The conference tournaments are underway in the BCIAA, Colonial, and EPC. Let’s take a look at action so far…
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Emmaus 6, Pleasant Valley 1
Last year, the Bears knocked off Emmaus in a stunner, 4-2. This time around, Pleasant Valley took an early lead, loading the bases in the first inning. Maddie Abbatiello walked with the bases loaded to force in a run and go ahead 1-0. Rylan Knapp struck out in a nine pitch at bat. Those would be the last baserunners all game, except for a third inning Jovie Valenzuela walk. Sadie Haefeli tied the game up in the third, singling in Sydney Bennett. Abby Derr, Sophia Tranguch and Morgan Schwab continued the big third inning with RBI hits, putting the Hornets up 4-1. Avery DeFanti homered in the fifth to make it 5-1, on a long ball over the fence in left. Mari Eiswerth struck out 14 Bears in her one-hitter, throwing strikes 63% of the time. The Hornets advance to face two-time defending EPC champions Nazareth Monday night at Patriots Park.
Nazareth 9, Whitehall 1
Home runs by Natalie Chloros and Taylor Friel provided 5RBI to break open a big win for the two-time defending conference champion Blue Eagles. Chloros was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and 3RBI. Friel’s 3-run bomb extended the lead to 6-1 at the time. Kylie Grover gave up four hits in her 11 strikeout performance, walking none. The Eagles now faceoff with Emmaus in the semifinals Monday night at Patriots Park. The first meeting was a 7-6 Emmaus victory way back on March 20th.
Freedom 18, Stroudsburg 3
Freedom pounded out 13 hits and eleven runs over the first two innings, rolling over the Mounties. Daniela Guzzo’s bases clearing 3RBI triple contributed to her 5RBI afternoon. Brooklyn Pronovich knocked in four more and three came from Siara Gonzalez, who had a 3-for-3 day. The Patriots will now face Liberty, after blasting them twice in the regular season by wide margins.
Liberty 8, Northampton 6
The Konkrete Kids held a 5-4 lead midway through this quarterfinal. Hannah Duerr homered in the first, bringing Kiley Henritzy with her to make the score 2-0 early. Avery Deibert’s 3-run shot made it 5-2. Leah Onia’s long ball broke a 5-5 tie in the fourth, putting the Hurricanes on top for good. After falling to rivals Freedom 16-6 and 11-5 in the regular season, the Hurricanes will now have a chance to avenge those defeats in the EPC semifinals at Patriots Park Monday night.
Colonial League
Pen Argyl 12, Northern Lehigh 2
The Bulldogs had their four game regular season ending win streak snapped on the road Saturday. Tegan Simms gave her Northern Lehigh squad an early 1-0 lead, but it was short-lived, as Pen Argyl replied with five runs in the bottom of the first. Rylee Wentz and Aubrey Dehart each provided a 2RBI single in the early rally. Dehart finished 3-for-4 at the dish, racking up 4RBI. Jill Bradley compiled eight strikeouts as part of a three-hitter. Northern Lehigh will next play when they open district play against Pine Grove. Pen Argyl advances in the Colonial tournament to play Palisades, who will also be their district first round opponent.
Palisades 11, Palmerton 1
Karlye Teman was again a dominant force in the circle, fanning 16 Blue Bombers and giving up just four hits. Aubrey Boushell gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish when she singled into right and scored Catie Russo. They both provided RBI hits in the fourth to extend the lead to 6-1. Jordyn Bonelli’s RBI single ended the game in the mercy rule after six innings.
Notre Dame Green Pond 5, Southern Lehigh 0
Addison and Sydney Ryan provided home runs, while Emily Szczepanski held the fort in the circle for a shutout Crusaders victory. Sydney Ryan hit a solo shot to left in the second inning to get the scoring started. Rising freshman Riley Palank hit a 2RBI double in the fifth to extend the lead to 3-0 before Sydney Ryan brought her in as part of her 2-run homer. While the Spartans got two hits to leadoff the third inning, they could not muster any runs and that would be their best opportunity. The Spartans now await districts, where they’ll faceoff with Pocono Mountain East.
Northwestern Lehigh 4, Bangor 0
The #1/#8 matchup was a bit closer than many thought it’d be going in. The Slaters hung tough, but could not weather a first inning storm from the Tigers. Abby Dunstan was the difference maker, hitting a 2-run home run in the first and driving in a late run to pad the lead. Emma Freeman held Bangor to five hits and struck out 13 batters. The Slaters loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs, but a 1-5 double play ended the comeback hopes. Northwestern Lehigh now meets Notre Dame Green Pond in the Colonial semifinals Tuesday night at Pates. The Tigers won the only regular season meeting with the Crusaders 10-2.
BCIAA
Wilson West Lawn 10, Schuylkill Valley 0
Listen to a replay of this game on the Eastern PA Sports Network
The Bulldogs opened up BCIAA tournament play with a solid victory in five innings. Tatum Werley went 3-for-3 with a 3-run home run in the second inning that opened up a 4-0 WIlson lead. Ava Legath went 2-for-3 at the plate and knocked in two runs late, extending the WIlson to lead 8-0. Shannon Bratton threw a two-hitter on 70 pitches, 53 of which were strikes. Wilson advances to face a Twin Valley squad that they dominated earlier in the regular season. Schuylkill Valley’s season likely comes to an end, as they will be rooting for Annville-Cleona to lose a few games so that they could sneak into the District 3 3A playoffs.
Kutztown 6, Brandywine Heights 1
Listen to a replay of this game on the Eastern PA Sports Network
Two errors, a wild pitch and a passed ball helped the Cougars pull away from the Bullets on Saturday afternoon at Lyons Field. Brianna Bauscher helped her own cause early with an RBI single, moving a first inning lead to 2-0. She went on to toss a seven-hit shutout and strike out 12. Jade Fitzgerald and Flip Oldt also supplied an RBI each. The Cougars will face Hamburg in the BCIAA semifinals at Lyons on Monday night. Brandywine Heights will be the top seed in the District 3 class 2A 4-team playoff field.
Hamburg 4, Fleetwood 2
The Fleetwood Tigers got runners on base in every inning against the Hawks, but only pushed across two in the seventh inning, falling short in the #4/#5 game. Erica Gerner provided 3RBI on a first inning single and double in the fifth that scored two more. Molly Krick and Hamburg managed to scatter ten hits and a lot of traffic on the bases. The Hawks will now face Kutztown in the semifinals. Fleetwood prepares for districts, where their first round opponent will be Kennard Dale.
Twin Valley 5, Exeter 3
The Eagles chipped away at a 4-0 Twin Valley lead over three innings, but were unable to summit the mountain late. Emma Hahn provided a 2-run line drive to right in the third after Hailie Barton scored on a wild pitch, moving the Raiders in front 4-0. Olivia Escalona had a 3-for-3 afternoon and Erin Cromwell fanned nine in the circle. The victory sets up a rematch with Hamburg in the semifinals. The first meeting wetn the way of Twin Valley, 8-7 back in late March.
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