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LYONS — The thunderous blast came from nowhere and struck the state softball semifinals like a bolt of lightning.

And it immediately sent Hazleton Area into shouts of hopeful celebration.

Pinch hitter Kasey Biever stared down the most feared pitcher in the state, stood her ground and slugged a two-out, two-run triple that had Hazleton Area making a bold move to the state championship game.

Maggie Balint cut it short.

The University of Oregon-bound Balint fanned 13 batters and drilled her team’s third inside-the-park home run of the game in the top of the seventh inning Monday, a two-run blast that lifted Avon Grove to a 4-2 victory over Hazleton Area and into the state title game in a PIAA Class 4A softball semifinal at Lyons Park.

“I was kind of excited,” Balint said. “I knew our team would come back.”

Biever’s big hit forced the issue.

With Avon Grove holding a 2-0 lead, Megan Trivelpiece and Hope Kinney opened the Hazleton Area sixth inning with singles — matching the number of hits the hard-hitting Cougars had managed against Balint to that point.

Two outs later, Hazleton Area still didn’t have a run, so Cougars coach Heather Dale turned to her bench and sent Biever to the plate to pinch hit.

“She’s a strong power hitter,” Dale said. “I knew she’d come up and make contact. She’s done it before.”

She did it again.

Biever rocketed a two-strike pitch into the gap in right-center field, scoring Trivelpiece and courtesy runner Caitlyn Brasley to even the score and give a cheering and chanting Hazleton Area team a huge edge in momentum.

“I was super-excited to get everyone back in the game,” Biever said. “You always have jitters, you always feel like that. Especially when you’re called off the bench. Especially with her (Balint) being such a good thrower. I’m just super-proud to be part of this team. I thought we would pull it out. It didn’t happen.”

That’s because Balint, a three-time national Gatorade high school softball player of the year, closed off Hazleton Area’s path to the state title game.

More annoyed than angry, Balint watched Hazleton Area’s gleeful eruption over Biever’s game-tying hit — “It was kind of a celebration for a little longer than usual,” Balint said — she quickly shut it down.

Balint stranded the potential go-ahead run at third base with an inning-ending strikeout to end the sixth inning, then got two more in a perfect seventh inning to finish with 13 strikeouts — fanning three of the final four batters she faced.

“I think it was just the rise ball,” Dale said. “She had us chasing balls out of the strike zone, plus the intimidation factor.”

Balint didn’t allow Hazleton Area a hit until Celine Podlesney lined a single into left field with one out in the fourth inning, and the hard-throwing righthander picked up 11 of her strikeouts during the 13 times the final four players in Hazleton Area’s batting order came to the plate.

Meanwhile, Camryn Laterza led off Avon Grove’s second inning with an inside-the-park home run into the right-center field gap at spacious Lyons Park — where the fence sits 265 feet from home plate throughout the outfield. And Rachel Butler gave Avon Grove a 2-0 lead with another inside-the-park homer over the left fielder’s head in the third inning.

“I don’t think it’s right, holding this on a 265 (-foot) field,” Dale scoffed. “We knew coming into this game it was going to hurt us or help us. Unfortunately, it hurt us.”

It helped a little, when Biever blasted a shot between the center fielder and right fielder for her game-tying triple in the sixth. A half-inning later, though, Balint lined her game-winning homer into a similar spot to deliver the park’s most painful blow to Hazleton Area’s state championship hopes.

“They only had that one good hit,” Balint said. “That was definitely my fault. I’m like, ‘Oops, it was all on me.’ I let two singles fall and the triple. I don’t really let that stuff get to me.

“I had to make up for that.”

PIAA Class 4A semifinal

Avon Grove 4, Hazleton Area 2

Avon Grove`AB`R`H`BI

Nolan lf`3`1`0`0

DeFeo ss`4`0`2`0

Balint p`4`1`2`2

Wallauer 1b`3`0`0`0

Butler 3b`3`1`1`1

Kunitsky c`3`0`0`0

Laterza rf`2`1`1`1

Thompson cf`0`0`0`0

Sciver dp`3`0`0`0

McCann 2b`2`0`0`0

Totals`27`4`6`4

Hazleton Area`AB`R`H`BI

Yori ss`4`0`1`0

Rossi cf`4`0`0`0

Trivelpiece 1b`3`1`1`0

Kinney c`2`1`1`0

Podlesney p`2`0`1`0

Gebhart lf`0`0`0`0

Kost dp`3`0`0`0

Kaschak 2b`2`0`0`0

Biever ph`1`0`1`2

Johnson rf`3`0`0`0

Bernotas 3b`3`0`0`0`

Totals`27`2`5`2

Avon Grove`011`000`2`—`4

Hazleton Area`000`002`0`—`2

3B — Biever. HR — Laterza, Butler, Balint.

Avon Grove`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Balint, W`7`5`2`2`2`13

Hazleton Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Podlesney, L`7`6`4`4`1`1

Erika Book and Mackenzie Yori comfort eachother after losing to Avon Grove in Semifinals. 6/13/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG1-3.jpg.optimal.jpgErika Book and Mackenzie Yori comfort eachother after losing to Avon Grove in Semifinals. 6/13/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

Celine Podlesney pitches for Hazleton. 6/13/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG2-3.jpg.optimal.jpgCeline Podlesney pitches for Hazleton. 6/13/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

Hope Kinney gets the ball late and Avon Grove steps ahead and finally wins the game. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG7-3.jpg.optimal.jpgHope Kinney gets the ball late and Avon Grove steps ahead and finally wins the game. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

Hope Kinney reacts to Hazletons loss. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG3-3.jpg.optimal.jpgHope Kinney reacts to Hazletons loss. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

mackenzie Yori and Hope Kinney are comforted after a loss in semifinal play against Avon Grove. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG5-3.jpg.optimal.jpgmackenzie Yori and Hope Kinney are comforted after a loss in semifinal play against Avon Grove. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

Hazleton Area softball players react after tieing up the game in the 6th inning. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG4-3.jpg.optimal.jpgHazleton Area softball players react after tieing up the game in the 6th inning. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

Megan Trivelpiece reacts to the Hazleton loss. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061416HazletonAG6-3.jpg.optimal.jpgMegan Trivelpiece reacts to the Hazleton loss. 6/12/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader

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Oregon-bound pitcher bursts Cougar’s state title dreams

By Paul Sokoloski

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Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski