HS Softball: North Schuylkill sweeps, clinches Division I crown
North Schuylkill players cheer Lindsay Brouse as she approaches home plate after hitting a two-run home run during Wednesday's Schuylkill League Division I game against Pottsville at Dot Seidel Field. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — North Schuylkill’s hitting slump has ended.
With a pair of 15-run-rule victories Wednesday at Dot Seidel Field, the Spartans broke out at the plate to clinch their first Schuylkill League Division I championship since 2021 and their fifth straight berth in the Schuylkill League playoffs. In the completion of a game suspended Tuesday because of rain, North Schuylkill dismissed Pottsville 15-0 in three innings. In the nightcap, the Spartans shut out Lourdes 15-0 in four innings.
As a division champion, North Schuylkill (15-3, 12-2 D-I) earns a bye into the Schuylkill League semifinals. Officials released the tournament schedule Wednesday, and baseball and softball will follow nearly identical formats.
All softball games will be held at Blue Mountain’s Patton Field, with the quarterfinals at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Monday, the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 Tuesday and the championship at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
North Schuylkill knew the stakes when it took the field for Wednesday’s doubleheader. Win one, and clinch a playoff berth. Win two, and clinch the division.
In both games, the Spartans let their bats do the talking. In the two games, they went a combined 33-for-52 (.635) as a team to overwhelm the Crimson Tide (9-9, 5-7) and Red Raiders (2-13, 0-12).
“We’ve been talking about it for the past few weeks,” North Schuylkill coach Jack Flynn said. “We knew we started hot at the beginning of the year. Around the middle of the season, we went into a little bit of a slump. We weren’t scoring in the first couple innings. It took us one time through the lineup to get on the ball. We spent a couple good days in the gym on the tees and in the cage and really worked on our hitting. It showed the last couple days.”
Prior to the suspension against Pottsville, North Schuylkill got off to a strong start. Batting first as the visitor on their home field, the Spartans tallied three runs on three hits and an error for a quick 3-0 lead.
With one out, Lyza Holmes roped a double to the gap in left-center field. She took third on a wild pitch and scored on Brigid Flynn’s infield single. Flynn advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and scored on Lindsay Brouse’s sacrifice fly. Jordanna Frie then reached second base on a throwing error and came around to score on Olivia Jones’ RBI single to center field.
North Schuylkill was just getting started. When the game resumed under sunny skies, the Spartans sent 12 batters to the plate in the second inning, scoring eight runs on eight hits for an 11-0 lead. North Schuylkill hit three home runs during the outburst — a grand slam by Holmes, a two-run shot by Brouse and a solo homer by Frie, her fourth of the season.
North Schuylkill got contributions up and down the lineup. Some highlights: Jones, 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI; Gianna Capone, 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored; Frie, 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored; Holmes 2-for-2 with a double, a homer, two runs and four RBIs; Brigid Flynn, 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI; and Brouse, 1-for-2 with three RBIs.
Meanwhile, North Schuylkill’s pitching and defense shut down the Tide. Flynn tossed two scoreless frames, and Miscannon finished with an inning of scoreless relief.
It was more of the same against Lourdes.
Brigid Flynn led the way, going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, six RBIs and three runs scored. She had an RBI single in the first inning, a two-run double in the third and a three-run home run that ended the game in the fourth.
Brouse also had a big game, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. Holmes went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Kylie Meskunas went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Jones picked up the win in the circle with three scoreless innings. She struck out four and walked none. Miscannon wrapped things up with a scoreless inning of relief as North Schuylkill got everybody into both games.
“They just love playing (softball) with each other,” Jack Flynn said. “New coaching change here, so they bought into what I asked for throughout the whole offseason, through our winter workouts. But they enjoy playing with each other, and that’s the biggest thing.”
