Inside Lehigh Valley Softball: Week 2

A full week with (slightly?) warmer temperatures brought us over 60 games to take a look at. Let’s get right into it.

First off, congratulations to Karlie Jurasits who set the the Pocono Mountain East school record for home runs and surpassed 100 strikeouts! She threw a three inning no-hitter in the Cardinals’ 19-1 victory over William Allen.

Monday, 3/23:

Stroudsburg took home its second win of the season, sprinting to an 11-0 lead over Pocono Mountain East and winning 16-7. Three hit days by Maddie Vargas, Elsia Trotter, Dot Elko and Ava Fagan-Huse combined for eight RBI. Seven Cardinals errors helped the Mounties along. In the fifth, PM East loaded the bases and broke through for five runs, but already trailed 13-1 entering that frame. Mackenzie Van Winkle had a 2-hit 3RBI day for the Cardinals.
Muhlenberg took a 14-3 lead on Octorara before doubling them up 20-10. Octorara got out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but Maddi Wentzel’s sac fly put the Muhls on the board and Mariah Herndon’s hit to second base brought in a pair to put her team ahead 4-2. Another error was followed by a Wentzel shot to deep right. Three errors in the third helped Muhlenberg to three more runs, padding their lead. Julianna Wood and her Braves had no quit, though, as she smacked two home runs as part of a 3RBI day. Seven runs in the fourth would have been more significant, but five errors had already dug quite the hole for Octorara. Fourteen times Muhls took a free base on a walk. Kaylee Jablonski scored four times and Wentzel led the way with 3RBI. Alyna Hernandez also homered for the Muhls. Muhlenberg moved to 2-0.

Tuesday, 3/24:

Daniel Boone blazed past Antietam 19-2 behind 4RBI efforts from Arianna Krakowski and Jersey Mazurek-Smith. The Blazers accomplished this huge run output despite only three extra base hits on the day–one of those being a Mazurek-Smith 2-run home run. Station to station softball resulted in ten RBI singles for Boone. Krakowski went 4/5 and Mazurek-Smith was 3/4 with three runs scored. Brooke Washleski pitched five innings of five strikeout ball, walking just one.
Parkland got the bats going in a 16-0 rout of William Allen. Addi Fritzinger made a nice transition from the basketball court to the diamond, leading off the scoring in this one with a 2-run home run to center field. She and Lila Dawson pitched three innings in the mercy rule shortened game, allowing one hit and fanning four. Fritzinger was 2 for 3 on the day with 4RBI, while Gabriella Morrison, Allie Flynt and Gianna Hudock batted in two apiece. Ten runs were plated in the second inning, allowing the Trojans to run away with this one. Domeris Arias notched the lone hit for the Canaries.
Fleetwood ran its record to 3-0, blasting by Oley Valley 15-0. Six RBI hits in the first inning alone plated eight runs, as Katelyn Yapsuga, Peyton Trexler and Brynley Biehl from the bottom half of the order put things into motion. Trexler kept her pedal to the metal with a 2-run home run in the second, pushing the lead to 10-0. Sophia Breidegam needed only 60 pitches to close out the Lynx in five innings. She struck out five and was hit twice. Trexler finished a perfect 4-for-4 with 5RBI, while Skyla Baer knocked in three runs. The Tigers also walked nine times, with Breidegam drawing three.
The Hurricanes blew away the Golden Hawks in Liberty’s 15-0 conquering of Bethlehem Catholic. Addy Smith and McKenna beck each homered in the second inning, cominging to bring in three runs. Smith was 3 of 3 for 4RBI and Beck scored three times. Ava Tomac wetn 2-for-3, scoring three times as well. jaeyana Watson and Smith combined on the five inning one-hitter. Three errors and ten walks also contributed to Liberty’s blowout win.
Emmaus collected its second victory of the year in dominant fashion, rolling over Central Catholic 12-2 in five innings. Mari Eiswerth threw 53 strikes on 74 total pitches to hold the VIkettes down. Offensively, she helped her own cause with a 2-run first inning home run to get the scoring started for the Hornets. Abby Derr’s 2RBI double in the second stretched the lead to 6-0 and three bases loaded walks in the third pushed it to 10-2. Haleigh Gigliotti put the finishing touches on with a 2RBI hit. Gianna Menecola and Kairi Charles each had an RBI hit for Central Catholic.
