to get right back on the field and "get that back right now."

Instead, Hennessy went for a run. She'd prefer if she didn't have to do that again this season.