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Public League Softball Preview
Lady Eagles hope to draw three-of-a-kind
BY MIKE PODGORSKI
Sports Writer

After winning back to back Public League softball championships George Washington will have to fight off challenges from Northeast, Abraham Lincoln and Frankford to hold onto its crown for another year.

Meanwhile Samuel Fels has left the league's Silver Division and the school's competing with the big girls in the Gold bracket this spring.

George Washington - Head Coach: Carol Griffin - Last Year: 12-3 overall and league - Number of starters lost: 5.

George Washington may have gotten off to a slow 0-3 start this season but there are enough players on the squad who know how to win the contests that really matter.

Such gamers include junior outfielder Lisa Bradley. Last spring she scored the winning run for Washington in the bottom of the seventh inning in the championship tilt against Central.

Other juniors returning this year are Michelle Tropea (third base), Nikki Pellicciotti (left field), Donna Ragan (center field) and Candace Dimarcantonio (right field).

Second baseman Stacey Drasher is one of five seniors on the club and she's the lone upperclassman to start on a regular basis for coach Griffin.

First baseman Katie Demasi and shortstop Dana Koppel are back after getting significant amounts of playing time as freshmen last year

Pellicciotti has pitched a few innings for the Eagles this season along with senior Kelly Clark and sophomore Monica Wetzel. Most of their tosses have been caught behind home plate by junior Angela Spaziano.

Among the top bench players are senior outfielders Cindy Martin, Marcy McGinnis and Lakisha Tilghman.

Juniors Abby Rotenberg and Kristen Camuccio have seen some action as reserve infielders.

Although the Birds have played like anything but champs so far the coach feels their slump may help the team in the long run in its quest for a three-peat.

"We went through last season without much adversity," Griffin said. "This is a true test for our players to see how well they can handle the tough times and find ways to get themselves back on the winning track."

Northeast - Head Coach: Kathy Mullelly - Last Year: 11-4 overall and league - Number of starters lost: 5.

Amanda Morris, Lauren Gallatig and Shawna Howard helped Northeast reach the Public League semifinals last spring and they're back with the Vikings this time around.

Morris is a senior captain who will roam in center field while Gallatig tackles first base and Howard, a sophomore, crouches behind the plate.

Gallatig opened her junior campaign on fire with a three-run homerun last week against Fels.

Other returning players from last year's group include junior outfielders Allison Zientek and Amber Ivers, as well as sophomore second baseman Laurie Johnson.

Coach Mullelly is counting on designated hitters Nicole Robinson (senior) and Colleen Buzniak (junior) for some offensive fireworks.

Tara Jones is a senior rookie who'll play at third base while junior Dana Henderson will do some standing in the outfield.

Hoping to avoid the sophomore jinx are shortstop Jennifer Kucher and outfielder Crystal Gular.

Northeast's top candidates for freshman player of the year are pitcher Patti Campion and outfielder Erin Gallagher.

Like their rivals from Washington the Vikings have also struggled early this season with two defeats in their first three games.

But one thing the Vikes have going for them is their ability to come back from big deficits. They rallied to beat Washington last week and they erased a four-run hole recently versus Samuel Fels.

"Our girls never give up and you can't ever count us out of a ball game no matter what the score," Mullelly said. "Hopefully we can start learning to win more easily because it's hard for any team to make a comeback every game."

Abraham Lincoln - Head Coach: Bruce Drozd - Last Year: 8-7 overall and league - Number of starters lost: 3.

Abraham Lincoln pulled off a surprise conquest over a heavily favored Girls High team last spring and made it to the league's final four.

The Railsplitters have carried the momentum from that upset into the early part of this season as they've started the campaign with three straight triumphs.

Leading the way are returning starters Dawn Miller (senior shortstop), Kate Marshall (senior third baseman), Sandie Hesley (junior second baseman) and Melissa Price (junior catcher).

The pitching ace is junior Colleen Miller. She was a catcher in her freshman campaign but she moved to the mound last season and she averaged seven strikeouts per tilt.

Sophomores in the outfield are Dana Taylor (left), Jamie Price (center) and Katie Reikow (right) while senior Brandy Fitzgerald plays at first base.

Reserve outfielders include senior Shameka Connell, junior Ginger Jackson, junior Lindsay Phillips and sophomore Mary Lynne Tretter.

Junior Janine Cozens is currently a backup second baseman but her services may be utilized throughout the infield.

In spite of the hot start for the Splitters the coach isn't ready to consider his group as a league championship contender just yet.

"We have expectations for a great year," Drozd said. "But I hope they're not too high because the season is still young and we're still working on some things."

Frankford - Head Coach: Mitch Kline - Last Year: 3-9 overall and league - Number of starters lost: 4.

Three seniors, three juniors and three sophomores make up the starting lineup for a Frankford club on the rebound this season.

The upperclassmen are left fielder Jamie Croy, center fielder Dana Dalessandro and shortstop Tiffany Dever.

Among the junior class are Alicia Wilson (catcher), Helena Wafalowski (first baseman) and Colleen Snyder (right fielder).

Sophomores include pitcher Tara Mangan, second baseman Jody Szczurowski and third baseman Shannon Devitt.

Although the Pioneers have dropped their first two matches this season the coach is optimistic that things will eventually turn around.

"We have a lot of kids this year who are inexperienced at softball," Kline said. "But they've been getting better as they've played and practiced more. So it'll take some time but once they get the game down we'll become a pretty decent team."

Samuel Fels - Head Coach: Gloriane Bentz - Last Year: 12-1 overall and league - Number of starters lost: 3.

Raina Davidson was the pitching ace who led Samuel Fels to a perfect regular season record last season and she's back on the mound this spring for her senior campaign.

Davidson's battery mates over the next few weeks will include juniors Lillian Ortiz and Sarah Carlin.

Forming the freshmen infield are Jessica Brownlee at first base, Shekiah Brabham at second, Tekiah Brabham at third and Stephanie Rooney at shortstop.

Tracking down fly balls in the outfield are senior Niche Adderly, as well as juniors Rachel Allmond and Kim Williams.

Sophomores Jennifer Danihel and Christa Robbins will split their duties between the infield and outfield.

After breezing its way to a Silver Division crown last spring Fels has moved into the Gold with the likes of Washington, Northeast, Lincoln and Frankford.

But the Panthers have been anything but intimidated so far as they've pulled off stunning victories over the Eagles and Vikings while losing a close one against the Rails. "I think we can hold our own and we've done that to this point," Bentz said. "If we can cut down on our mistakes we should win a couple more games before the season ends."

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