Whitehall had no trouble getting by Dieruff, 10-0. Jillian Pagan struck out nine, walked none, and was hit only twice in five innings. A trio if infield errors in the first inning quickly had the Zephyrs up 4-0. Another misplay in the outfield moved the lead to 5-0. Chloe Robinson capped the scoring with a 2RBI hit, giving her three RBI for the afternoon. Eight errors piled up against the Huskies, as they were only able to muster two hits.
Freedom moved to 2-0, building an early lead on Nazareth and winning 9-4. Brooklyn Pronovich’s 2-run home run out to center field gave the Pates a 3-0 first inning lead. Payton Besecker knocked in two with a triple to deep center. Two errors in the second led to two more runs scoring. Besecker and Namelia Duro each batted in two runs. Nazareth added three runs in their final turn at bat, but a two RBI day by Gianna Perillo would not be enough. Maddie Bixler threw a complete game and struck out ten, scattering eight hits and four walks.
Three home runs accounted for six runs in Pleasant Valley’s 18-3 victory over East Stroudsburg North Lila Borger and Bella Altemose went back-to-back in the first, capping a seven run spot. Altemose tacked on a second, 3-run bomb in the second inning to increase the lead to 12-0. Both finished with 4RBI efforts. Rylee Green had a 3RBI triple in the third along with throwing three innings, giving up three hits. The Bears racked up 18 hits, and accumulated 12 earned runs.
East Stroudsburg South and Pocono Mountain West played to a 2-2 tie through three and a half innings before the Cavaliers snowballed nine runs in their half of the fourth for a 12-2 victory. A Straub home run over the wall in center plus an RBI double from MacPhee put the Panthers ahead 2-0 out of the gate. An error in the bottom of the inning helped the Cavs tie it. PM West loaded up the bases in the second with two outs, but Straub was sent down looking to end the threat. Both teams continued to strand several runners over the next couple of innings, unable to break through. Yurescko’s fourth inning single broke the deadlock, followed by an error, walk, and hit by pitch to keep the carousel turning. The Panthers loaded the bases for a second time in the fifth with no outs, but could not push any more across. Taylor Carey was South’s RBI leader, bringing in three, while Mayla Mathew led the way with three hits.
Two first inning runs were all that Wyomissing needed in their 2-1 win on the road at Pottsgrove. Kylie Schoedler doubled home Caris Way and Eva Ramos-Rauenzahn with two outs to put Wyomissing ahead. Pottsgrove got one back in the third, and even got a 2-out triple in the fifth, but couldn’t get anyone else past second base on the afternoon. Schoedler struck out eight in the circle, dispersing four hits and three walks.
Northwestern Lehigh trailed Bangor 5-0 going to the bottom of the seventh. The Tigers then roared back for five to tie the game and eventually took the 6-5 victory in eight innings. Over the first three innings, the Slaters stranded four on base, while the Tigers had only two baserunners in the first six frames. Leah Labar’s 2-run hit in the seventh made it a 3-0 Slaters lead and probably felt like more than enough to win the game. However, Natalie Conner opened up the final chance with a walk. Abby Dunstan and Ainsley Behler singled to load the bases with no outs, creating quite the threat. Later in the inning, with a 5-2 deficit, Sam Boyer swung at the first pitch she saw, driving it out to right to tie the game at 5-5. In the top of the eighth, Labar fouled out with runners on the corners to end the half inning. Emma Freeman drove a 2-1 pitch to center for a walk-off home run. Freeman pitched all eight innings, fanning three and walking four.
The Green Knights of Pen Argyl moved to 2-1 with a 13-2 rout of Jim Thorpe. Ella Bontaz’s 3-run home run put Pen Argyl in double digits with a 10-2 lead. She finished 3/4 with 2 runs scored and the 3RBI. Abby Scherer also compiled three hits. Ashlynn Oessenick, daughter of girls basketball coach Todd Oessenick, snagged two hits and scored a run. The Olympians managed five hits and a walk, with Jocelyn Montefour getting two hits.
