TOWAMENCIN – On the night that the North Penn Softball team celebrated its seniors, the Maidens (7-7) came out victorious in dramatic comeback fashion against the CB West Bucks. Senior captain Katie Beer capped off the comeback with a walk-off double in extra innings to lift her team up, 6-5.

“They needed this so bad,” Coach Rick Torresani said with relief. “The coaching staff needed this so bad, especially on senior night. I’m just proud of them.”

Starting off the extra innings, senior captain Melanie Lauro singled, then stole second base. Senior Kate Knab bunted her over to third base, setting the stage for Beer

“It felt great,” exclaimed Beer. “I haven’t been hitting well coming into the game, so it was nice to finally get a hit.”

“It was a team win,” announced freshman Jamie Beer. “It felt really good.”

Coming into the game, the team as a whole was struggling to hit, being shutout in their last two games. However, by putting up six runs in the game, the team looked to put the woes behind them.

“We had some great practices,” explained Torresani. “We talked about coming in prepared because we have not been hitting. We talked about focusing and just forgetting everything else when we come to hit. They came to hit tonight and they listened. I’m just so proud of them.”

Acknowledging the seniors, Torresani decided give all his seniors a start, handing some of them their first start.

“The seniors all started and they got to play,” praises Torresani. “The two seniors who don’t usually play, now they’re going to start. Katie [Knab] and Julia [Puia] played some outstanding softball, especially Katie with those bunts.”

All of the seniors made an instant impact, especially Knab who made a sliding catch at end the first inning and later drove in the Maidens’ first run in two games, putting NP up 1-0 in the second inning.

The lead did not last long, as CB West quickly responded in the top of third inning, taking a 2-1 lead. The Bucks added to their lead in the fourth inning, building a four-run cushion.

This lit a fire under North Penn as they responded immediately. In the bottom of fourth inning, Knab scored on a wild pitch to cut into their lead, 5-2. Junior Bri Battavio followed up by hitting a two-run double, making it a one run game. Junior Grace Hughes delivered a game-tying single to even the score.

“Once we start hitting,” explained Jamie Beer, “we just keep going and going. It starts off small but ends up big.

And the rest is history.

“We knew we could come back,” commented Katie Beer. “We came back during the Souderton game. It’s just the matter of pushing it over the top.”

After the game, the team celebrated the victory and the seniors with food and skits prepared by the underclassman.

“I keep telling myself that I have to win the game for the them,” remembered Jamie Beer. “I love the seniors. It’s their game. It’s their night. We had to win it for them.”

“This senior group is just awesome,” exclaimed Torresani, “because some of them don’t play but they never complain and they cheer on. And someone them got to play, and they went to play and it was like they played every day. They didn’t make a mistake and they tried their hardest. I’m just so proud of them because this was their win. This was the seniors’ win. Not only did they cheer everybody on, but they won the game. I mean they came out and hit and pitched and played defense it’s something that in few years ahead that these kids will never forget.”