Blue Mountain's players celebrate after Anna Borden slugged a solo home run in the third inning against Pottsville on April 7, 2026, at Patton Field. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

ORWIGSBURG — When Paul Leonard appeared over the weekend as a guest on “WPPA Sports Saturday,” the Blue Mountain coach said he wanted to see his players run more.

He wasn’t kidding.

Leonard’s Eagles stole 11 — yes 11! — bases to cruise past Pottsville 12-2 in five innings in a Schuylkill Division I softball game Tuesday afternoon at Patton Field.

Addyson Fishburn swiped three bags, and the speedster set the tone with a trademark trip around the bases. She led off the bottom of the first inning with a bunt single, stole second, stole third and scored when Pottsville made an error while Fishburn was caught in a rundown. Hailey Place added an RBI single for a 2-0 Blue Mountain lead.

In the second inning, Da’Shawna Vincent walked, stole second and third and scored when the throw to third base sailed into left field.

“I told the radio (guys), I was on with them Saturday morning, and I thought we were being a little conservative on the basepaths,” Paul Leonard said. “And I thought early in the season we were picking our spots. There were a couple of games where we didn’t need to, but today we had the opportunity to do so, and I think we took advantage of that.”

Cruising along, Blue Mountain (8-0, 5-0 D-I) hit a speed bump in the top of the third inning. With two outs, Pottsville’s Jes Siminitus launched a towering, two-run home run to center field. Just like that, the Eagles’ lead shrank to 3-2. That’s as close as the Crimson Tide (4-3, 3-2) got.

Blue Mountain answered in the bottom of the third inning, adding a hit parade to the speed that produced runs early in the game. The Eagles sent 13 batters to the plate in a nine-run outburst that turned a one-run game into a 12-2 lead and a 10-run-rule victory.

Anna Borden led off the inning with a solo home run well over the fence in left-center field. That not only got one of those runs back, but it also ignited Blue Mountain’s bats. Avery Hudock roped a two-run double down the left-field line, and Place laced a two-run triple down the right-field line. Emmerson Frie belted an RBI double, while Fishburn and Karley Koch rapped RBI singles.

Fishburn finished 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs scored and an RBI. Place went 2-for-2 with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored. Borden added a 2-for-3 day with her first homer of the season, two runs and one RBI.

Emily Leonard (8-0) went the distance in the circle for Blue Mountain, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out six and walking one.

“I challenged them early in the game, ‘We didn’t hit anything hard yet,’ ” Paul Leonard said. “Everything we got, those early runs were manufactured, being aggressive on the basepaths, taking advantage of little bloops here and there. So I challenged them. Our motto is ‘Win Every Inning.’ They put a two spot up on us, and I said, ‘Go win the inning.’ And they did.”

Game Summary

POTTSVILLE (2) — Siminitus cf 2 1 1 2, Yost 2b 3 0 0 0, Borger lf 2 0 0 0, Ketner 1b 2 0 0 0, Eckert p 1 0 1 0, Skripko cr 0 0 0 0, Moyer p 1 0 0 0, Wessner c 2 0 0 0, Kunstek rf 2 0 0 0, Kalovcak 3b 1 0 1 0, Templeton 3b 1 0 1 0, Barnhart ss 2 1 0 0. Totals 19 2 4 2.

BLUE MOUNTAIN (12) — Fishburn cf 4 2 2 1, Av. Hudock 2b 2 1 1 2, Frie c 2 0 1 1, Manbeck cr 0 2 0 0, Borden 1b 3 2 2 1, Place ss 2 1 2 3, Koch rf 3 1 1 1, Reilly 3b 3 1 0 0, Leonard p 3 0 0 0, Phillips cr 0 1 0 0, Vincent lf 2 1 0 0. Totals 24 12 9 9.

E — Pottsville 4, Blue Mountain 1

DP — None

LOB — Pottsville 3, Blue Mountain 4

2B — Av. Hudock, Frie, Borden

3B — Place

HR — Siminitus, Borden

SB — Fishburn 3, Vincent 2, Place 2, Manbeck, Av. Hudock, Koch, Phillips

CS — Skripko

Pottsville

Blue Mountain

T — 1:33.

Williams Valley 10, Tri-Valley 7 

HEGINS — Liv Hand and Quin Smeltz homered to power Williams Valley to a Division II victory over Tri-Valley.

Hand went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored, while Smeltz finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a run. Cierra Brill also had a big day for the Vikings, going 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Kamri Koppenhaver went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, while Megan Perhach went 2-for-5 for Williams Valley, which used a seven-run second inning to take the lead to stay.