Lehighton exploded for 21 runs and walked 16 times in a 21-11 barnburner over Wilson Area. Elizabeth Horinko put the Warriors up 1-0 in the first inning on an infield RBI single. A bases loaded walk in the bottom of the first to Peyton Hausman forced in Myers to move Lehighton ahead 2-1. Wilson Area took a 4-2 lead in the back-and-forth second inning on a wild pitch that scored Maci Kovacs. Sophia Wise tied things up at 4-4 on a 2RBI double en route to Lehighton’s six run second. When the dust settled, Amber Yeakel had 6RBI. Brynn Mriss and Wise both added 3 runs batted in. Anna Schmitt and Horinko had good days for WIlson, each coming away with 2RBI.
Two pitches changed the outcome between Salisbury and Palisades. Two 2-run home runs in the fourth inning lifted the Falcons to a narrow 5-4 victory over the Pirates. The Pirates took an early 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Emma Crooke and Nadia Wilt. After two quick outs in the top of the fourth, Brinlee Neitz singled into left field, setting the stage for Sophia Gunning to swing at a first pitch, driving it out to right. Two batters later, Tessa Kemmerer did the same, belting a first pitch over the fence. The final inning was not without drama, though, as Palisades trailed 5-2 and eventually got it to 5-4 with Kaedence Combs scoring on a wild pitch. With the tying run on third base, Crooke flew out to right and Salisbury escaped victorious. Gunning finished the day 3 for 3 with 2RBI, along with 2RBI from Kemmerer and the final one from Neitz.
Southern Lehigh made it three consecutive games not allowing a run, dispatching Saucon Valley 10-0 in six innings. The large margin seemed improbable at first, as the Spartans went the first three innings with only one hit and two baserunners. A Nadia Trexler fourth inning bunt plated two runners that had been moved into scoring position by Rylan Messinger. Four RBI hits blew the game wide open in the fifth, as Southern Lehigh extended their lead to 7-0. Ella Roset, Isabella Germani, Messinger, Demi Lewis and Trexler were all credited with one RBI. Delaney Young threw five innings and struck out seven and did not allow a hit. Matty Seyfried was far from bad in her effort for the Panthers–despite giving up eight earned runs, she did strikeout twelve Spartans. Ryan Gall tallied the lone Saucon Valley hit.
Berks Catholic picked up its first victory of the year, setting aside Reading 14-9. A five run fifth inning was the separation that the Saints needed to protect what had been a 9-8 lead. Reading had different ideas coming out in the first inning, loading the bases with two outs. A walk to Janaya Lugo forced in Jadelyn Gonzalez for the first run of the game. However, the inning was cut short when Mady Kieffer snagged a ground ball and flipped to first for the final out. The Saints got to work quickly, securing a 4-1 lead on and RBI single by Brinley Harter and taking advantage of a passed ball and an error in left. Reading kept fighting in the second–Yolanda Velez tied the game with her 2RBI single in the hole behind first. Keiffer finally allowed the Saints some breathing room in the fifth, doubling in two runs and opening a 13-8 margin. The game was not pretty by any stretch, as the teams combined for 12 errors. Both Eleana Woods and Brinley Harter grinded through a complete game in the circle. Woods walked eight, while Harter issued five free passes. Harter struck out 13 Knights.
Twin Valley got by Hamburg 10-6, though they needed every run they could get early on to survive the Hawks. This one could have turned into a laugher early on. Twin Valley took a 1-0 lead in the first when Emma Hahn singled in Maggie Krall who walked to leadoff the inning. Krall lifted a single to right field to score Alex Podehl and increase the lead to 2-0 in the second. Norah Davey came up in the third for Hamburg with two on, but fouled out. The Raiders then did some major damage with two outs in the third. Podehl singled to right and Jayda Weiler doubled to left. Podehl then scored on a passed ball and Ella Herbst put one back up the middle for two more. With a seven run cushion, Hamburg had its work cut out. Molly Krick tripled to open the fourth and was quickly brought in by Mengel. Hamburg made more noise in the fifth. Krick tripled again and scored Davey and Smith. However, with her at third and no outs, she would not score. The Raiders would go on to pad their lead and take the win. Herbst finished the day with 3RBI. Maggie Stoltzfus struck out 13 Hawks.
