Blue Mountain stays undefeated;

Vikes’ Hand hits for cycle

PINE GROVE — For whatever reason, North Schuylkill seems to have Pine Grove’s number when the Schuylkill League Division I softball powers clash this decade.

Brigid Flynn pitched a complete game, Lyza Holmes drove in three runs, and the Spartans got contributions from everyone to defeat Pine Grove 6-4 on a raw, drizzly Thursday night at Susan Y. Stump Field.

The Spartans (6-1, 3-1 D-I) have beaten Pine Grove three straight times and have won 10-of-12 meetings since 2021. Though the Cardinals (5-1, 3-1) didn’t win the division last season, they went on capture Schuylkill League, District 11 Class 3A and PIAA Class 3A gold.

Flynn didn’t have a strikeout, but she made Pine Grove hit a lot of balls in the air. Thirteen of the Cards’ 21 outs came on fly balls.

“I’m so proud of everyone,” North Schuylkill coach Jack Flynn said. “Everyone did a great job today, from the hitting, to the fielding, to the pitching. We knew coming down here, this was going to be a tough team, defending state champions. It’s a battle every year. … We knew we had to bring our best game, and today the girls did.”

 Pine Grove jumped on top early when Hannah Aungst scored on the back end of a double steal in the first inning.

North Schuylkill answered in the top of the second when Holmes laced a two-out, two-run single to left field to put the Spartans up 2-1.

The Cardinals tied the game in the third when Callee Leffler led off with a triple and scored on Aungst’s safety squeeze bunt.

Things stayed that way until the sixth when North Schuylkill bunched three hits and a walk to score twice and take a 4-2 lead. Again with two outs, Holmes walked with the bases loaded, and Monica Selgrade hit an RBI single.

The Spartans added what turned out to be two important insurance runs in the seventh inning. Mallorie Croker singled home a run, and Olivia Jones plated a run with a fielder’s choice.

Pine Grove rallied in the bottom of the seventh but came up short. Khloe Jessman singled and Chelcy Clark doubled to set the table. Ava Behrent knocked in a run with a groundout, and Leffler drove in another with a sacrifice fly. At that point, North Schuylkill gladly traded a run for an out, and Flynn got another popup that shortstop Peyton Miscannon squeezed for the final out.

“A lot of these girls are friends,” Jack Flynn said. “They’ve played some travel ball together. They get along outside of the field, but yes, we’ll build off this win.”

Game Summary

NORTH SCHUYLKILL (6) — Holmes lf 4 0 1 3, Selgrade cf 3 0 2 1, Flynn p 4 1 1 0, Capone c 4 0 1 1, K. Nahodil cr 0 1 0 0, Frie 1b 2 1 1 0, Croker 3b 3 2 2 1, E. Nahodil pr 0 0 0 0, Jones dp 4 1 1 1, Miscannon ss 4 0 0 0, Cuttic rf 3 0 0 0, Fidler 2b 0 0 0 0. Totals 31 6 9 5.

PINE GROVE (4) — Leffler cf 3 1 1 1, Aungst ss 2 1 0 0, Dinger p-dp 3 0 2 0, Morgan cr 0 0 0 0, Flynn 2b 3 0 0 0, Bohr c 3 0 0 0, Umbenhauer 3b 3 0 0 0, Jessman rf 3 1 1 0, Clark dp 3 1 1 0, Behrent 1b 2 0 0 1, Schneck lf 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 4 5 3.

Teams	123	456	7	—	Runs
NS (6-1, 3-1)	020	002	2	—	6
PG (5-1, 3-1)	101	000	2	—	4

E — North Schuylkill 1, Pine Grove 1

DP — None

LOB — North Schuylkill 10, Pine Grove 4

2B — Clark

3B — Leffler

SB — Aungst 2, Morgan, Flynn, Behrent

SAC — Croker, Aungst

SF — Leffler

North Schuylkill

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Flynn W,5-1	7	5	4	4	2	0

Pine Grove

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Dinger L,5-1	6	6	4	2	4	5
Clark	1	3	2	2	1	2

T — 1:51.

Blue Mountain 5, Tamaqua 1 

TAMAQUA — Emily Leonard pitched a complete game and struck out eight as Blue Mountain defeated Tamaqua in a Division I game.

Hailey Place doubled and drove in a run for the Eagles. Karley Koch added a 2-for-3 day and scored twice.

Ceanna Gormley (2-for-4, run), Nico Conahan (2-for-4, RBI) and Sophia Sitlinger (2-for-3) paced the Blue Raiders at the plate.

 

Teams	123	456	7	—	Runs	Hits	Errors
BM (7-0, 4-0)	030	300	0	—	5	5	1
Tam (3-3, 1-3)	000	000	1	—	1	8	4

Leonard and Frie; Faust, Knitter (4) and Evans. W – Leonard (7-0). L – Faust (1-2).

Hits: Blue Mountain – Av. Hudock, Place, Koch 2, Leonard. Tamaqua – Gormley 2, Faust, Conahan 2, Sitlinger 2, Evans.

2B – Place.

Pottsville 20, Panther Valley 2 

POTTSVILLE — Cadence Borger hit a grand slam to propel Pottsville past Panther Valley in a Division I game at the CACL Complex.

Borger finished 2-for-2 with six RBIs and three runs scored.

Jes Siminitus went 2-for-2 with three runs and one RBI, while Reese Ketner went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs for the Crimson Tide.

Pottsville had a pair of 10-run innings.

Caroline Breslin doubled for Panther Valley.

