The Perkiomen School softball team heads into next week's Tri-County Independent School playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

        Head coach Melissa Gaiser says she likes where the Panthers (7-0 league, 8-4 overall) stand.  "Everything is starting to click," said Gaiser, after her team needed just three innings to defeat league opponent Mercy Vocational 17-2 on Tuesday. "We're becoming a family. The girls are trusting each other, believing in each other."

        After four members of that family played their final regular season home game, Gaiser presented the seniors, Pauline Reck, Isabella San Miguesl, Lexi Berkheimer and Maddy Gliniski, flowers and a commemorative plastic bat autographed by the entire team. 

        "We're going to have big holes to fill when all four of them leave," Gaiser said.

        Gliniski, a two-year starter in the outfield, expressed a unique appreciation for competing with her teammates.  After playing junior varsity as a freshman, Gliniski took a year off from the sport as a sophomore. She and her identical twin sister, Adelaide, decided to compete on the newly created track and field team. 

        "I wanted to support that," said Maddy Gliniski, an avid long distance runner who was training for the Army 10-miler, a race held every October in Washington D.C.

        Maddy Gliniski would have begun her sophomore season as the starter in right field, according to Gaiser.

        Even though she missed softball after two days of practice, Gliniski completed the season with the track team, competing in distance running and the hurdles.  "I have a habit of completing things that I start," she said.

        Returning to the softball team as a junior was an easy decision, according to Gliniski. She liked being part of a team since her other sports – swimming, tennis and long-distance running – are individual endeavors. 

        "I'm glad Maddy came back," Geiser said.

        Gliniski, who plans on attending Misericordia University, in Dallas, PA and major in physical therapy, says she has evolved into a powerful hitter when she makes contact.  "I'm seeing the ball better (at the plate), and I've always been good at catching fly balls," she said.

        Gliniski also said the team is in prime position to repeat as league champions.  "There's no reason why we should not be extremely competitive," she said.

        Since a seven-run loss to George School on April 13, Perkiomen School has won seven of its last eight games.

        According to Geiser, the Panthers players have simplified the game, especially at the plate.  "The girls are hitting with more confidence," the coach said.

        Gaiser said they began hitting their stride in late last month. A doubleheader sweep of Renaissance Academy on March 27 sparked the flurry. A 16-1 win over the Barrack Hebrew Academy followed the next day.

        Perkiomen School responded to a 10-2 loss to Academy of the New Church on April 30 with consecutive lopsided wins over the Community Academy (17-2 on May 1) and Mercy Vocational.

        In Tuesday's win, Amelia Dormer registered the only hit for the Panthers, who took advantage of 14 walks and two errors. In the first inning, they scored 10 runs.