Schuylkill Valley opened up their season with a 12-4 victory at Conrad Weiser. An early error and two RBI singles by Ella Martin and Adolyn Casper put the Panthers up 3-0 before the Scouts came to bat. Martin added a solo home run in the third and Haleigh Eisenhower doubled in two more in the fourth with a shot to center field. Martin finished the game with 3RBI, as did Eisenhower. Casper sprayed four hits over seven innings and fanned six Scouts. Madison Derfler knocked in three runs for Weiser.

Wednesday, 3/25:

Eight consecutive walks and hit batters(and 12 overall) in the first inning marked Catasauqua’s 25-3 victory over Notre Dame East Stroudsburg. Nineteen Rough Riders came across to score in the first inning and Briana Deschaine capped the game’s scoring with a grand slam in the second. All nine batters for Catty scored at least twice. Deschaine led the team with 5RBI, while Ava Wetzel and Stephanie Williams each brought in four. NDES still managed seven hits off of Makayla Bird, but she struck out four and walked none.
In a battle between the Schuylkill League and BCIAA, it was Schuylkill Haven emerging from Wyomissing with a 14-10 win. Through three innings, the game was tied at 3-3, as Taylor Watts doubled to center and plated two runs. Three errors in the fifth inning helped the Hurricanes score six runs and go up 9-3. Wyomissing battled all afternoon; Emarie Wessels ripped a single up the middle to score two and cut the deficit to 10-8. The Spartans then tied the game in the seventh after an error and another ball hit by Watts. Allison Scherer pitched all eight innings for the Hurricanes, striking out eight, walking five and surrendering 14 hits. Aisley Jenan knocked in five runs for Haven and was 3-of-5.
Nina Sadaphal and Gianna Menecola each finished with 2RBI as Central Catholic routed Dieruff 17-1. Skylar Taylor scored three times.
An early lead by Palmerton was nearly squandered, but late heroics lifted the Bombers to a 9-8 win over Bangor. Kyla Trumbore’s RBI single and a sac fly by Jaylin Strohl put Palmerton ahead 2-0 with the Slaters coming to bat. Kelli Snow put them ahead 3-2 with her RBI single to left that scored Kaylynn Figurski. The first three Bombers reached to start the second, as Tessa Sander doubled in Olivia Kalman to tie the game. An error charged to Figurski on a ball hit by Trumbore gave Palmerton the lead back. Samantha Wolfe singled up the middle to bring in two more and after one and a half, the Bombers led 7-3. Lillian Rambo socked a 2-run shot to left in the third to knot the game at 7-7. Wolfe and Snow exchanged RBI hits in the fourth to bring the tie to 8-8. Bangor loaded the bases in the sixth but was unable to score a single time, as an interference call and two strikeouts by Hailey George ended the inning. George would then be the winning run, as she came in on Hailey Barry’s hit up the middle.
Four walks and two hit batters in the first inning allowed Northampton to build a 10-0 lead and ultimately roll over Dieruff 16-0. Sierra Kutzler and Rylee Gable struck out six of nine batters faced. Avery Deibert collected a hit and 3RBI while scoring once. Kiley Henritzy, Josephine Siegfried, and Mea Allison all had 2RBI efforts.
East Stroudsburg South took a 3-1 lead early over Nazareth, but was outdone by a pair of six spots in the Blue Eagles’ 19-9 win. Sydney Ryan led the scoring off with a solo home run in the first. South countered with RBI hits from Olivia Robinson and Nina Venslosky. Addi Schmittel tied the game at 3-3 on a home run to left. Taylor Friel ballooned the lead to 7-3 with her double that scored Ryan. Gianna Perillo added the eighth run with a line drive to right. Despite loading the bases in the fifth, the Cavaliers only managed one run on a walk to Sophia Castillo. Perillo knocked a two-run shot out to left in the fourth, extending the lead to 14-5 and cushioning the Eagles from back to back solo shots by Venslosky and Johanna Carey. Perillo’s 3-for-5 4RBI effort would lead the Blue Eagles, followed by 3RBI from Jordan.
Stroudsburg struck over the first two innings to upend Easton 6-3. Four straight hits got momentum in the Mounties favor after the Rovers were retired in order in the first. Madelyn Vargas singled, followed by RBI doubles from Dot Elko, Elsia Trotter and Madi Perez. Easton managed a big 2-out hit from Gianna Koch to pull within 3-2, but three straight singles turned the lineup over for Stroudsburg. Elko singled in Ava Fagan-Huse and Perez took a free pass with the bases loaded. Jordan Cook saw two Rovers reach in the third, but struck out Danielle Williams looking to end the inning. No Easton batters reached in the fourth or fifth, but a pair of errors put two on before Koch grounded out to Isabella Thomas. Alyvia Fleming homered with two out in the seventh. The Mounties also overcame five errors in the victory.
