Tunkhannock shortstop Emily Schultz holds the PIAA Class 4A runner-up trophy following Friday’s narrow 3-2 loss to Clearfield in the state title game at Penn State.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
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Tunkhannock players walk off the field as Clearfield celebrates a game-ending RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in Friday’s PIAA Class 4A championship game at Penn State.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Tunkhannock’s Ella McNeff (00) beats the tag by Clearfield shortstop Alaina Fedder at second base in the sixth inning on Friday.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Tunkhannock second baseman Ella McNeff gets under a pop-up in the seventh inning of a tense Class 4A title game against Clearfield on Friday.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Tunkhannock’s Kaya Hannon cheers after scoring the first run for Tunkhannock against Clearfield in Friday’s Class 4A title game at Penn State.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Tunkhannock’s Emily Schultz, left, is congratulated by teammates after coming all the way around to score on a single and a three-base error in the fourth inning.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
STATE COLLEGE — The pursuit of their ultimate team goals will have to continue for the Tunkhannock Tigers softball team.
Emma Hipps struck out 10 in a four-hitter and Clearfield scored in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday at Penn State’s Beard Field to complete a comeback for a 3-2 victory over Tunkhannock Friday afternoon in the PIAA Class 4A state softball championship at Beard Field.
“We’ve been doing that a lot this year, especially in the playoffs,” Hipps said of the comeback.
The loss was the second straight for the Lady Tigers in the state championship game.
“We came up short again,” Tunkhannock coach Bob Hegedty said. “We have to try to get back to working to try to get here again.”
As 12-year-olds, many of the same players earned the designation of both state and regional champions, but on that level, the biggest available title is at the Little League Softball World Series. Tunkhannock advanced all the way to that championship game as well before losing.
In high school, there is nothing bigger available than the state championship, which the Tigers have come agonizingly close to the past two seasons. Counting an older group of girls that made it in 2017, Tunkhannock has finished second in three of the last five state tournaments over the past six years.
“I’m super proud,” Hegedty said. “We had some ups and downs this season, but after the Crestwood game (to open the postseason), we really got focused in.”
In last year’s state final, Tunkhannock rallied in the seventh, but lost in nine innings, 5-4, against Beaver Area.
This time, the Tigers fell to a comeback, including the seventh-inning run that avoided another venture into extra innings.
Tunkhannock scored first in the second inning, but not until after having a runner thrown out at the plate.
Gabby Wood was hit by a pitch while leading off and went to second on a wild pitch.
Kaya Hannon singled up the middle and Wood rounded third, heading for home. Ruby Singleton came up throwing and Olivia Bender blocked the plate to get the out on Wood on a play that Hegedty briefly came out to dispute with the home plate umpire.
The game’s first run came with the next batter.
Sydney Huff sent a shot down the right-field line, hitting the line before continuing into foul territory. She doubled for Tunkhannock’s only extra-base hit and Hannon scored easily.
Hannon escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning and Tunkhannock added an unearned run to its lead in the fourth.
Emily Schultz sent a slow roller down the third-base line.
The third baseman’s throw to try to get Schultz made it past the first baseman and the right fielder trying to back up the play.
With the ball rolling all the way to the wall and the Bison struggling with the relay, Schultz never stopped running.
The play was scored as a single and three-base throwing error.
Clearfield forced a tie and set the stage for its third straight walk-off victory of the tournament when it got a two-run homer from Lauren Ressler with one out in the fifth.
Hannon was coming off her only 1-2-3 inning and retired her fifth straight to begin the inning.
Ruby Singleton singled and scored when Ressler pulled a 2-1 pitch down the right-field line.
Singleton wound up scoring the game-winning run after leading off the bottom of the seventh with a single. She made it to third as part of a bases-loaded, one-out situation and scored from there on a shallow flyball to left by Alexis Bumbarger.
“I was so nervous that they were going to catch it,” Bumbarger said.
Instead the ball dropped softball beyond the reach of the infielders and in front of the charging outfielders.
PIAA Class 4A championship
Clearfield 3, Tunkhannock 2
Tunkhannock`AB`R`H`BI
Marabell c`3`0`0`0
McNeff 2b`3`0`1`0
Schultz ss`3`1`1`0
Wood 1b`2`0`0`0
KHannon p`3`1`1`1
Huff 3b`3`0`1`1
Van Ness lf`3`0`0`0
Patton dp`2`0`0`0
Kulsacavage rf`0`0`0`0
James cf`2`0`0`0
Totals`24`2`4`1
Clearfield`AB`R`H`BI
Hipps p`3`0`0`0
Singleton cf`4`2`2`0
Ressler 1b`3`1`1`2
Bender c`4`0`2`0
Fedder ss`3`0`1`0
Bumbarger 3b`4`0`1`1
Hertlein 2b`3`0`0`0
Benton rf`2`0`0`0
Cole dp`3`0`2`0
Twigg lf-pr`0`0`0`0
Totals`29`3`9`3
Tunkhannock`010`010`0 — 2
Clearfield`000`020`1 — 3
2B — Huff. HR – Ressler.
Tunkhannock`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hannon L`6.1`9`3`3`4`2
Clearfield`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hipps W`7`4`2`1`0`10