Softball

Player                School        Class     Major Hillary Allen          Drexel          Jr.        Elementary ed. Lindsey Atzert          Cabrini          So. Educational studies Paige Collings          Drexel          Jr. Biological sciences Danielle McDevitt       Holy Family    So.    Elemen./sp. ed. Ashley Minch          Rowan          Jr.

Philadelphia and New York won yesterday in the opening round-robin singles softball squash racquets matches in the annual men's series for the Lockett Cup at the Berwyn Squash and Fitness Club. The Lockett Cup event had been held every year since the early 1920s until it was wiped out by a snowstorm two years ago. It also missed play last year, when squash racquets was in a transitional period from hardball to softball play. Yesterday the cup play was at softball for the first time in the history of the inter-city series.

Dave McNeely of Episcopal Academy won the men's Class A championship of the Darwin Kingsley Softball Squash Classic over lefthander Ed Chilton, the pro at Wilmington Country Club, 9-7, 9-0, 9-4, yesterday at Penn's Ringe Courts. Stephanie Teaford of Penn Charter won the women's Class A championship over Elise O'Connell of Agnes Irwin, 2-9, 9-6, 9-1, 9-7, in the final of round- robin play.

Sarah Rosenburg gave up just one hit and no earned runs as she helped Central coast to a 7-1 win over Philadelphia Academy Charter in the Public League softball final at LaSalle University. Rosenburg struck out 12 and walked none for the complete-game win. Gina Guadalupe added a pair of hits and two runs scored and senior Stephanie Cattan went 1 for 2 with an RBI and two runs scored.   Volleyball Washington overcame a power outage to capture its first back-to-back boys volleyball Public League title as the Eagles dropped Masterman, 3-0. Washington capped off a perfect (13-0)

Player                      School         Major       GPA Ashley Botelho               Drexel         Bus. Ad.       3.54 Mary Pat Conville            La Salle         Education    3.53 Lauren Davis-Macedonia   Ursinus         Biology       3.46 Sam Ingersoll               West Chester   Psychology 3.91 Krystle Metzler               Temple         Business    3.

Her most valuable pitching asset is not her searing, 60-m.p.h. fastball, nor is it her tricky, four-pitch repertoire. Downingtown's Courtney Hankes is a formidable softball pitcher because she stays as cool as a Popsicle. "I don't let things bother me," she said. "I think it really helps. You can't let things bother you. " Hankes had a mostly bother-free senior season, in which she fired five no- hitters and led Downingtown to its second straight Ches-Mont League softball championship, and she will be attending the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, a rising Division I softball powerhouse.

Mickey Shaw, the all-time victories leader among Washington Township softball coaches, has stepped down after 15 years. "There are a lot of factors, but the biggest one is I want to spend more time with my kids," Shaw said. Shaw amassed 311 victories, and he cited the 1993 state-finalist season and the last two years as highlights. "Those moments were special especially the last two seasons," Shaw said. "After everything that happened to this team this spring, I couldn't ask for anything more than what the kids accomplished.

When Sandy Stringham was younger, she set her sights on being a gymnast. The Rider College softball team should be grateful that Stringham eventually decided not to be the next Mary Lou Retton. The junior centerfielder from Rancocas Valley is Rider's career leader in stolen bases - she had 78 through her first 38 games - and could set more records by the time she graduates next year. The first sport she was introduced to, however, was gymnastics, at age 5. In high school, Stringham competed for Rancocas Valley as a gymnast, but to make the necessary commitment to that sport, she would have had to abandon softball.

Imagine being 11 years old and a baseball nut. Imagine being invited to attend the All-Star Workout Day by a friend, then finding out your seats are in the first row of the deluxe-box section behind first base, then being dragged onto the field to participate, and then being interviewed on ESPN and being called "a national hero. " Marty Howell wasn't dreaming yesterday. All of that happened to him at Veterans Stadium. Marty, of West Creek, Ocean County, N.J., was summoned by Stars manager Bill Cosby to pinch-hit against the Stripes in the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.

Colleen Koch has placed softball in its proper perspective. To her, it's a game, nothing more. That's not to say Koch, a talented senior shortstop for William Tennent, doesn't love the sport. And it certainly doesn't imply she's merely an average player. But rather than worry about which colleges are recruiting her, Koch would rather enjoy her last year of high school and concentrate on preparing herself for whichever college is lucky enough to get her - as a student, not an athlete.

While hoisting the Catholic League championship plaque above their heads in celebration and then passing it among themselves, the members of the Bonner-Prendergast softball team barely contained their joy. "Can you believe it?" one of the Pandas asked. "We are finally holding it," another remarked. There was a lot of hugging, smiling, and laughing after the Pandas' 6-3 victory over St. Hubert in the final Wednesday at Arcadia University's Blankley Field. But the emotion most prominent was disbelief at what had just been accomplished.

The Penn softball team took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run homer by Georgia Guttadauro in the first elimination game Saturday at the NCAA regional tournament in College Station, Texas. It was Guttadauro's 33d RBI of the season. But a throwing error and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth helped hand a 3-2 victory to Arizona. Penn ends with a 30-20 record.   Division II Kutztown 2, West Chester 1 - The host Golden Bears (33-21) scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and held on for a series-clinching victory over the Golden Rams to win their second straight Atlantic Region championship.

Senior Brooke Coloma is looking to add to Penn's historic season on the softball field. The four-time all-Ivy League outfielder and California native leads Penn with 35 RBIs this season and has 123 in her career. She is hitting .343. Behind Coloma, sophomore pitcher Alexis Borden (17-10, 2.38 ERA) and senior second baseman Samantha Erosa (.344), the Quakers qualified for the regional round of the NCAA Division I softball College World Series for the first time in school history. They are scheduled to play in College Station, Texas, against 16th-seeded Texas A&M on Friday at 8 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

Central Bucks East, Neshaminy, Strath Haven, and Unionville were among the top seeds in the 24-team PIAA District 1 Class AAAA baseball tournament. Neshaminy, which won the Suburban One National, is the top seed in the District 1 Class AAAA softball tournament. The district seedings for both sports were announced Thursday. The top four baseball seeds in the North (No. 1 C.B. East, No. 2 Neshaminy, No. 3 Methacton, No. 4 Perkiomen Valley) and South (No. 1 Strath Haven, No. 2 Unionville, No. 3 West Chester Henderson, and No. 4 Coatesville)

All seeds are unofficial until noon Friday. South Jersey Group 4 1. Washington Township 2. Eastern 3. Toms River East 4. Toms River North 5. Vineland 6. Shawnee 7. Millville 8. Williamstown 9. Lenape 10. Toms River South 11. Clearview 12. Cherry Hill West 13. Egg Harbor Township 14. Cherokee 15. Cherry Hill East 16. Mainland South Jersey Group 3 1. Gloucester Tech ...

When you take a long look at the Central Bucks East and Pennridge softball teams, you will see that not a whole lot separates the two. Both were teams on the rise a season ago, playing in the same division as defending state champion Hatboro-Horsham and eventual state champion Central Bucks South. No longer upstarts, the Rams and Patriots have been contenders for a league title all year, duking it out with the Hatters and Titans. On Tuesday, the difference between the Suburban One Continental foes was a two-out, fourth-inning triple by Carla Ruscio that gave the host Patriots a 3-2 victory over Pennridge.

West Chester's Megan Kelly (Hatboro-Horsham) hit a grand slam, and Devon Utterback (Central Bucks South) pitched a two-hitter Sunday as the Golden Rams defeated host California (Pa.), 6-3, in an NCAA Division II softball regional final. Kutztown scored four runs in the ninth inning to earn an extra-inning, 4-0 victory over Bloomsburg in another regional final in Shippensburg, Pa. The Golden Bears (32-21) advance to their second straight appearance in the Atlantic Super Regionals and will play host West Chester (37-19)

The Interboro softball team lost some key pieces from its back-to-back Del-Val League champions. But the Bucs still have Olivia Encarnacion and Lindsey DellaVecchio, and you can't go wrong with a top ace and a clutch bat. They played their roles perfectly Monday, leading host Interboro to a 2-1 win over Chichester in 10 innings, and a third straight league championship. Encarnacion struck out nine in a complete game. DellaVecchio went 3 for 5 with two doubles, scored a run, and drove in the game-winner.

For the first time in its history, Penn will play in the NCAA Division I softball College World Series. The Quakers are scheduled to play at Texas A&M on Friday at 6 p.m. in the first round. They advanced to the double-elimination tournament after earning an automatic bid with a series victory over Dartmouth to take the Ivy League championship two weeks ago. Coached by Lisa King, Penn had an eight-game winning streak in March and ended the regular season by winning seven of its last 10 games.

Before Pennsbury's softball season even started, the team's seven seniors knew which games they looked forward to the most. "Neshaminy," said all seven: Christina Bascara, Taylor Boltersdorf, Val Buehler, Michelle George, Jess Greenewald, Mackenzie Obert, and Suzanne Swanicke. Most of them smiled when they said it, imagining the games before they could even step on the diamond. As a matter of fact, these girls have always looked forward to Neshaminy-Pennsbury showdowns in the Suburban One League's National Conference.