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WILKES-BARRE — Perseverance was on full display Tuesday.
Holy Redeemer not only showed it as a softball team, but Alesha Pekarovsky demonstrated it as a player.
Despite using a makeshift infield due to injuries, Redeemer defeated Lakeland 14-6 in a District 2 Class 3A quarterfinal game with Pekarovsky the star at the plate.
Pekarovsky was 5-for-5 with five RBI and two doubles. A darn good day for a player who lost her starting spot after a slow start at the plate in the beginning of the year.
“Amazing,” Redeemer coach Jerry Paulukonis said. “From not hitting well early on and actually getting taken out of the lineup because she wasn’t hitting well to working extremely hard and listening to what we were teaching and it all culminated into this today is fantastic.”
Pekarovsky’s first double scored the first two runs in the Royals’ seven-run fifth inning. All seven runs scored with two outs.
“I thought I had to come out and play good and keep up the intensity the whole time,” Pekarovsky said. “I kind of got down when our team got down by two runs. Then I thought, well two outs and people on bases I have to hit the ball. After I hit it, we started rallying.”
Allyson Lauivara followed with another two-run double and Taylor Josefowicz followed that hit with an RBI single. The Royals finished with six hits in the inning and a 5-5 tie was turned into a 12-5 lead.
Pekarovsky finished her day with an RBI double in the sixth.
Minus two starters, Redeemer juggled around the infield. None of the infield starters Tuesday were in those positions in the season opener. The group committed just one error, but by that time the Royals had a 12-5 advantage.
Lauivara and Bailey McDermott added two RBI each as Redeemer overcame deficits of 2-0 and 5-3.
The defending district champion Royals (10-11) play at Wyoming Seminary (17-3) at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. Seminary won both regular-season games — 11-5 and 6-5 — with the first victory ending Redeemer’s 78-game Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3 winning streak.
Wallenpaupack 9, Wyoming Valley West 0
Wyoming Valley West finished with just five hits as the Spartans’ season ended with a loss in the D2-5A quarterfinals.
Gabby Williams was 2-for-2 for Valley West, which finished its season at 6-9. Andi Blaski, Kiley Hardin and Morgan Shedletsky had the other hits.
Madison Schmalzle homered, knocked in four runs and was the winning pitcher for Wallenpaupack (12-9), which plays at Abington Heights (17-1) in a semifinal game Friday.
Mia Watson added two RBI for the Buckhorns.
Hazleton Area 11, Scranton 1 (6 inn.)
Aleah Kost threw a one-hitter as Hazleton Area (19-1) advanced to the D2/4-6A championship game.
The top-seeded Cougars will play third-seeded Delaware Valley (10-10) on Tuesday at a site and time to be announced. DelVal upset No. 2 Williamsport 11-10.
Julia Mrochko led the offense, going 4-for-4 with a homer, double, four RBI and three runs scored. Marissa Trivelpiece, Olivia Wolk and Tiana Treon added two RBI each.
District 2 Class 3A Quarterfinals
Holy Redeemer 14, Lakeland 6
Lakeland`AB`R`H`BI
Stalter lf`3`1`0`0
Pollack dp`3`1`1`2
Dragwa rf`4`2`3`0
Telesco p`2`0`0`0
Cunningham cf`3`0`0`1
Tancredi c`4`0`1`1
White 1b`1`1`0`0
Buzinski ph`1`0`0`0
Boles ss`1`1`0`0
Frazier ph`1`0`0`0
Wagner pr`0`0`0`0
Snyder p`0`0`0`0
Essig 3b`2`0`0`0
Hoover pr`1`0`0`0
Totals`26`6`5`4
Redeemer`AB`R`H`BI
Dolan ss`3`2`1`0
Perkarovsky dp`5`1`5`5
Laiuvara cf`3`1`2`2
Josefowicz c`5`1`2`1
McDermott 2b`5`1`2`2
Santuk p`4`0`0`0
Baird 1b`2`3`2`0
Stochla rf`2`1`0`0
McHale rf`0 `0`0`0
Murray lf`3`2`2`1
McIngvale 3b`0`2`0`0
Totals`32`14`16`11
Lakeland`200`300`1 — 6
Redeemer`210`272`x — 11
2B: Pekarovsky 2, Lauivara. 3B: Pollack.
Lakeland`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Telesco (L)`4.2`12`10`9`4`3
Snyder`1.1`3`4`1`3`1
Redeemer`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Santuk (W)`7.0`5`6`5`5`6
District 2 Class 5A Quarterfinals
Wallenpaupack 9, Wyo. Valley West 0
Wyo. Valley West`000`000`0 — 0
Wallenpaupack`310`320`x — 9
Hitting: WVW, Andi Blaski 1-3; Gabby Williams 2-2; Kiley Hardin 1-3, Morgan Shedletsky 1-3. WAL, Rachael Turjan 2-3, RBI, 3 runs; Madison Schmalzle 2-2, HR, 4 RBI, 2 runs; Mia Watson 2-3, 2 RBI; Natalie Meredick 1-3, run.
Pitching: WVW, Sara Hoskins (L) 6 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 7 SO; WAL, Schmalzle (W) 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO.
District 2/4 Class 6A Semifinals
Hazleton Area 11, Scranton 1 (6 inn.)
Scranton`000`100 — 1
Hazleton Area`001`424 — 11
Hitting: SCR, Alivia Bloom 1-2, RBI; HA, Julia Mrochko 4-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 runs; Marissa Trivelpiece 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Olivia Wolk 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, run; Tiana Treon 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI; Kyra Antolick 1-3, RBI, 2 runs.
Pitching: SCR, Jianna Booth (L) 5.1 IP, 11 H, 11 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO; HA, Aleah Kost (W) 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO.