Emmaus plated 14 runs in the second inning of a 17-0 torching of William Allen. Calise Eiswerth pitched an abbreviated no-hitter and struck out six of nine batters faced. It was a good day for almost all of the bats: Marissa Gigliotti scored three times and went 2/2 with 2RBI; Abby Derr compiled 3RBI and scored twice; Julia Murphy-Peterson was 2/2 with two runs scored and three runs batted in.
The Freedom Patriots traveled up to Pocono Mountain East, bringing home an 11-5 win. Namelia Duro was a star on both sides of the ball, surrendering five hits and two walks while striking out eight. At the plate, she blasted a 2-run shot to left to open the scoring. Freedom built a 7-0 and 11-3 lead. Brooke Rummel had a 4-for-5 day, scoring three times and batting in four.
Despite a 16-4 final score, Pleasant Valley hung tough with Liberty save for two mistake pitches. Unfortunately for the Bears, those ended in a Leah Onio 2-run bomb and an Addy Smith grand slam. That blast from Smith blew open what had been a 7-3 Hurricanes lead and helped her end the game with a team leading 5RBI. As the starting pitcher, she struck out ten and navigated around five hits in four innings of work. Mia Battaglino led Pleasant Valley with 3RBI.
Whitehall imrpvoed to 4-0 with an 8-inning 6-3 victory at Parkland. The Zephyrs loaded the bases in the first inning, but Molly McFetridge’s slap to short was gloved and the third out was recored on the bases. A walk and error setup Amya Espinal for a 2RBI hit in the third. Libby Pinkham went up the middle in the bottom of the frame to tie the game. Parkland, trailing 3-2, loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs off of two errors and a Cheyanne Brawn single. Allie Flynt walked with the bases full to force in the tying run. Laub buckled down and struck out the next two and got Ami Patel to ground out to first. The game stretched to the eighth inning where a hard groundball through the middle gave Jillian Pagan a 2RBI double and Whitehall some breathing room. The Trojans went in order in their chance. Laub worked all eight innings and struck out as many, giving up only five hits.
Tulpehocken had a very loud first win of the year, plowing through Antietam 24-6. The Raiders actually trailed 2-1 after an inning, but quickly took over, aided by Antietam mistakes. Six walks, two errors, a hit by pitch and passed ball led to all ten runs of the second inning. Three more walks, two passed balls and a hit by pitch kept the momentum going for the Raiders in the third. Aubrey Good was credited with an inside the park grand slam that marked the end of the scoring for the game and gave her a 5RBI day. Kaitlyn Zeiber and Jaslene Rodriguez both had 2RBI efforts for Antietam in the loss.
Fleetwood bested Daniel Boone 20-3, stacking up a fourth win to open the year. Unlike many blowouts, this one was clean for the Tigers, as they compiled 21 hits and the Blazers committed no errors. Both Peyton Trexler and Lainee Guldner snagged four of those hits. Guldner had 6RBI and Trexler added four. Sophia Breidegam fanned eight and surrendered two hits.
Wilson West Lawn survived all it could handle from Exeter in a 7-6 thriller. Shannon Bratton struck out the side in the first inning and hits by her and Caitlin Figarola got the Bulldogs out to a 2-0 lead. Then the Eagles came alive. Alena Dinnini, and Jillian Warner both singled, while Avery Gibbons reached on a misplay in the infield. Ryen Turner’s hit into left was dropped by Figarola, resulting the first Eagles’ run. After two strikeouts that seemed to calm the waters, Liana Dinnini and Marion Eagle doubled into the outfield to drive in two runs each. Leah Berkis put Wilson ahead in the fourth off of her double to right that scored Tatum Werley and Layla Kope. Things remained mostly calm until Turner led off the sixth with a solo home run to right that tied the game at 6-6. Olivia Keller, who entered the game in the #9 hole, gave Wilson the game-winning RBI in the seventh, singlingi n Etchberger. While Wilson compiled 16 hits, Brattong struck out ten Eagles.
