HS Softball: Tri-Valley rallies past Tamaqua in Schuylkill League quarterfinals
Tri-Valley's players and coaches celebrate after defeating Tamaqua 7-4 on Monday in a Schuylkill League softball quarterfinal at Blue Mountain's Patton Field. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
ORWIGSBURG — Often, winning softball is about pressuring the opponent into mistakes, then cashing in on those opportunities.
That’s how Tri-Valley knocked off Tamaqua 7-4 on Monday in the first quarterfinal of the Schuylkill League playoffs at Blue Mountain’s Patton Field. Alina Leonard clubbed a two-run home run, and Myah Schwalm pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts to key the victory.
The Division II runner-up Bulldogs (15-5) managed just five hits, but they made them count — especially during a six-run third inning that put the Dawgs ahead to stay.
With the win, Tri-Valley advances to meet Division I champion North Schuylkill (15-3) in Tuesday’s semifinals. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but Schuylkill League officials have some contingency plans in place should the forecasted rain arrive and force a postponement.
Division I runner-up Pine Grove (19-2), a 7-1 winner over Schuylkill Haven in the late quarterfinal, is scheduled to take on Division II champion Williams Valley (19-1) in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Tri-Valley and Tamaqua (14-7) met on May 2 with the Blue Raiders earning an 8-2 victory.
The quarterfinal started much the same way, with Tamaqua jumping out to a 2-0 lead and Tri-Valley struggling to find much offense.
In the first inning, Tamaqua’s Nico Conahan led off with a walk, took second on Kolbe Robb’s sacrifice bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch. On a fielder’s choice ground ball, Tri-Valley tried to cut down the run at the plate, but the throw was late, allowing Conahan to score for a 1-0 lead.
That lead grew to 2-0 in the third inning when Conahan led off with a triple and scored on Robb’s safety squeeze bunt.
Tri-Valley needed a few breaks to get back in the game, and one small miscue snowballed into a huge rally for the Dawgs.
It all started innocently enough with Tamaqua starter Peyton Faust notching a strikeout for the first out of the inning. Kenzie Tobin hit a ball up the middle that was misplayed for an error. Tobin took second on a wild pitch and scored when Cassi Snyder laced a hard RBI single up the middle. Leonard followed by crushing a two-run home run over the fence in left-center field.
And just like that, Tri-Valley led 3-2.
And the Dawgs weren’t done yet. Not even close.
One out later, Liv Witmer singled and winning pitcher Myah Schwalm walked. That prompted a pitching change, with Naomi Knitter replacing Faust in the circle.
Knitter walked the first batter she faced to load the bases. Lydia Rodichok then hit a routine ground ball to first base, but Tamaqua made two errors trying to get the out at first. Witmer scored. Tamaqua then made an errant throw home, and courtesy runner Ava Snyder alertly dove across home plate. As the Blue Raiders tried to corral the ball in foul territory along the third-base line, Savanah Stiely raced home and scored with another dive across the plate to make it 6-2.
“Leonard hits this home run out of nowhere,” Tri-Valley coach Marty Shade said. “She’s capable of doing that, though. She’s a very good player. Before you know it, we were up 3-2, and the bench erupted. Everybody was more into the game. It fired us up.”
Tamaqua cut into that deficit in the top of the fourth when courtesy runner Mia Bamford and Megan Linkhorst scored as Knitter’s line drive was misplayed for an error in the outfield. Quickly, the Blue Raiders trailed just 6-4 with half a game left.
That’s when Schwalm stepped up in the circle for Tri-Valley. The freshman right-hander held Tamaqua off the scoreboard the rest of the way to earn a complete game and pick up the win.
In the fifth inning, Schwalm stranded a runner at third base by notching a strikeout.
In the sixth, Schwalm worked out of a second-and-third, no-out jam to preserve the lead. A strikeout and a fine catch and throw in right field by Tobin produced two outs, but Conahan got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Schwalm again proved up to the challenge by inducing a popout to shortstop to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.
For the game, Schwalm allowed five hits and four runs (two earned). She whiffed seven and walked two.
“I was very nervous because I didn’t know I was pitching until today (Monday),” Schwalm said. “I just wanted to make my team proud.”
Added Shade: “I thought she was getting tired but I talked to her and she just wanted to keep going. That’s a bulldog.”
Meanwhile, Tri-Valley tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Cassi Snyder slapped her second RBI single of the day.
“I told them I’m very proud of them,” Shade said. “Now we have North Schuylkill. They’re the top dog in the league. We’ll see. We’ll give them a shot.”
