HS Softball: Tamaqua clinches Schuylkill League playoff berth
Nico Conahan, Tamaqua softball. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
LANSFORD — Nico Conahan went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three runs scored to power Tamaqua past Panther Valley 10-0 in six innings Wednesday in a Schuylkill League Division I softball game.
With the victory, the Blue Raiders clinched the No. 3 seed from Division I for the Schuylkill League playoffs, which will begin Monday at Blue Mountain’s Patton Field. Tamaqua, which has won seven in a row, hadn’t made the Schuylkill League playoffs since 2017.
Megan Linkhorst homered and drove in two runs for the Blue Raiders, who jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings.
Also for Tamaqua, Kolbe Robb went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored; Leah Crowley went 2-for-4 with an RBI; Molly Evans went 2-for-4 with a run scored; and Faust went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Naomi Knitter and Faust combined on a five-hit shutout. Knitter struck out five in 4.2 innings, while Faust fanned two in 1.1 innings of relief.
Tam (14-6, 10-4) 324 001 — 10 14 1
PV (8-8, 3-8) 000 000 — 0 5 3
Knitter, Faust (5) and Krall; Goida and McQuillen. W— Knitter (9-2). L — Goida (1-1).
HITS: Tamaqua — Conahan 3, Robb 2, Gormley, Crowley 2, Evans 2, Krall, Linkhorst, Faust 2. Panther Valley — McQuillen, Mo. O’Brien, Me. O’Brien, Alabovitz, Krapf.
2B — Conahan 2, Alabovitz. HR — Linkhorst.
Pine Grove 11, Blue Mountain 5
ORWIGSBURG — Callee Leffler went 2-for-2 with three walks, a double, a home run, four runs scored, four stolen bases and two RBIs as Pine Grove outlasted Blue Mountain in a Division I game at Patton Field. The homer was Leffler’s fourth of the season.
With the win, Pine Grove clinched the No. 2 seed from Division I for the Schuylkill League playoffs, which will begin Monday at Patton Field. Blue Mountain, which won the last two league titles, is eliminated from playoff contention.
Madison Shiffer also had a big night for the Cardinals, going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and one RBI. Addison Zimmerman went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
For Blue Mountain, Karley Koch hit her first varsity homer and knocked in two runs. Avery Hudock went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and one RBI; Emmerson Frie went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
PG (17-2, 11-2) 200 422 1 — 11 9 1
BM (13-6, 8-5) 000 210 2 — 5 6 4
Clark, Dinger (4) and Bohr; Brown, Leonard (5) and Cavadini. W— Clark (11-1). L — Brown (8-3).
HITS: Pine Grove — Leffler 2, Shiffer 3, Dinger, Zimmerman 2, Bohr. Blue Mountain — Hudock 2, Frie 2, Koch, Peel.
2B — Leffler, Shiffer. 3B — Hudock. HR — Leffler, Koch.
Schuylkill Haven 11, Shenandoah Valley 1
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Allie Scherer and Grace Line combined on a no-hitter as Schuylkill Haven rolled past Shenandoah Valley in a Division II game.
Scherer pitched two innings and struck out six; Line whiffed six in her three innings of work.
Octavia Houvig sparked the Hurricanes’ offense, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored. Ally Becker went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, while Teagan Wehr slugged a solo homer and scored three times.
SV (4-15, 2-11) 000 01 — 1 0 1
SH (15-5, 11-3) 331 31 — 11 6 0
Monaghan and Castro; A. Scherer, Line (3) and Domermuth, Jenan. W — A. Scherer (7-2). L — Monaghan (2-7).
HITS: Shenandoah Valley — None. Schuylkill Haven — Russo, Wehr, Becker 2, Houvig 2.
2B — Becker, Houvig 2. 3B — Russo. HR — Wehr.
Tri-Valley 15, Weatherly 0
HEGINS — Kora Rodichok hurled a two-hit shutout as Tri-Valley defeated Weatherly in a Division II game.
Rodichok struck out four and walked none in the three-inning game.
Liv Witmer paced the Bulldogs at the plate with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Mady Schwalm doubled, drove in two runs and scored three times, while Liv Wehry doubled and knocked in two runs.
Wea (4-14, 1-12) 000 — 0 2 4
TV (13-5, 10-3) 366 — 15 7 0
Caldwell and Kislan; K. Rodichock and L. Rodichok. W— K. Rodichok (7-2). L — Caldwell (3-11).
HITS: Weatherly — Rhodes, Kislan. Tri-Valley — C. Snyder, Leonard, Ma. Schwalm, Witmer, L. Rodichok, Wehry, K. Rodichok.
2B — Ma. Schwalm, Witmer, Wehry, K. Rodichok. 3B — Leonard.
Minersville 11, Marian 1
MINERSVILLE — Isabella Cruz went 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and a run scored to lead Minersville to a Division II win over Marian at Ken Schneck Field.
Olivia Kopinetz went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Bella Rizzardi went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored for the Miners, who banged out 14 hits. In addition, Payton Frantz went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Sara McGrath went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Winning pitcher Eila O’Brien hurled four innings of three-hit ball. She allowed one unearned run while striking out four and walking one. Cali Laudeman finished with two scoreless innings of relief.
Mar (9-8, 5-7) 001 000 — 1 4 2
Min (9-10, 8-5) 007 301 — 11 14 2
Upanavage and Treskolasky; O’Brien, Laudeman (5) and Kopinetz. W— O’Brien (3-8). L — Upanavage (5-4).
HITS: Marian — Pugh, Treskolasky, Letcher, Katona. Minersville — Rizzardi 2, Frantz 2, O’Brien, McGrath 2, Brennan, Cruz 4, Kopinetz 2.
2B — Cruz. 3B — Cruz.
Williams Valley 22, Nativity 0
POTTSVILLE — Kamri Koppenhaver tossed a one-hit shutout to lead Williams Valley over Nativity in a Division II game atop Lawton’s Hill.
Koppenhaver struck out seven and walked none in the three-inning game. She helped herself at the plate by going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Miley Mahoney (2-for-3, double, three RBIs, two runs) and Olivia Hand (2-for-2, three RBIs, three runs) held the big bats for the Vikings. Other top hitters included Sage Smeltz, a single, three RBIs and three runs; and Quin Smeltz, 2-for-3 with a run scored.
WV (18-1, 13-0) (13)18 — 22 12 0
Nat (2-14, 1-10) 0 0 0 — 0 1 3
Koppenhaver and Q. Smeltz; Ricard, Haas (1), Covell (3) and Palmieri. W— Koppenhaver (5-0). L — Ricard (0-2).
HITS: Williams Valley — K. Hand, S. Smeltz, Q. Smeltz 2, O. Hand 2. Underkoffler, Koppenhaver 2, Brill, Mahoney 2. Nativity — Jansson.
2B — Mahoney.
Mahanoy Area 15, Nativity 5
POTTSVILLE — Allison Killian went 4-for-4 with six RBIs as Mahanoy Area slugged its way past Nativity in a non-league game atop Lawton’s Hill.
Killian hit an RBI single in the first inning, a two-run single in the second, an RBI single in the third and a two-run single in the fourth.