Governor Mifflin outscored Muhlenberg 6-2 over the final two innings to secure its first win of the year 12-7. Kaylee Jablonski homered to leadoff the game for the Muhls, followed by a wild pitch to Roselyn Hernandez that scored Madi Wentzel. Jablonski added an RBI single in the second, moving Muhlenberg ahead 3-0. Abby Brunelli tied the game in the third off of her 2-run home run that went out to center. Claire Hoffman’s double to right scored Brunelli and Shultz in the fifth to put Mifflin up 6-4. The Mustangs tacked on from there and held on for the win. Martin, Brunelli, Shultz and Hoffman all batted in two runs. In the loss, Jablonski had two hits, scored twice, and knocked in two.
Hamburg responded to its first loss of the year by pounding Oley Valley 15-0 in a mercy rule shortened combined no-hitter by Ava Epting and Brianna Mengel. Anastasia Smith ripped off a three-hit day with 4RBI and Kaida Chwatek batted in three. Epting and Mengel also did their part, bringing in two runs apiece.
Three home runs flew out of the park for Twin Valley in their 21-0 drubbing of Reading. Alex Podehl and Jayda Weiler each each cracked 2-run shots from the bottom of the order, while Maggie Krall’s deep fly accounted for three. Podehl notched 7RBI on the day and Krall finished with five. Maggie Stoltzfus threw a three inning no-hitter and struck out five.
Schuylkill Valley shutout Kutztown 3-0. Neither side threatened much at all until the fourth. Kayla Konetsky reached on an error as Follweiller threw a comebacker away, allowing Gabrielle Leone to score. The Cougars got two on in their half of the inning, but Barrell grounded out to second base to close the window. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases for Schuylkill Valley in the fifth and both Leone and Adalynn Casper got balls to the outfield to bring in a run each. A double play turned by Casper stopped Kutztown in the fifth and they never threatened again. Casper surrendered three hits and three walks while fanning seven Cougars. Follweiller also struck out seven.

Thursday, 3/26:

Bethlehem Catholic took a 1-0 lead at Pocono Mountain West, but that would be nearly all of their scoring in a 12-2 defeat at the hands of the Panthers. Angela Hodge led the game off with a solo home run, putting the GOlden Hawks ahead quickly. But four runs crossed the dish in the bottom of the first, as Julia MacPhee put a ball back through the middle to bring in two. Ana Yuter brought in another pair on a ball to center after Chloe Straub scored on a wild pitch. From the circle MacPhee got ten strikeouts and was only hit four times.
Saucon Valley had another strong showing in their 14-0 shutout at Catasauqua in five innings. Matty Seyfried and Nadiya Vutech both allowed just one hit and combined to strike out 13 Rough Riders. It was a 2RBI day for Vutech, Seyfried, A;exis Quinones, and Kaylie Scorce. Ryan Gall, the leadoff batter, scored three times and went 4-for-4. All in all, the Panthers compiled 18 hits and capitalized on five Catty errors.
An 11-run first inning moved Salisbury past Jim Thorpe 15-0. Gunning kicked it all off with a leadoff triple. Three walks, a hit by pitch and passed ball moved runners around on free bases before four consecutive RBI hits from Leilanna Negron, Sydney Foulke, Brinlee Neitz and Alaina Pavolko. The Falcons loaded the bases again in the second but didn’t score, as did the Olympians in the third. Six more walks were surrendered in the third to ulitmately end the game in the 15-run rule. Julia Carney joined the four aforementioned Falcons in having 2RBI games.
An early Lehighton lead slipped away as Pen Argyl protected their home field via a 10-7 victory. Brynn Mriss gave the Indians an early 3-0 lead on a 2RBI single up the middle. Reagan Nittle and Isabella DeCesare moved the Green Knights within 3-2, as each drove a ball to center to score a run. Lehighton loaded the bases in the third, but Ella Bonatz worked in two strikeouts to avoid a further deficit. After a Nittle RBI double tied the game, a misplay in right field brought home two more. Ashlynn Oessenick led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run, at that time moving the lead to 8-4. Nittle finished the day with 3RBI on three hits. Abby Scherer went 3/4 and scored three times.
