SCRANTON — Avery Venesky and Isabella DeRiggi were both in the starting lineup and the two Abington Heights representatives in the Field of Dreams softball game combined to get on base in three of four plate appearances for Team White during an 8-3 loss to Team Purple June 23.
The University of Scranton hosted the game for graduating Lackawanna League Softball All-Stars at Magis Field.
Venesky led off the second inning with a single through the left side and scored her team’s first run. White had just one other hit in the game.
White scored twice in the inning and another time in the fourth to erase a 3-0 deficit, but Purple won the game by scoring twice in the bottom of the inning and three more times in the sixth.
Venesky, who started in right field, also reached on a walk in the fourth inning. She was erased on a fielder’s choice, but the walk, with none out, pushed Western Wayne’s Hanna DeStefano into scoring position on the way to adding the tying run.
DeRiggi started at shortstop and batted second. She drew a one-out walk as the only batter to reach base in the top of the first and grounded out in the third inning.
Venesky and DeRiggi were part of the Abington Heights run to the PIAA Class 5A state championship game.
Team White also had players from Scranton Prep, state Class 4A champion Valley View, Forest City, Mid Valley, North Pocono, Scranton, Wallenpaupack, Western Wayne and West Scranton.
Ava Schmidt from Class A state finalist Holy Cross retired all 10 batters she faced, the first eight and nine total on strikeouts, to close out the victory for Team Purple.
Players from Lackawanna Trail, Carbondale, Dunmore, Elk Lake, Lakeland, Mountain View, Old Forge and Riverside made up the winning team.
Lackawanna County sponsored the game in partnership with the Lackawanna County Convention & Visitors Bureau, with proceeds benefiting the Bill Howerton Strike Out Cancer Initiative.
