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WILKES-BARRE — Hanover Area’s Haley Bobos launched a high flyball to left field.
It kept traveling and traveling and traveling, just enough to clear the fence. Three-run home run and a three-run lead for the Hawkeyes after one-half inning Friday.
Holy Redeemer, though, didn’t win the PIAA Class 2A state softball championship last season by panicking. Case in point — the Royals’ comeback win versus Deer Lakes for the state crown. So a mere three-run deficit in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3 game wasn’t much of a problem.
Especially after the first inning was completed as Redeemer scored four times in its first at-bat and added a four-run third inning to defeat Hanover Area 8-3.
“We even said in the huddle (after the game ) we were kind of glad that we got down a little bit just to see how they would spring back,” said Redeemer coach Jerry Paulukonis, whose team won its 39th consecutive WVC Division 3 game and improved to 3-0 in the division.
Karly Bennett and Michelle McNair opened the game with singles for Hanover Area (2-1). An out later, Bobos hit a deep fly to left. Redeemer left fielder Samantha Rajza kept retreating until she ran out of room and the ball just cleared the fence.
“I just tried to shake it off. I didn’t let it bother me,” Redeemer pitcher Kristen Coffay said. “I knew we had to just fight back and win the game.”
Redeemer sprung back, first with the bats.
Morgan Bienkowski and Allyson Laiuvara started Redeemer’s first trip to the plate with singles. Both eventually scored on errors. A bit later, Meghan Armstrong continued her strong week with a two-run single for a 4-3 lead. She finished the week hitting .667 (4 for 6) with five RBI.
Then came Redeemer’s two-pronged pitching. Coffay rebounded from the first inning to strikeout six of the seven Hawkeyes she faced in the second and third. The only hit she allowed was a blooper by Bennett that landed over her head in no-man’s land.
Bienkowski came on in relief in the fourth for Coffay, who wasn’t feeling well, and shut the door. She was pitching in a game for the first time since a wrist injury prior to the season.
Only two Hawkeyes reached base against Bienkowski — McNair on a bloop single to left in the sixth and Mary Kate Penczkowski on an error in the seventh.
Speaking of errors, they were a major problem for Hanover Area. Redeemer plated four more runs in the third with help from a pair of Hawkeye miscues. Rajza and Bienkowski had the only hits as the Royals sent nine girls to the plate.
“We had a couple misplayed and got shook a little bit,” Hanover Area coach Kathy Healey said. “But then I thought we regrouped and ended the game well.
“There’s a lot to work on. The season’s early. Hopefully, we’ll learn from this and move on.”
Wyoming Valley West 7,
Coughlin 1
Chloe Ruckle held Coughlin to a run on four hits in the Spartans’ road win. Mandi Zawadzki (three hits) and Audi Welles (two hits) both doubled while Erin Gibbons added a triple.
Alexa Berecin drove in the lone run for the Crusaders.
Wyoming Seminary 8,
Meyers 5
Cassidy Graham struck out eight batters to earn the victory and ripped a home run to lift the Blue Knights.
Melinda Holena scored three Sem runs in the victory.
Lexi Bruno had three hits and Ashley Bruno drove home two runs and Meghan Morris doubled for Meyers.
MMI Prep 7, GAR 0
Desiree Dinko threw a one-hitter while striking out seven to pace the Preppers.
Breanna Hanahan singled in the fourth inning for GAR’s lone hit.
Maddie Perchak had a single, double and triple for MMI Prep, while Dana Carrato added two hits in the victory.
Lake-Lehman 3,
Northwest 2
Two-throwing errors on an Abbey Hogan bunt allowed two runs to score and Lake-Lehman to slip past Northwest in nonconference play.
Savannah Purdy was 2 for 4, while Chole BanGorder scored a run for the Black Knights. Hogan picked up the win, giving p three hits and striking out eight.
Northwest’s Trista Babcock was 1 for 1 with a double.
Holy Redeemer 8, Hanover Area 3
Hanover`AB`R`H`BI
Bennett 2b`3`1`2`0
McNair ss`3`1`2`0
Elick 3b`2`0`0`0
Monk 1b`1`0`0`0
HBobos c`3`1`1`3
Blazaskie cf`3`0`0`0
Penczkowski p`3`0`0`0
Keating rf`3`0`0`0
EBobos 1b`3`0`0`0
Whitesell lf`3`0`0`0
Totals`27`3`5`3
Redeemer`AB`R`H`BI
Bienkowski ss`4`2`2`1
Laiuvara rf`2`1`1`0
Wren cf`4`0`0`0
Kuhar cf`0`0`0`0
Hebda 3b`4`1`0`0
Mennig 2b`3`1`1`0
Coffay p`1`0`0`0
Shorts c`4`1`1`0
Armstrong 1b`3`1`1`2
Rajza lf`3`1`1`0
Totals`28`8`7`3
Hanover Area`300`000`0`—`3
Holy Redeemer`404`000`x`—`8
HR — H.Bobos.
Hanover`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Penczkowski (L)`6`7`8`3`5`2
Redeemer`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Coffay (W)`3`4`3`3`0`8
Bienkowski (S)`4`1`0`0`0`5
Wyo. Valley West 7, Coughlin 1
Valley West`101`023`0`—`7
Coughlin`000`010`0`—`1
Pitching — W: Chloe Ruckle, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K; L: Molly Poray, 7 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
2B — WVW, Mandi Zawadzki, Audi Welles; 3B — WVW, Erin Gibbons
Top hitters: WVW, Zawadzki 3-5, Welles 2-4; COU, Alexa Berecin RBI
Wyoming Seminary 8, Meyers 5
Meyers`000`010`4` — `5
Wyoming Seminary`100`340`x` — `8
Pitching — W: Cassidy Graham, 6.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8K; L: Lexi Bruno, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 3 K
2B — Mey, Meghan Morris. HR — Sem, Cassidy Graham
Top hitters: Mey, Ashley Bruno 2 RBI, Lexi Bruno 3-4, Meghan Morris 2-4; Sem, Cassidy Graham 2 RBI, Melinda Holena 2-2, 3 runs, Aubry Mytych 2-4, 2 RBI.
Lake-Lehman 3, Northwest 2
Lehman`000`100`2`—`3
Northwest`000`011`0`—`2
Pitching — WP, Abbey Hogan 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. LP, Nikki Cragle 7 IP, 5 H, 3R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO.
2B — Trista Babcock (N).
Top hitters — L-L, Savannah Purdy 2-4, Chloe BanGorder 1-2, 1 run; Northwest, Trista Babcock 1-1 2B, Morgan Kline 1-3 RBI.
