Softball: Beretski's homer beats Council Rock North

By the time Sophie Beretski's game-winning home run cleared the fence in right field she was already on second base.

It's not that the two-run shot was a towering fly ball or got caught up in the wind.

No, the Neshaminy second baseman was just too excited to trot around the bases - she wasn't going to slow down just because of her heroics.

Instead she did the opposite.

"I was sprinting so fast," she said. "I couldn't control my excitement."

Who can blame her? Beretski was responsible for three of her team's four runs as Neshaminy won in dramatic fashion, 4-2, against visiting Council Rock North on Thursday.

"I just knew we had two outs and I had to pick my teammates up," said Beretski, who was 2 for 3 with three RBIs.

With the game tied at 2, pinch-hitter Mandy Kurtz led off the seventh inning with a single up the middle. Three hitters later, Beretski stepped into the batter's box with two outs.

"If [Kurtz] doesn't get a hit, then Soph doesn't even get to the plate," coach Dave Chichilitti said. "Don't forget that."

It was a familiar matchup for Neshaminy (12-1, 9-0 Suburban One National Conference) and the Indians (8-3, 6-2), as the two teams had played each other just 10 days ago.

"It is hard to beat a great team like that twice, so we knew it was going to be tough one," said Beretski, a Kutztown-bound senior. "We just did our thing and executed well."

The familiarity proved to help Neshaminy pitcher Sarah Dowalo, who said seeing C.R. North so recently helped her prepare.

"I wanted to put the pressure on them - I wasn't going to let them get to me," Dowalo said.

The pressure was on, as the sophomore southpaw struck out 13.

She was dealing," Beretski said. "Getting ahead in every count."

Neshaminy hasn't dropped a game to an in-state opponent this season, rolling against both league and nonleague teams.

"We still want to see what we can do," Dowalo said.

Council Rock North 000 001 1 - 2 5 0

Neshaminy 001 001 2 - 4 10 1

WP: Sarah Dowalo LP: Amanda Camp 2B: CRN-Hannah Stalker; N-Mackensie Compton, Sophie Beretski 3B: CRN-Nicole Rounsavill HR: N-Beretski, Rebecca Dixon.