Pennsylvania: Lady Mounties take Round 2 of D6 clash

The anticipated final meeting will have all the marbles on the line.

P-O touched up BEA pitcher Rachel Weaver for 12 hits, while Kelsey Gonder threw a complete-game one-hitter as the Lady Mounties beat the Lady Eagles 5-0 in Milesburg, Pa.

“I thought she hit her spots, kept her pitches down and mixed her speeds up,” P-O manager Jim Gonder said. “So, I’m pretty happy. Dad is happy and coach is happy. I thought she did a nice job, obviously. She threw a one-hitter against a team like that, and that is pretty impressive.”

BEA, the defending state Double-A champ, hit several home runs against Rex, a Division I prospect, in the first meeting.

This time, the Lady Eagles couldn’t get on track against Gonder.

“Kelsey threw a good game today, she really did,” BEA manager Dave Breon said. “I think the biggest part that kind of got to us was when their center fielder made a real nice grab to rob us of two runs. I think that might have changed the complexity of the game a little bit.”

P-O wasted little time, plating a run on Taylor Harpster’s RBI to left field in the first. The team added one run in the fourth before crossing three across the dish in the final two innings.

“That’s pretty much our plan every day (to score early), especially in a rivalry like this,” Jim Gonder said. “Those first couple runs takes a little bit of pressure off and you aren’t pressing as much.”

BEA rebounded Tuesday, although it was a harder-than-thought victory against two-win Central Mountain; a game where the Lady Eagles scored six times in the seventh to secure the victory.

The Lady Eagles still have big games with Double-A foe Penns Valley and cross-town rival Bellefonte Area.

P-O and BEA will both be heavy favorites to reach the District 6 Class AA championship game later this month. No matter which team wins, they will be classified as a contender to represent the West in Shippensburg for the state-title tilt.

2. Scranton baseball handed first loss: One of District 2’s unbeatens, Quad-A Scranton, fell from the ranks of perfection after getting a 4-2 loss hung by Delaware Valley (Milford.), the Scranton Times-Tribune reported. The Warriors overcome a 1-0 deficit to score three runs in the top half of the second innings. The paper reported that Mike Accardi had two RBIs, while Tim Knesnik had two hits. Scranton’s Joe McCarthy had three hits, including a home run.

3. H.S. tennis getting ready for postseason: The push toward the postseason has begun around the Central and Northeastern part of the state in boys’ tennis. District 6 crowned its Class AAA champ as Altoona standout Josh Allender beat State College freshman Cooper Joesphs, 7-5, 6-2. The State College duo of Blake Gregory and Chris Borden will be overwhelming favorites to capture a doubles’ title this weekend. District 2-4 also crowned its team champion with Abington Heights edging out Williamsport for top honors. Comet Josh Palmer is also the No. 1 seed in the upcoming singles’ tournament, which continues this weekend.

4. Big week for Heartland baseball: Next week will prove pivotal in Division I of the Heartland Conference as three teams – Jersey Shore, Montoursville and Selinsgrove – are all batting for top honors. Shore is the three-time defending champ, but currently trails Montour by one game. The Warriors and Seals have a doubleheader to complete (one a completion of a suspended game due to weather with Selinsgrove leading 10-1 in the fourth inning) before Monday’s showdown in Jersey Shore between the host Bulldogs and Montoursville. By the middle of next week, a champion should be crowned.

Top Three for This Week

Scranton Prep standout Colin Tansits had three hits and drove in five runs, while scoring three, as the Caveliers got past Wallenpaupack, 12-5, the Times-Tribune reported.

Central Mountain (Mill Hall) slugger Colten Stover went 4-for-4, including two doubles and two home runs, as the Wildcats beat Bellefonte, 17-9, in Game 2 of a doubleheader. Teammate Jordan Miller had five RBIs in the game, and also had the game-winner in the first contest, a 9-8 CM win.

Bald Eagle Area (Wingate) star Kelly Chambers had herself a game against Huntingdon, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a single and double, in addition to nine RBIs, in the Lady Eagles’ victory.

Fox’s Fab 5

Baseball

1. Jersey Shore, District 4

2. Valley View (Archbald), District 2

3. State College, District 6

4. Scranton, District 2

5. Mt. Union, District 6

Softball

1. Philipsburg-Osceola, District 6

2. Jersey Shore, District 4

3. Bald Eagle Area (Wingate), District 6

4. Old Forge, District 2

t5. Elk Lake (Dimock), District 2

t5. Bellefonte, District 6

Fox’s Final Thoughts

Penn State coach Joe Paterno and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt gathered in State College this week to push the idea of spring football for the PIAA. The idea, according to them, was to have a two-week session toward the end of May where teams can get together with coaches for drills. While spring football works at the collegiate level, there are questions as to how it would work scholastically because of multiple-sport athletes. While it puts those athletes in tough positions, in some cases forced to decide between sports, it’s always good for coaches to get two additional weeks of drilling with players. As long as nothing is held against the multiple-sport athletes who chose to stick with sports like baseball and track, it’s an idea that could work in the Commonwealth.

Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.