SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Berwick scored first, but the Bulldogs’ inability to capitalize with runners in scoring position prevented the team from having a chance to make their fourth consecutive district title game.
Top-seed Abington Heights scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and used a balanced offensive effort to defeat eighth-seeded Berwick, 10-1, in a District 2 Class 3A girls softball quarterfinal game on Wednesday.
Berwick (7-10) got three consecutive singles from Kylie Levan, Shea Petty and Brooke Stout in the top of the first and Reganne Whitmire lined a single up the middle with two outs to give Berwick a 1-0 lead, but Petty was tagged out at third after overrunning the base to end the inning.
Kaylee DeMatteo, Naudia Solan and Marissa Lewis each drove in a run for the Lady Comets and Cassidy Bartkowski scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the first.
“They came out with a lot of enthusiasm after we got them down,” Berwick head coach Emily Young said. “They put the ball in play and we made a couple mistakes in the field that gave them a couple extra runs.”
Alison Kane delivered a RBI triple and Paige Harris drove in a run with a single to stretch Abington Heights’ lead to 6-1 after two innings.
DeMatteo’s RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Abington Heights a 7-1 advantage.
Berwick threatened to cut into the deficit in the top of the fifth, but were unable to score.
Levan walked to lead off the inning and after a Petty grounded into a fielder’s choice, Stout singled. After a brief mound visit, Abington Heights pitcher Paige Harris regrouped to strike out pinch hitter Gabby Popko and induce a pop out from Whitmire to end the threat.
Kane drove in her second run of the game with a single in the bottom of the fifth to put Abington Heights ahead 8-1 and Solan provided the final blow with a two-run home run over the wall in center field.
Abington Heights (13-1) will host fourth-seeded Nanticoke (11-4) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday for a trip to the Class 3A title game on Wednesday, June 1.
District 3A Softball
Nanticoke 4, Valley View 3
(8 inns.)
Freshman Brinley Sobeck drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out to send Nanticoke to the semifinals of the District 2 Class 3A Softball Tournament.
Sobeck, who finished 2 for 4 on the day, drove home Vanessa Tocket who got the inning going with a single.
Nanticoke trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh with two out, but an RBI single by Miranda Bohn tied the game at 3-3.
Valley View scored three runs in the first three innings, but Tocket got Nanticoke on the board in the fifth with her solo home run.
The Cougars will travel to Abington Hts. to take on the Comets at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Tunkhannock 2,
Wyoming Area 0
Tunkhannock made two early runs hold up as the Tigers defeated Wyoming Area in a D2-3A quarterfinal game.
Second-seeded Tunkhannock (14-3) will host No. 6 Pittston Area (11-6) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals.
Kendra Schultz drove home Hope Jones in the first inning for Tunkhannock’s first run. Jones added an RBI single that scored Sydney Faux in the second inning. Tunkhannock managed just four hits as it defeated Wyoming Area for the third time this season.
Jones was dominant in the circle, striking out 13 and limiting the Warriors (9-7) to for hits.
Pittston Area 3, North Pocono 0
Taylor Baloga pitched her second shutout of the tournament as No. 6 Pittston Area eliminated No. 3 North Pocono.
Baloga struck out five and scattered three hits, all doubles.
Pittston Area (11-6) will play at No. 2 Tunkhannock (14-3) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals due to Pittston Area’s prom on Friday.
Baloga and Abbey Bradigan had their hands in all the Pittston Area runs.
In the second, Baloga singled and scored on Bradigan’s double. Bradigan later scored on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead.
Taylor scored in the sixth on Bradigan’s groundout.
***
District 2 Class 3A quarterfinals
Abington Heights 10, Berwick 1
Berwick`AB`R`H`BI
Starr ss`4`0`0`0
Levan p`4`1`1`0
Petty 3b`4`0`2`0
Stout c`4`0`3`0
Stoker dh`2`0`0`0
Popko dh`2`0`0`0
Whitmire 2b`4`0`1`1
Pinterich rf`3`0`2`0
Fries 1b`3`0`0`0
Zalutko cf`1`0`0`0
Bowes cf`2`0`0`0
Totals`33`1`9`1
Abington`AB`R`H`BI
Bartkowski ss`4`0`0`0
Kane cf`4`0`2`2
Harris p`4`0`2`1
Emmett c`4`0`1`0
DeMatteo 3b`4`0`2`2
Solan lf`4`1`3`3
Lewis 1b`4`1`2`1
Kozar dh`4`0`1`0
Toth 2b`3`0`1`0
Brown ph`1`0`0`0
McGinley rf 1`0`0`0
Totals`36`10`14`9
Berwick`100`000`0`—`1
Abington`420`112`X`—`10
2B — DeMatteo, Solan, Lewis, Kozar. 3B — Kane. HR —Solan
Berwick`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Levan (L)`6.0`14`10`9`3`2
Abington`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Harris (W)`7`9`1`1`3`7
Tunkhannock 2, Wyoming Area 0
Wyo Area`AB`R`H`BI
Bednarski`2`0`1`0
Remley`4`0`1`0
Skok`2`0`1`0
Glatz`3`0`1`0
Coolbaugh`2`0`0`0
Nametko`3`0`0`0
GGober`2`0`0`0
Karcutskie`1`0`0`0
Parente`3`0`0`0
Kopetchney`3`0`0`0
Totals`25`0`4`0
Tunk`AB`R`H`BI
HJones`3`1`2`1
FJones`1`0`0`0
Schultz`2`0`0`1
Simmons`3`0`1`0
Reposa`3`0`0`0
Mokychic`3`0`0`0
Traver`2`0`0`0
Dunn`0`0`0`0
Faux`3`1`1`0
Krispin`2`0`0`0
Totals`22`2`4`2
Wyoming Area`000`000`0`—`0
Tunkhannock`110`000`x`—`2
2B – Remley, Jones, Faux.
Wyo Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Glatz (L)`6.0`4`2`2`2`2
Tunk`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
HJones (W)`7.0`4`0`0`3`13
Nanticoke 4, Valley View 3
(8 inn.)
Valley View`201`000`00`—`3
Nanticoke`000`010`21`—`4
Pitching — WP, Miranda Bohn 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO; Leandra Ramos 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO; LP, Holly Young 7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO.
2B — NAN, Jenna Lipowski; NAN, Morgan Briggs. HR — NAN, Tocket.
Top hitters — NAN, Lipowski 1-4, 2B; Briggs 1-4, 2B; Bohn 1-3 RBI single; Brinley Sobeck 2-4, RBI single; Tocket HR; VAL, Clare Sebastianelli 3-4, 3 singles.
Pittston Area 3, North Pocono 0
Pittston Area`020`001`0`—`3
North Pocono`000`000`0`—`0
Pitching — WP, Taylor Baloga 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO; LP — Alex Thomas 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO.
2B — PA, Abbey Bradigan; NP, Casey Carpenter, Mariah Casey, Abby Haddock.
Top hitters — PA, Baloga 2-4, Taryn Ashby 1-3, Alexa McHugh 1-3, Bradigan 1-3, 2 RBI; Julie Silinskie 1-3.