Five walks, three wild pitches, and a 2-run error kept things in motion for Northern Lehigh in their 20-4 conquering of WIlson Area. The Bulldogs were constantly on base, drawing 17 free passes and piling up 12 hits. Kylee Snyder batted in three runs, as did Addy Smith. Tegan Simms was 3/5 with two runs scored and two RBI. She also struck out five over five innings, giving up five hits.
Northwestern Lehigh hung on by the skin of their teeth in the face of a furious Southern Lehigh late comeback attempt, emerging victorious 5-4. Isabella Germani and Lily Kelly made two early web gem catches that you can see on our IG(@LSVSports1), keeping the game scoreless through two innings. In the third inning, Natalie Conner ripped one through third base for 2RBI, moving the Tigers’ lead to 3-0. She doubled to the wall in center in the fifth to move her squad ahead 4-0. The Spartans never really threatened until the bottom of the sixth, when Isabelle Witt and Cielo Weighknecht broke through for RBI hits. Claire Detwiler opened the seventh reaching on an infield error. Germani singled and Rylan Messinger was plunked to load the bases with no outs. Kelly’s sac fly cut the score to 5-3 and Witt doubled home Germani. With the tying run on third, Lizzie Diehl buckled down and struck out Weighknecht to put the inning and the game to bed.
Exeter evened its record at 2-2, shutting out Boyertown 7-0. Jill Warner hit a 2-run home run out to left in the third, providing five runs of separation. Ryen Turner navigated five hits and struck out two in her complete game.
Jadeyn Learn doubled back through the middle to score two runs and Joey Cappa singled in two more in the second, as East Stroudsburg South zipped by Dieruff 16-0. Cappa finished the day with 5RBI and Learn brought in three more. Joslynn Yurescko pitched three innings, getting hit twice and striking out three.
Central Catholic overcame a 6-2 deficit to survive Pleasant Valley 10-9. A two-out first inning RBI triple from Mia Battaglino put the Bears up 1-0 and two more 2-out hits by Bella Altemose and Rylee Green increased the lead to 3-0. Again in the third, Lila Borger put down an RBI triple to the fence with two outs and Pleasant Valley was getting all the hitting they needed with a 4-1 lead. The Vikettes did some of their own 2-out hitting in the fourth, on back to back to back RBI hits from the top of the order in Kairi Charles, Gianna Menecola and Hailey Kahr. Kahr singled in two more in the fifth to give Central its first lead of the day at 9-8. After Rylan Knapp tied the game in the sixth, an infield error walked it off for Central Catholic as Menecola scored off a ball put in play by Kahr. Kahr ended the game with 3RBI. Eight different Bears had at least one RBI in the loss.

Friday, 3/27:

Nazareth upended Bethlehem Catholic 11-1, accounting for only 3RBI on the afternoon. Several Golden Hawks mistakes led to Blue Eagles runs, including five wild pitches or passed balls and an error. Sydney Ryan had the first RBI hit of the day in the third, putting the Eagles up 3-0. Brianna Recchia also had an RBI single later in the game. Kylie Grover took the circle and struck out eight, allowing only one hit which came from Ava Dech. Belle Borsuk, despite the loss, was only hit six times and struck out 13.
Hannah Duerr kicked off Northampton’s 5-1 win over Liberty with a 2-run home run to deep center, scoring Josephine Siegfried. The 2-0 lead held up, as Liberty went in order over the third, fourth and fifth innings. Siegfried, Kiley Henritzy and Laila Reichl all put the ball in play with two outs in the sixth to put the Konkrete Kids comfortably in control 5-0. Leah Onia’s sac fly in the sixth resulted in the only Hurricanes run on the afternoon. Rylee Gable worked around two hits and three walks, fanning eight.
Following back to back one-run victories by the Tigers, Northwestern Lehigh suffered its first loss, 10-2 at the hands of BCIAA opponent Hamburg. Abby Dunstan put the Tigers on top in the first on a 2-run shot to center, scoring Natalie Conner. But that would be all the scoring for Northwestern Lehigh despite putting multiple runners on base in four more innings. Lizzie Diehl got the start in the circle for the Tigers and was hit early and often. Madison Wessner knocked an RBI single into left to get the Hawks on the board and Mikayla Davis’ flyout to left plated Shaaber. Molly Krick, Ava Epting and Wessner all pounced with two outs in the third, as Hamburg flew out to a 5-2 lead. Norah Davey placed one in center, followed by a 2RBI liner into left by Krick to get it to 8-2. Krick finished a perfect 3 of 3 with 3 runs scored and a trio of runs batted in.
