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NEWPORT TWP. — Nanticoke hit just two balls out of the infield Tuesday. Yet, it was some weak contact that proved to be the difference.
The Trojanettes scored both runs by barely getting the ball past the pitcher to defeat Tunkhannock 2-1 in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 softball game.
Kiera Brown provided the game-winning hit with two outs in the seventh, scoring Gabby Rakowski from third. Rakowski had walked and stole her way to third.
Brown had a towering double to center in the third inning. Her game-ending single was nowhere near as majestic, but was more effective. The senior’s full swing resulted in a low blooper to the right to Tunkhannock pitcher Kendra Schultz. Shortstop Faith Jones was the only fielder with any hope of making a play, but she came up short on a sliding attempt to snag the ball in the air.
“I wanted a better hit honestly,” Brown said. “Still, it helped the team so that’s all that matters.”
The victory improved Nanticoke to 3-0 and dropped defending divisional champ Tunkhannock to 1-2. The teams had a special playoff game to determine the Division 2 championship last year.
“We know we’re in for a great game (against Tunkhannock),” Nanticoke head coach Ryan Stetz said. “They’re well coached and we have a ton of respect for them. Our approach is to have tunnel vision and just play the game.”
Nanticoke’s first run in the sixth came in similar fashion and tied the score 1-1.
Jenna Lipowski, one of the most feared power hitters in the WVC, walked for a third time to start the sixth. A couple ground outs moved her to third. Morgan Briggs then hit a soft blooper to the left of Schultz, the Tunkhannock pitcher. Schultz and second baseman Jenn Bulford both went for the ball and collided, allowing Lipowski to score.
Briggs felt fortunate, not only for the error but for just being on the field. She played in a postseason all-star game last year, unknowingly violating PIAA rules and jeopardizing her senior season. The District 2 athletic committee cleared her of any wrongdoing in December.
“I was thankful it took a lucky spin and got between the infield,” Briggs said. “It was a Merry Christmas kind of thing.”
Tunkhannock used two Nanticoke errors to score its run in the second. Danielle Krispin opened the inning by reaching on a fielding error. Paige Mokychic followed with a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error allowed to Krispin to score from first.
The Tigers had runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, but Nanticoke pitcher Miranda Bohn worked out of both jams.
“I thought we played extremely well,” Tunkhannock coach Bob Hegedty said. “Kendra threw lights out today. She was hitting in, she was hitting out, her change-up was working well. I liked the way were attacking their pitching. I thought we hit the ball hard a couple times. One time, we hit the ball three times right back to the pitcher and they made plays on them.”
Holy Redeemer 7,
Northwest 0
Kristen Coffay threw a one-hit shutout and was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI as the Royals cruised past Northwest.
Brittany Hebda was 2 for 4 with a solo home run in the seventh inning and Sam Rajza was 2 for 4 and RBI.
Northwest’s Regan Harrison and Brooke Harvey each went 2 for 3.
Wyoming Area 2,
Dallas 0
Gwen Glatz threw a complete-game shutout and the Warriors’ two runs in the third inning proved to be enough.
Jess Parente was 3 for 3 with two doubles for Wyoming Area.
Dallas’ Christina Schappert went 2 for 2.
Lake-Lehman 8,
Wyoming Seminary 6
Cassandra Konopki ripped a triple, a double and drove home the winning run as the Black Knights rallied for victory with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Konopki drove home three runs and scored another to ignite the Black Knights.
Chloe VanGorder went 4 for 4 and scored twice for Lehman and Hunter Kline had two hits, two RBI and scored a run in the victory.
Melinda Holena had a pair of triples and scored three runs for Sem.
Crestwood 11,
Wyo. Valley West 7
Sydney Sobolewski hit two doubles and had four RBI as Crestwood outslugged Wyoming Valley West.
Haley Dow had three hits and three RBI for the Comets. Emily Traficante had two RBI.
Colleen Cwalina had two RBI for Valley West.
Hanover Area 15, GAR 0
Emilee Bobos doubled and drove home two runs and Sarah Tuzinski struck out eight of the nine outs she recorded without allowing a hit as the Hawkeyes romped to a three-inning victory.
Shannon Keating also doubled in the victory and joined Bobos and Alessia Mangan with two hits in the victory.
Tuzinski faced just 10 batters over the game’s three innings, surrendering a walk and inducing a grounder back to the circle to go with her eight strikeouts.