 

Teams	123			—	Runs	Hits	Errors
PV (2-4, 0-4)	011			—	2	3	0
Po (4-2, 3-1)	(10)(10)x			—	20	11	1

Goida, Pierce (1), Prudente (1) and Breiner; Eckert, Hermany (3), Moyer (3) and Wessner, Skripko. W – Eckert (3-2). L – Goida (1-3).

Hits: Panther Valley – Breslin, D’Ancona, O’Brien. Pottsville – Siminitus 2, Yost, Borger 2, Ketner 2, Eckert, Hermany, Skripko, Kunstek.

2B – Breslin, Eckert. HR – Borger.

Williams Valley 13, Schuylkill Haven 3 

TOWER CITY — Liv Hand hit for the cycle, drove in eight runs and scored twice to lead Williams Valley to a Division II win over Schuylkill Haven. Hand finished 4-for-4 at the plate.

She also pitched a complete game, striking out six and walking one.

Ella Kobularik went 3-for-3 with four runs and an RBI for the Vikings. Kamri Koppenhaver added a 2-for-3 day with one run and one RBI.

For Schuylkill Haven, Alli Scherer went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored; Joie Schoffstall went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

 

Teams	123	45		—	Runs	Hits	Errors
SH (3-5, 2-2)	002	01		—	3	7	1
WV (4-0, 4-0)	250	15		—	13	13	3

Schoffstall and Strenkoski; Hand and Smeltz. W – Hand (3-0). L – Schoffstall (2-2).

Hits: Schuylkill Haven – Scherer 2, Russo, Schoffstall 2, Jenan, Houvig. Williams Valley – Kobularik 3, Bixler, Hand 4, Smeltz, Brill, Perhach, Koppenhaver 2.

2B – Scherer, Hand, Perhach. 3B – Hand. HR – Hand.

Tri-Valley 15, Shenandoah Valley 0 

SHENANDOAH — Myah Schwalm pitched a three-inning no-hitter with six strikeouts as Tri-Valley topped Shenandoah Valley in a Division II contest at Bicentennial Park.

Liv Lupole powered the offense with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Alina Leonard added a double, three runs and two RBIs for the Dawgs.

 

Teams	123			—	Runs	Hits	Errors
TV (3-1, 3-1)	870			—	15	6	0
SV (0-5, 0-4)	000			—	0	0	2

Schwalm and Rodichok; Zulkowski and Chagolla. W – Schwalm (1-0). L – Zulkowski (0-2).

Hits: Tri-Valley – Leonard, Cupsta, Witmer, Rodichok, Lupole, Tobin. Shenandoah Valley – None.

2B – Leonard. HR – Lupole.

Minersville 18, Weatherly 4 

WEATHERLY — Sara McGrath went 4-for-5 with a triple, four runs and one RBI to spark Minersville past Weatherly in Division II action.

Grace Sterner added five runs scored and two RBIs for the Miners. Addison Moyer clubbed two doubles and scored a run. Other top hitters for Minersville included Bella Cruz, 2-for-3 with a run scored; and Bella Rizzardi, 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

For Weatherly, Madison Makowiec went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

 

Teams	123	456		—	Runs	Hits	Errors
Min (4-3, 3-1)	162	126		—	18	14	3
Wea (1-3, 1-3)	003	100		—	4	9	5

C. Laudeman and McGrath; Binder and Marasco. W – C. Laudeman (2-1). L – Binder (1-3).

Hits: Minersville – McGrath 4, O’Brien, Cruz 2, Rizzardi 2, Tripp, Mistishen, Moyer 2, Brennan. Weatherly – Weston, Makowiec 3, Caldwell 2, Kane, DiGennaro, Biles.

2B – Moyer 2. 3B – McGrath.

Marian 13, Nativity 1 

POTTSVILLE — DeAnna Pugh went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored to power Marian past Nativity in a Division II game.

Other top hitters for the Fillies included Hailey Treskolasky, 2-for-4 with a double, one run and one RBI; Malina Letcher, 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs and one RBI; and Emily Upanavage, 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.

Chloe Covell doubled and scored a run for Nativity.

 

Teams	123	45		—	Runs	Hits	Errors
Mar (5-1, 3-1)	541	30		—	13	14	1
Nat (1-6, 0-4)	000	10		—	1	3	8

Birrer, Letcher (4) and Treskolasky; Stankavage and Clark. W – Birrer (3-1). L – Stankavage (0-3).

Hits: Marian – Pugh 3, Trekolasky 2, Letcher 2, Upanavage 2, Knock, Hopeck, Cannon, Wolfgang, Birrer. Nativity – Clark, Covell, Ricard.

2B – Treskolasky, Letcher, Covell. 3B – Letcher. HR – Pugh, Upanavage.

Mahanoy Area 16, Lourdes 1 

MOUNT CARMEL — Hailey Mroczka slugged a home run, drove in two runs and scored twice as Mahanoy Area cruised past Lourdes in a Division I game.

Ella Connolly went 2-for-2 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, while Victoria Davis went 2-for-2 with three runs and one RBI for the Golden Bears, who used a pair of seven-run innings to pull away.

Reaghan Fuller singled and knocked in a run for Lourdes.

 

Teams	123	4		—	Runs	Hits	Errors
Mah (3-2, 2-2)	072	7		—	16	6	0
Lou (0-5, 0-4)	001	0		—	1	5	4

Carl and Mroczka; Wydra, Adams (3), Cherry (3) and Cherry, Fuller (3). W – Carl (2-2). L – Wydra (0-3).

Hits: Mahanoy Area – Mroczka, Connolly 2, Carl, Davis 2. Lourdes – Adams, Cherry, Wydra, Fuller, Bressi.

2B – Connolly, Carl. HR – Mroczka.