HS Softball: Fast start lifts Blue Mountain over Pottsville
Blue Mountain's infield gathers for a meeting during Monday's game against Pottsville at the CACL Complex. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
POTTSVILLE — Blue Mountain didn’t dwell on last week’s loss to Pine Grove.
Instead, the Eagles went on a tear, ripping off four straight victories, including Monday’s 12-2, six-inning Schuylkill League Division I win over Pottsville at the CACL Complex. In triumphs over Panther Valley, Brandywine Heights, Minersville and the Crimson Tide, Blue Mountain outscored its opponents 48-3.
The Eagles have three more games this week: at home with North Schuylkill at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, at Mahanoy Area on Thursday and at home against Tamaqua on Saturday afternoon.
“With all of the rainouts and everything, we’ve been busy with games,” Blue Mountain coach Paul Leonard said. “The girls have been pretty dedicated this week in showing up early, especially today since we didn’t have school we showed up early. We’ve been doing a lot of work on the (batting) tee and a lot of mental approaches for at-bats. They’re young, but they’re starting to get it a little bit. Now we’ve got to work on some consistency, being consistent day after day after day.
“It seems like we’re a hot-and-cold team right now,” the coach added. “Hopefully this can springboard us for a busy week ahead of us.”
In a game that was postponed twice because of rain, the Eagles (10-2, 6-1 D-I) showed their hot side right away, scoring five runs in the first inning and three more in the second for an 8-0 lead.
They bunched four hits, four stolen bases and two Pottsville errors in the first for a quick 5-0 lead. Freshman Emmerson Frie launched a two-run home run, her sixth of the season, and Aryana Reilly rapped an RBI single. In between, Addyson Fishburn singled, stole third and scored on a throwing error, and Karley Koch stole home as part of a double steal.
In the game, Blue Mountain swiped 10 bases without being caught. Avery Hudock stole three bases and Carla Boyer had two. Hudock finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Boyer went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs.
“That’s a Mike (Rollman) thing, too,” Paul Leonard said about the stolen bases. “We’re an aggressive staff. We want to try to make the defense make plays. If we feel the opportunity is there to grab an extra base, we will. We always tell our girls, ‘If you commit yourself and you make the decision that you are going, I’ll live with it — as long as you do everything aggressively.’ ”
Blue Mountain produced three more runs in the second inning on a pair of Pottsville errors, two stolen bases and Boyer’s two-run single.
The Eagles hit a bit of a lull for the next two innings, but they finally added on in the fifth. Boyer led off with a walk. She stole second, took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
Pottsville (6-6, 3-4) got one run back in the bottom of the fifth when Reese Ketner doubled and scored on an error.
In the sixth, Blue Mountain got consecutive, two-out RBI singles from Courtney Cavadini, Boyer and Koch to make it 12-1.
The Tide’s Jes Siminitus slugged a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth, but winning pitcher Emily Leonard finished with her ninth strikeout of the game to end it. Leonard allowed just four hits, one earned run and didn’t walk a batter.
Both teams started extremely young and inexperienced lineups. Blue Mountain started one senior, one junior, four sophomores and four freshmen. Meanwhile, the Tide started two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
“It’s still a rivalry,” Paul Leonard said. “The girls get up for it, and I know they do, as well. Friends on both sides, and it’s nice to see the kids play well.”
Game Summary
BLUE MOUNTAIN (12) — Fishburn cf 4 1 1 0, Hudock ss 3 3 3 0, Frie 3b 3 2 1 2, Cavadini c 4 0 1 1, Vincent cr 0 2 0 0, Boyer 1b 3 3 2 3, Koch rf 3 1 1 1, Reilly dp 3 0 1 1, Leonard p 3 0 2 0, Phillips cr 0 0 0 0, Peel lf 3 0 0 0, Manbeck 2b 0 0 0 0. Totals 29 12 12 8.
POTTSVILLE (2) — Siminitus lf 3 1 1 1, Yost cf 3 0 0 0, Eckert p 3 0 1 0, Borger cr 0 0 0 0, Scanlan ss 3 0 0 0, Cromyak 2b 3 0 0 0, Ketner 1b 3 1 1 0, Kunstek rf 2 0 0 0, Kalovcak dp 2 0 0 0, Barnhart 3b 2 0 1 0, Wessner c 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 2 4 1.
BM (10-2, 6-1) 530 013 — 12
Po (6-6, 3-4) 000 011 — 2
E — Blue Mountain 2, Pottsville 4
DP — Blue Mountain 1, Pottsville 1
LOB — Blue Mountain 3, Pottsville 4
2B — Barnhart, Ketner, Eckert
HR — Frie, Siminitus
SB — Hudock 3, Boyer 2, Fishburn, Koch, Vincent, Reilly, Peel, Scanlan
Blue Mountain
IP H R ER BB K
Leonard W,3-2 6 4 2 1 0 9
Pottsville
IP H R ER BB K
Eckert L,6-6 6 12 12 8 3 0
HBP — by Eckert (Koch). WP — Leonard 2, Eckert. T — 1:39.
North Schuylkill 4, Tamaqua 3
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Mallorie Croker’s RBI single in the seventh inning gave North Schuylkill a walk-off win over Tamaqua in a Division I game at Dot Seidel Field.
With the game tied 3-3, Brigid Flynn led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple to right-center field. Tamaqua then intentionally walked Lindsay Brouse and Jordanna Frie to load the bases. Croker followed with a single to knock in Flynn with the game-winner.
Flynn, who pitched a scoreless seventh for the win in the circle, went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Flynn relieved Olivia Jones, who struck out eight and allowed just one earned run in six strong innings.
Croker and Frie both finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Spartans.
Kolbe Robb and Leah Crowley had a single and a run scored apiece for Tamaqua.
Tam (7-5, 4-3) 200 100 0 — 3 3 2
NS (8-2, 6-1) 001 110 1 — 4 9 2
Knitter and Krall; Jones, Flynn (7) and Brouse. W— Flynn (5-1). L — Knitter (4-2).
HITS: Tamaqua — Robb, Gormley, Crowley. North Schuylkill — Capone, Flynn 3, Frie 2, Croker 2, Meskunas.
2B — Meskunas. 3B — Flynn.
Marian 19, Nativity 3
HOMETOWN — Malina Letcher went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored to power Marian to a Division II win over Nativity.
Hailey Treskolasky also had a big day, going 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored for the Fillies, who scored all of their runs in the first inning.
Other top hitters for Marian included Gracie Sendatch, 2-for-2 with a double, two runs and one RBI; DeAnna Pugh, 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs; Emily Upanavage, 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI; Savannah Sirkot, 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored; and Kayla Birrer, 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
For Nativity, Lauren Clark went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and one run scored.
Nat (2-9, 1-7) 1 0 2 — 3 4 2
Mar (4-6, 2-5) (19)0x — 19 17 0
Covell and Clark; Upanavage, Karlick (3) and Treskolasky. W— Upanavage (3-2). L — Covell (2-7).
HITS: Nativity — Clark 2, Palmieri, Talmadge. Marian — Sendatch 2, Hopeck, Pugh 2, Letcher 2, Treskolasky 2, Karlick, Upanavage 2, Cannon, Sirkot 2, Birrer 2.
2B — Clark, Sendatch, Treskolasky, Karlick, Letcher. 3B — Treskolasky. HR — Letcher.
Panther Valley 15, Executive Education 0
LANSFORD — Janessa Prudente pitched a three-inning no-hitter and struck out four as Panther Valley cruised past Executive Education in a non-league game.
