Abby Wild denied Upper Perkiomen the opportunity to win its first Pioneer Athletic Conference softball title in 29 years. Her dominance prevented the Indians from capturing their first title since 1988.

            Wild registered 14 strikeouts and allowed just two hits to lead Perkiomen Valley to a 2-0 victory on Thursday, May 18 at

Spring-Ford High School.

            Upper Perkiomen head coach Dean Sullivan called Wild the best pitcher in the conference.  "She is top notch," Sullivan said of Wild, who fanned every hitter in the opposing lineup at least once. "And Perkiomen Valley is a really good team."

            The pitcher recorded two thirds of her outs on strikeouts, which included 11 on a swinging third strike. Wild, who retired the final 11 hitters she faces, relied on a high fastball and a changeup.

            With two strikes, Wild relied heavily on a fastball above the hitters' hands, according to Karlee Fretz.

            "Early on, all the hitters coming back to the dugout said 'Try not to chase the rise ball," she said.  But the pitch is hard to lay off, according to Sullivan.

            Upper Perkiomen pitcher Taylor Lindsay absorbed the loss despite permitting just a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. The junior scattered nine hits while registering only three strikeouts.  "If Wild is No. in the league, Taylor is right behind her," Sullivan said.

            The Vikings scored both their runs in the top of the fourth inning. Sela Fusco led off with a double and scored on a single by Wild. Haley Moriarity, a courtesy runner for the pitcher, scored from third on a wild pitch.

            The Indians' only rally came in the bottom of the fourth. Sarah Heidler reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a single to right center by Lindsay.

            However, Wild struck out Fretz and retired Alyssa Sullivan on an infield pop to quell the threat and end Upper Perkiomen's 11-game winning streak.

            "It's disappointing that we lost," Fretz said. "But getting to this point was a huge accomplishment for us."

            According to Dean Sullivan, the Indians (19-3) are eager to resume playing as the No. 1 seed in the District One Class 4A playoffs. They were scheduled to host conference rival Pope John Paul II on Wednesday, May 24. Only the district winner from the four-team field will advance to the PIAA Class 4A Tournament.

            "We're going to bounce back," Fretz said. "This loss will only make us stronger."