North Penn Knights
North Penn finishes its season with a 15-9 record, having made the PIAA tournament every year since 2018
North Penn’s quest for a third straight PIAA Class 6A softball title ended in stunning fashion Tuesday as the Knights fell 7-5 to Nazareth in the first round of the state tournament, according to The Reporter.
Despite building an early 5-0 lead, North Penn was unable to hold off a late-game rally sparked by two home runs from Nazareth’s Alina Weaver, including a dramatic two-run shot with two outs and two strikes in the top of the seventh, per the report. A solo homer by Shauna McNamee immediately followed, putting Nazareth in front for good.
The Knights jumped ahead with a big second inning, scoring five runs on a combination of timely hitting and defensive miscues by the Blue Eagles. But Nazareth began to claw back in the third inning with Weaver’s first home run of the game, a two-run blast that helped close the gap to 5-3, per sports coverage.
After North Penn failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity in the third, Nazareth continued to chip away.
North Penn attempted to answer in the bottom of the seventh with singles from Mady Archer and pitcher Felicia Connolly, but the rally was cut short after a double play.
The Knights, who were District 1 runners-up, couldn’t produce the clutch hits they needed in the late innings.
North Penn finishes its season with a 15-9 record, having made the PIAA tournament every year since 2018.
