With the midway point in Lackawanna League spring season arriving this week, four Abington Heights teams remain unbeaten.
The Comets returned to action following the holiday weekend with the boys tennis team at 10-0 with four matches remaining, the softball team at 6-0 in its 13-game schedule and both track and field teams 2-0 in their five-meet Lackawanna Track Conference Division 1 schedules.
GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
Abington Heights cleared what could be the biggest hurdle in its pursuit of a 14th straight division title and did so with ease.
The Lady Comets rolled over Scranton Prep, 103-42, April 16. The Classics had entered the meet at 2-0 and as the division’s only other unbeaten team.
Danielle Heine won the long jump (16-8 ¼), triple jump (33-6 ¼) and pole vault (11-0) to lead Abington Heights.
Calista Marzolino won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.2 seconds and the high jump with 5-4 while finishing second to Heine in both the long and triple jumps.
Hannah Hughes won the 800 run in 2:25.2 and anchored the winning 3200 relay. Danielle Beamish won the 100-meter dash in 12.7 seconds and led off the winning 400 relay. Gianna Sabatini broke a minute in the 400 dash and ran on the 400 relay. Anna Marchetta won the 300 hurdles and was part of the 3200 relay win.
Lackawanna Trail lost at home against Montrose, 80 ½-65 ½, with first place in LTC Division 4 at stake. Both teams had started 2-0.
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
Antonio Maletta won four events to lead Abington Heights to an 89-56 victory over Scranton Prep.
The win left the Comets tied for first in LTC Division 1 with Scranton at 2-0.
Maletta won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.8 seconds, the 300 hurdles in 40.5, the long jump with 20-2 ¼ and the triple jump with 41-2 ½.
Ryan Flynn won the shot put with 42-3 and the discus with 132-3 while Stephen Haggerty won the two longest races, taking the 1600 in 4:41.9 and the 3200 in 10:39.7.
Carter O’Dell won the 100 and 200 for Scranton Prep.
Montrose dominated on the track to offset Lackawanna Trail’s field advantage during an 88-53 win to decide the LTC Division 4 lead Wednesday.
SOFTBALL
Abington Heights opened up a three-game Lackawanna Division 1 lead by beating second-place Scranton Prep, 5-2, then shutting out Division 2 contender Honesdale, 6-0, the next day.
The Lady Comets are 8-0 overall with one of two unbeaten records in all of District 2 softball. They moved into first place in the District 2 Class 5A playoff race when Pittston Area suffered its first loss.
Class 6A Hazleton Area, the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 leader, has the only other unbeaten record in the district.
Mara Hamm pitched both games.
Hamm tossed a four-hitter with a walk and three strikeouts against Scranton Prep. She then threw a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts without walking a Honesdale batter.
Catherine Anne Kupinski was 3-for-4 against Scranton Prep, then homered and drove in two runs against Honesdale.
Caroline Kelly was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the first when, then had two hits and scored twice in the second.
The Lady Comets scored twice in the bottom of the first against Scranton Prep and led the rest of the way.
Megan Heard doubled in two runs in the top of the seventh to increase a 2-0 lead to 4-0 against Honesdale.
Lackawanna Trail continued to get caught up in high-scoring games, but it came away from Wednesday’s Division 4 game against visiting Susquehanna with its first win in six games this season, 10-8.
The Lady Lions have scored in double figures three times, but had allowed opponents to score in double figures every game before beating Susquehanna.
BOYS TENNIS
Abington Heights moved closer to a league title by defeating defending champion Delaware Valley, 4-1, April 16, then fighting past Wallenpaupack, 3-2, the next day.
Every point against Delaware Valley was earned in three sets.
Second singles player Sam Weis and doubles teams Adam Vale-Jake Rosenstein and Charlie Putska-Nadav Griver all recovered from losing the first set to pull out wins.
Chris Hobbie won third singles in a third-set tiebreaker.
The Comets had another close battle the next day, escaping with a 3-2 victory for the third time in their unbeaten season.
Varun Iyengar, at first singles, and Nadav Griver-Danny Kim, at second doubles, rallied from behind to win in three sets.
Hobbie and Vale-Rosenstein had the other wins.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Abington Heights took host Crestwood to double overtime before falling, 10-9, in a Wyoming Valley Conference game Thursday.
Morghan Stiles and Brennan Tates each scored four goals in the loss.
Abington Heights (3-4) routed North Pocono, 16-3, April 16.
BOYS LACROSSE
Ian Stevens scored twice and Dante DeRiggi had a goal and two assists for Abington Heights Wednesday in a 12-5 Wyoming Valley Conference loss to visiting North Pocono.
The Comets (1-5) also lost, 12-2, at Scranton Prep April 15.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Defending champion Abington Heights is 4-3 and in third place with a home match coming up against unbeaten Lackawanna League leader Blue Ridge Thursday.
