When you are a defending state champ, you expect to take everyone’s shots.
When a rival lines up across the field, well, it’s game on.
That’s exactly what Penns Valley Area (Spring Mills) pitcher Morgan Holsopple did: She brought her "A" game. The Lady Ram pitcher stifled defending Double-A champion Bald Eagle Area, holding the mighty Lady Eagles to a mere one hit with five punchouts as PV handed BEA its first loss of 2010, 3-0.
It was the first time since May 2009 that BEA had been defeated.
"It feels great. We knew that we could play like this. We just had to come out and show it," PV’s Katie Deardorff said.
It was a shallow pop-fly that was misplayed by the Bald Eagle Area (Wingate) defense that allowed PV to score its first run, and the Spring Mills club added two more in the seventh inning.
From there, it was all Holsopple.
"That is what she is capable of doing," PV manager Don Lucas said. "I just think she hit her spots well and hit her stride. That’s a very great ballteam. To hold them to just one hit is something."
BEA’s lone hit came from Anne Hoover in the second inning.
"When she throws a one-hitter and people are hitting weak grounders and little pop-ups, it gets to you after a while and your confidence level goes down," BEA manager Dave Breon said. "I could see us depleting as the game went on. That’s kind of uncharacteristic of us. My line is if you don’t score runs, you aren’t going to win anyhow."
While BEA bounced back to crush Indian Valley (Lewistown), the mystery of Penns Valley continued as the team couldn’t get a hit in a surprising loss to Lewistown, 1-0, as Lady Panther Brooke Morningstar threw a no-hitter. BEA, Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola (Philipsburg) are all expected to contend for a District VI Class AA title with only one of those teams earning a berth to states.
2. Altoona takes annual Curve Classic: Don’t look now, but Altoona has shown that it may have the ability to win a District VI Class AAAA championship. The Mountain Lions, currently 4-1, took home the title in the annual Altoona Curve Classic with a convincing 8-1 victory over Clearfield in the championship. Josh Adams was awarded the Classic’s Most Valuable Player, according to The Mirror, after going 2 for 3 with two RBI in the championship. The Mountain Lions walked eight times, while pitcher Craig Mccloskey tossed a complete-game four-hitter. Earlier in the season, McCloskey shut down Central Mountain (Mill Hall), D6 runner-up one year ago. It was the fourth time that Altoona High won the Curve Classic and the first time since 2007.
3. Jersey Shore wins Heartland matchup: Jersey Shore senior pitcher Taylor English came through when his team needed him the most, tossing a complete-game two-hitter en route to a 6-0 victory over Montoursville in a key Heartland Conference Division I battle. It was the Warriors’ first loss as the Bulldogs bounced back from losses to Mifflinburg and Danville. English’s teammates had his back, scoring five runs in the third inning as Jake Potter, Logan Engel and Brandon Lorson each had two hits. Shore still has a big game looming with undefeated Loyalsock Township (Williamsport) later this week.
4. Ludwig named Honesdale football head coach: A familiar face on the Honesdale football sidelines, Jim Ludwig, was named the next Hornet football coach by the school board, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. Ludwig, an assistant coach at the school since 2001, was a four-year starter at Mansfield University, the newspaper reported, and also was an assistant with the track program. He takes the place of John Marichak, who left the head spot after a short tenure. The Hornets finished the 2009 campaign winless, and play in the Lackawanna League’s Division II.
5. Scranton High rolling on baseball, softball diamond: It’s been a pretty good spring season at Scranton thus far as the baseball and softball teams are currently undefeated. The baseball team is coming off a 9-8 victory over city rival Scranton Prep, according to the Times-Tribune. The Knights built a 4-1 lead after two innings, and held on after Prep plated five in the fifth. Kyle Booth and Joe McCarthy combined for five RBI. On the softball diamond, the Knights scored four runs in the third inning as pitcher Courtlind Davis had seven strikeouts as Scranton beat Prep 8-2 in the battle of undefeated squads. Kacie Killeen was 3 for 4 for Scranton High in the victory.
This week’s top 3 performances
Jersey Shore’s Brooke Koch tossed her third no-hitter of the season in an 11-1 victory over Shamokin Area (Coal Township). Koch, who already committed to Division I St. Francis, also has a perfect game in 2010.
Williamsport’s Kyle Schneider struck out 12 batters, and went 3 for 3 at the plate, leading the Millionaires to a 9-0 victory over Clearfield in Central Penn League play, according to the Sun-Gazette. It was Williamsport’s sixth victory of the year.
Honesdale’s Alex Dieterich racked up five RBI and smashed a home run, leading the Hornets to a 9-1 victory over West Scranton, the Times-Tribune reported.
Fox’s Fab 5
High School Baseball
1. Loyalsock, District 4
2. Scranton, District 2
3. Valley View (Archbald), District 2
4. Jersey Shore, District 4
5. Altoona, District 6
High School Softball
1. Bald Eagle Area, District 6
1. Philipsburg-Osceola, District 6
3. Jersey Shore, District 4
4. Old Forge, District 2
5. South Williamsport, District 4
Fox’s Final Thoughts
I understand that funny things happen in the baseball world. But here’s one that I don’t get. One game, after an hour rain delay, is started around 6 p.m. and continues to be played in the rain. When stopped, the game was only in the first inning, and with no more than 90 minutes of light left when restarted, the contest was halted after five innings. The next game, another rain delay – this time, 30 minutes – with clear, sunny skies following the storm. This time, the field was deemed unplayable and the contest was called as fans reached in their pockets for sunglasses with nearly two hours of light remaining. Both storms were exactly the same, and the field was in the same condition both times. Would it be so hard to get a little consistency when calling a game?
Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Eastern Pennsylvania for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.