Lydia Rodichok paced the Bulldogs with a 4-for-4 day that included two RBIs. Summer Cupsta went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, while Liv Witmer went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Myah Schwalm doubled and knocked in three runs.

Hand went the distance in the circle, striking out seven and walking none. Tri-Valley pitchers walked six.

Hand and Smeltz; Lettich, Leonard (2) and Rodichok. W – Hand (4-1). L – Lettich (1-1).

Hits: Williams Valley – Kobularik, Bixler, Hand 2, Smeltz 2, Brill 4, Perhach 2, Koppenhaver 2, Mace, Stakem. Tri-Valley – Stiely, Cupsta 3, Witmer 2, Schwalm, Rodichok 4, Lupole.

2B – Brill, Koppenhaver, Cupsta, Schwalm. HR – Smeltz, Hand.

North Schuylkill 14, Tamaqua 0 

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Peyton Miscannon pitched a two-hit shutout and struck out four as North Schuylkill defeated Tamaqua in Division I action at Dot Seidel Field.

Gianna Capone powered the Spartans at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Mallorie Croker went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Lyza Holmes went 2-for-2 with a double, three runs and an RBI for North Schuylkill, which took control with an eight-run second inning. Brigid Flynn added a 2-for-4 day with two RBIs and two runs for the Spartans.

Knitter, Faust (2), Bumbulsky (2), Gormley (4) and Evans; Miscannon and Capone. W – Miscannon (2-0). L – Knitter (2-2).

Hits: Tamaqua – Gormley, Bumbulsky. North Schuylkill – Holmes 2, Selgrade, Flynn 2, Capone 4, Frie, Croker 2, Jones.

2B – Bumbulsky, Holmes, Capone.

Minersville 20, Shenandoah Valley 0 

MINERSVILLE — Freshman Ava Bosack earned her first varsity pitching win with a no-hit shutout over Shenandoah Valley at Ken Schneck Field.

Bosack struck out five and walked one in the three-inning game.

One day after scoring 13 runs in the first inning against South Williamsport, Minersville scored 16 in the first inning against the Blue Devils.

Calleigh Tripp led the way with a 2-for-3 day that included a double, a triple, four RBIs and three runs scored. Kylie Herb posted a 3-for-3 day with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored.

Other top hitters for the Miners included Grace Sterner, 3-for-3, with a double, two runs and one RBI; Sara McGrath, 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs; Eila O’Brien, a triple and three RBIs; and Rilynn Brennan, 3-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.

Monaghan and Chagolla; Bosack and McGrath. W – Bosack (1-0). L – Monaghan (0-3).

Hits: Shenandoah Valley – None. Minersville – Sterner 3, McGrath 2, O’Brien, Rizzardi, Tripp 2, P. Laudeman, Herb 3, Brennan 3.

2B – Herb, Tripp, Sterner. 3B – P. Laudeman, Tripp, O’Brien.

Weatherly 15, Nativity 5 

WEATHERLY — Maci Kane went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, five RBIs and three runs scored to lead Weatherly to a Division II victory over Nativity.

The Wreckers scored six runs in the first inning and six more in the second. Raven Biles added a 3-for-4 day with a triple and two runs scored. Aisha Zuberi went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and a run scored.

Kyra Krapf went 2-for-3 and scored twice for Nativity. Lauren Clark drove in two runs.

Stankavage and Clark; Binder and Makowiec. W – Binder (2-3). L – Stankavage (0-4).

Hits: Nativity – Krapf 2, Jansson. Weatherly – Weston, Marasco, Caldwell, Kane 3, Biles 3, Zuberi 2.

2B – Zuberi 2, Weston, Kane. 3B – Kane, Biles.

Panther Valley 19, Lourdes 3 

MOUNT CARMEL — Isabella D’Ancona went 3-for-4 with three doubles and three runs scored as Panther Valley rolled past Lourdes in a Division I contest.

Brooklyn Mika homered and drove in three runs for the Panthers, who scored in every inning. Sadie May Frets went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored for Panther Valley.

Adams, Wydra (4) and Cherry; Jones, Alabovitz (3) and Breiner. W – Jones (1-0). L – Adams (0-3).

Hits: Panther Valley – Prudente, D’Ancona 3, O’Brien, Frets 2, Jones, Mika. Lourdes – Cherry.

2B – D’Ancona 3. HR – Mika.

Games postponed

The following games have been rescheduled:

***Marian at Schuylkill Haven, ppd. 4/8, 4:30 p.m.

***Pine Grove at Mahanoy Area, ppd. 4/15, 4:30 p.m.