Nanticoke 2, Tunkhannock 1
Tunkhannock`AB`R`H`BI
HJones 3b`4`0`1`0
FJones ss`4`0`0`0
Simmons lf`3`0`2`0
Dunn pr`0`0`0`0
Schultz p`3`0`0`0
Faux cr`0`0`0`0
Krispin c`2`1`0`0
Mokychic cf`2`0`0`0
Farr 1b`3`0`0`0
Traver rf`3`0`1`0
Bulford 2b`2`0`2`0
Totals`26`1`6`0
Nanticoke`AB`R`H`BI
Sobeck lf`1`0`0`0
Brown cf`4`0`2`1
Lipowski 3b`0`1`0`0
Bohn p`3`0`0`0
Novakowski 2b`3`0`0`0
Briggs c`3`0`0`0
Baron 1b`2`0`0`0
O’Connor ph`1`0`0`0
Murphy rf`3`0`1`0
Rakowski ss`2`1`0`0
Totals`22`2`3`1
Tunkhannock`010`000`0`—`1
Nanticoke`000`001`1`—`2
2B — Brown.
Tunkhannock`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Schultz (L)`6.2`3`2`1`7`6
Nanticoke`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Bohn (W)`7.0`6`1`0`0`4
Holy Redeemer 7, Northwest 0
Redeemer`000`202`3`—`7
Northwest`000`000`0`—`0
Pitching — HR, Kristen Coffay (WP) 4 IP, 1 H, 3 SO, 1 BB; Morgan Bienkowski 3 IP, 4H, 4 SO. NW, Nicole Cragle (LP) 5.1 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 7 H, 3 SO, 0 BB. Brooke Harvey 1.2 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3H, 1 SO, 3 BB.
2B — HR, Coffay. HR — HR, Brittany Hebda.
Top hitters — HR, Hebda 2 for 4, HR, 3 runs, 4 RBI; Coffay 3 for 4, double, 2 runs, 1 RBI; Sam Rajza 2 for 4, RBI. Northwest, Reagan Harrison 2 for 3; Harvey 2 for 3.
Wyoming Area 2, Dallas 0
Wyoming Area`002`000`0`—`2
Dallas`000`000`0`—`0
Pitching — WA, Gwen Glass (WP) 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 SO, 2 BB, 0 ER; DAL, Maddie Kelly (LP), 7 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 4 SO, 2 BB, 0 ER.
2B — WA, Jess Parente (2).
Top hitters — Dallas, Christina Schappert 2 for 2. WA, Jess Parente 3 for 3, 2B.
Lake-Lehman 8, Wyoming Seminary 6
Wyoming Seminary`200`022`0`—`6
Lake-Lehman`000`112`4`—`8
Pitching — SEM, Delaney Romanchik, 6.1 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO. LL, Abbey Hogan, 7 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0BB, 5 SO.
2B — SEM, Aubrey Mytych. LL, Hayley Evans, Cassandra Konopki, Abbey Hogan. 3B — SEM, Melinda Holena 2. LL, Cassandra Konopki, Hunter Kline, Chloe VanGordner.
Top hitters — SEM, Halle Kehl 3 hits, Aubrey Mytych 2 hits, Alicia Carr, 2 hits, 2 RBI. LL, Chloe VanGorder 4 hits, 2 runs, Emily Smith, 2 hits, Hayley Evans, 2 hits, Hunter Kline, 2 hits, 2 RBI.
Hanover Area 15, GAR 0
GAR`000—`0
Hanover Area`5(10)x`—`15
Pitching — GAR, McKenzie Malys, 1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, Chloe Sromovoski, 1 IP, 2H, 15 R, 15 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO. HAN, Sarah Tuzinski, 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO.
2B — HAN, Emilee Bobos, Shannon Keating.
Top hitters — HAN, Alessia Mangan 2 for 2, Karly Bennett 1 hit, 1 RBI, Lauren Blazaskie 1 hit, HBP, Shannon Keating, 2 for 2, Tiara Davis, 1 for 1, RBI.
Crestwood 11, Wyo. Val. West 7
Wyo Val West`020`001`3`—`7
Crestwood`501`302`x`—`11
Top Hitters: WVW, Jaden Belles 2 hits, triple; Mandy Zawadzki 2 hits; Morgan Klosko double; Audi Welles 2 hits, RBI; Payton Boller 2 hits; Colleen Cwalina 2 hits, 2 RBI. CRE, Haley Naperkowski 2 hits; Kayla Kulp 3 hits, double; Sydney Sobolewski 2 hits, 2 doubles, 4 RBI; Haley Dow 3 hits, 3 RBI; Emily Traficante 2 hits, 2 RBI; Morghan Murphy double.
Pitching: WVW, Morgan Shedletsky (LP); CRE, Naperkowski (WP).