Nine runs in the third inning powered Parkland past a game Pocono Mountain West squad, 15-7. RBI hits by Chloe Straub and Carly Hindson set up the Panthers for success in the first. Addi Fritzinger fired back with an RBI triple to left, but another ball put in play by Hindson kept the West lead at 4-2. Then the third inning came for the Trojans. Gianna Hudock cleared the bases on a triple into the corner in left. Libby Pinkham drove in two on a hit to right. Morrison grounded one into left for two more runs. Pinkham went on to go 4-for-5 with 3RBI and Morrison was a perfect 4-for-4 with three more batted in. Hudock added three more RBI on two hits. Riley Evans joined Hindson and Straub with 2RBI each for the Panthers in the loss.
Tulpehocken fell on the road at Pequea Valley 4-0. The Braves limited the Trojans to only three hits and four errors did not help. The best chance for Tulpy came in the fourth, when they loaded the bases with two outs. However, a Hostetter grounder was snagged at second base and the out was recorded. An infield pop in the sixth also ended a two in scoring position threat. Kylie Snyder, Zoee White and Leanne Eckenrode had the three hits for the Raiders.
Twin Valley kept pounding away at the plate and moved to 3-1 with a 17-3 drubbing of Newport. Emma Mattson struck three times in the first three innings, driving in four combined runs on two hits that reached the outfield and one that trikcled to short. Later, she drove another into center, totaling six RBI on the afternoon. Olivia Escalona added three and walked three times. Maggie Stoltzfus got a hit, an RBI and scored a run while pitching to four hits and no earned runs over the five inning contest.

Saturday, 3/28:

The Konkrete Kids grinded out a 1-0 victory against Easton and moved to 4-1 on the year. Rylee Gable struck out two in a row to end a first inning Rovers threat. Northampton loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but an inning ending double play was turned by Kailyn Castellano and Thalia Burns to set aside the Kids. Gable struck out Alyvia Fleming in the second when Easton again juiced the bases. A two-out Avery Deibert RBI single was the lone scoring in the game in the fifth, bringing in Josephine Siegfried. Gable struck out ten and scattered eight Red Rovers’ hits. Gianna Koch, in defeat, gave up six hits and struck out two.
Hamburg rolled over Governor Mifflin 18-1, moving to 5-1 on the season. Molly Krick got it going with a 2-run home run to deep right in the first inning. Anastasia Smith joined her in hitting another 2-run bomb to center in the third that put the Hawks up 10-0. Smith finished the day 4-for-4 with three runs batted in and scored three runs. Brianna Mengel added 4RBI on three hits and also scored thrice. The Hawks were a combined 18/30 at the plate. Krick struck out four over her four innings in the circle and was hit twice.
Liberty run ruled Central Catholic 14-4, but that’s far from the full story here. Ella Quayle absolutely WENT OFF for three home runs–two of those were grand slams and the third was a 3-run shot. The first two went out to left and the three-run shot that ended the game went out to left-center. In what was quite the statistic, that gave her 11RBI on a historic career day.
Abington Heights and Emmaus played eleven innings on a chilly Saturday afternoon at WIlliams Street park in Emmaus. The Green Hornets played even through the first ten before surrendering three runs in the top of the 11th. Abby Derr’s sac fly in the first that scored Sydney Bennett gave Emmaus the first of their two leads. The second lead came when Bri Gitski singled home Bennett in the fourth. The Hornets stranded 13 runners on base and had a golden opportunity in the ninth with the bases loaded and no outs. A popup on the infield, flyout to shallow left and strikeout of Morgan Schwab ended the threat, however. Adrianna Condrad pitched the first ten innings for the Comets, throwing 184 pitches and striking out 17. Mari Eiswerth went nine innings and 139 throws, as each pitcher pumped in over 100 strikes. Eiswerth fanned 15 in the marathon matchup.
Lehighton dodged 11 Salisbury baserunners, including a bases loaded situation in the fifth inning, for its second victory, 4-0. Sophia Wise provided 3RBI, including a 2-run home run.