District 1 Class 6A Softball: Haverford bats are busy early in quarterfinal rout

HAVERFORD — Friday’s District 1 Class 6A quarterfinal was the sort of game that Haverford senior third baseman Kerri McCallum expects of herself and her mates.

Contrast that to Wednesday’s victory over No. 13 Boyertown, a grind in which neither team scored until the bottom of the eighth inning, when junior shortstop Shannon Gavigan delivered the walk-off hit to send Haverford on.

Scoring more than one run is the expectation for the fourth-seeded Fords. Although coach Bob Newman reminds his players that playoff games shouldn’t be easy and that blowouts are rare, the Fords are too good to be held to one run, in any game at any stage.

So the Fords got the bats rolling early Friday, scoring five first-inning runs on the way to a 9-1 trouncing of 14th-seeded Downingtown East.

That’s more like it.

“I feel like we were a little nervous for (Wednesday) because it had been so long since we played in a district tournament game and there are a lot of younger kids playing on the team. Yeah, we were definitely a little nervous,” said McCallum, who finished with two hits, including a two-run double. “Coming into this game we were more calm and collected with it. At practice we had a fun time and kept all the joy and energy up. We weren’t focused on where we would be after the game, we just focused on the game in general and took it one step at a time.”

Haverford advances to the final four of districts Tuesday to play top-seeded Pennsbury in a rematch of a Class 6A semifinal from last June. The game will be at a neutral site to be determined.

The Fords (22-0) batted around in the opening frame. Emma Taylor ripped an RBI double, and Kylie Ingram drove in a pair of runs with a two-bagger. Claudia Stuck singled home two more to make it 5-0.

Giving Taylor a five-run cushion with which to work meant the Cougars were cooked. The reigning Daily Times Player of the Year allowed four hits and an earned run — by way of a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning with Haverford up nine — while striking out nine.

“It was super important to score on them early, especially after coming off our game Wednesday,” Taylor said. “And just knowing what the weather was, in case we got cut short we had to score first and score early. It just sets the tone for the game.”

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Haverford High pitcher Emma Taylor, in action against Penncrest, allowed just one run in a 9-1 win over Downingtown East in the District 1 Class 6A quarterfinals Friday. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group).