HS Softball: North Schuylkill cruises past Minersville

North Schuylkill's Olivia Jones pitches to Minersville's Ava Long in the third inning of Friday's non-league game at Dot Seidel Field. North Schuylkill's catcher is Lindsey Brouse. The Spartans defeated the Miners 11-1. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — It took North Schuylkill less than 90 minutes to give Jack Flynn his first victory as the Spartans’ head softball coach.

Scoring early and often, North Schuylkill rolled past Minersville 11-1 in five innings Friday in a non-league season opener on the artificial turf at Dot Seidel Field.

“It was great,” Flynn said. “A lot of jitters between myself and all the players, first time on the field for a real game. They did well. They hit the ball, put the ball in play. Our pitching did a great job. Just a good game all-around.”

North Schuylkill (1-0) scored in every inning, including three-spots in the second and fifth to steadily pull away from the Battlin’ Miners (0-1).

Brigid Flynn held the hot bat, going 3-for-4 with a triple, four runs scored and two RBIs for the Spartans.

Jordanna Frie and Gianna Capone rapped RBI singles in the first inning as North Schuylkill jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

RBI singles by Monica Selgrade and Frie, sandwiched around Flynn’s RBI triple to deep right, made it 5-0 North Schuylkill after two innings.

Minersville got a run back in the third when Ava Long walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Bella Rizzardi’s RBI single. Grace Sterner added a double for the Miners, but that was all the offense they could muster.

“They’re a good ballclub, but I think we didn’t play to our potential today,” said Kate Rittenbaugh, in her first game as Minersville’s head coach. “Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. … I told the girls it’s how we respond to that game. We can either bounce back, or we can hang our heads. So, we’ll see how we respond.”

Hard-throwing North Schuylkill right-hander Olivia Jones went the distance in the circle. She retired the first six batters she faced and finished with seven strikeouts and three walks.

While Jones held the Miners in check, North Schuylkill kept building on to its 14-hit attack. In the third inning, Jones knocked in a run with a groundout, and Kylie Meskunas followed with an RBI double.

RBI singles by Brigid Flynn and Mallorie Croker in the fifth inning enabled the Spartans to end the game via the 10-run rule.

“They were into it, hustling every play,” Jack Flynn said. “The girls were on the ball.”

Game Summary

MINERSVILLE (1) — Sterner 2b 2 0 1 0, Rizzardi ss 3 0 1 1, Frantz 1b 2 0 0 0, McGrath c 1 0 0 0, Motuk rf 2 0 0 0, Kopinetz dp 2 0 0 0, Long 3b 1 1 0 0, Plesnarski lf 2 0 0 0, Brennan cf 2 0 0 0, Laudeman p 0 0 0 0, O’Brien 0 0 0 0. Totals 17 1 2 1.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL (11) — Selgrade cf 3 1 2 1, Miscannon cr-ph 1 2 1 0, Holmes lf 3 1 0 1, Flynn ss 4 4 3 2, Frie 1b 4 0 2 2, Croker 3b 4 0 2 1, Capone dp-ss 2 0 1 1, Brouse c 2 0 1 1, Jones p 3 0 0 1, E. Nahodil cr 0 1 0 0, Meskunas 2b 3 1 1 1, Monahan rf 1 1 1 0. Totals 30 11 14 11.

Miners (0-1)  — 001      00 — 1

NS (1-0)        — 232     13 — 11

E — Minersville 2, North Schuylkill 0

DP — Minersville

LOB — Minersville 4, North Schuylkill 6

2B — Sterner, Meskunas, Capone

3B — Flynn

SB — Long, Motuk, Selgrade, Miscannon

Minersville

                                       IP     H      R       ER    BB    K

Laudeman L,0-1     3       9       7         4       0       1

O’Brien                     1.2       5       4         1       1       0

North Schuylkill

                  IP     H      R       ER    BB    K

Jones W,1-0            5       2       1        1       3       7

HBP — by Laudeman (Holmes). WP — Laudeman 2, Jones. PB — McGrath. T — 1:21.