The Blue Ridge baseball and Susquehanna softball teams had impressive runs come to an end in competitive District 2 Class A championship games when untimely defensive lapses proved costly.
Blue Ridge fell short of a third straight playoff upset.
Susquehanna was unable to knock off an established power to continue its breakthrough season.
DISTRICT 2 SOFTBALL
THROOP – Susquehanna reached its first District 2 Class A final where it doubled Old Forge’s hit production for the first six innings but fell short, 4-1, at Mid Valley May 27.
The Lady Devils won their fifth district title in the last six years.
Old Forge ran at every opportunity in the early innings and used that approach to take a 2-1 lead.
“They’re very aggressive on the bases. They always have been,” Susquehanna coach Joe Collins said. “We had a couple blunders. We weren’t in the right spots. We gave them the first couple.”
Old Forge had just three hits through six innings. The Lady Devils, however, scored twice in the first three innings by stealing a base, moving up on a sacrifice and taking an extra base seven other times.
Tori Tansley and Kierstyn Breig each had their second hits of the game to help Old Forge score two runs in the top of the seventh. Rhyan Barnic also had a hit in the inning.
Susquehanna pitcher Micaela Rhone struck out seven in the first 3 1/3 innings and finished with eight total.
Old Forge pitcher Taylor Nemetz retired the last six batters, getting four of her strikeouts during that time.
Haley Aldrich and Taryn Tross each had two of Susquehanna’s six hits.
Aldrich also reached on an error and scored the team’s only run in the second inning when Tross and D.J. Decker followed with singles.
The Lady Sabers wound up leaving the bases loaded in the second and stranding three more runners in scoring position, including two in the fourth inning.
“After the tough start, we played well,” Collins said. “We just couldn’t get that timely hit.”
Collins said he heard from several coaches and other people around the league prior to the championship game, wishing the Lady Sabers well when they produced a winning season and a playoff victory following years of struggles.
“That was gratifying,” Collins said. “The girls should all be proud.”
Mikayla Hargett also had a hit for the Lady Sabers. In addition to driving in the only run, Decker had a sacrifice.
DISTRICT 2 BASEBALL
MOOSIC – Blue Ridge led most of the way before a five-run bottom of the sixth allowed MMI Prep to rally past the Raiders, 6-5, on Memorial Day in the District 2 Class A baseball championship game at PNC Field.
The Raiders, who were seeded fifth in the six-team field, were trying to knock off a third straight higher-seeded team in order to capture the title. They scored two runs in the top of the first and led again from the top of the third through the bottom of the fifth innings.
MMI put together six hits, including two doubles, and a sacrifice fly in the decisive inning. The game-winning hit came with two out when two Blue Ridge outfielders watched a catchable flyball drop between them.
Sam Harman went 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored to lead MMI. His two-run single in the bottom of the first tied the game.
Charlie Karchner also went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
Blue Ridge scored twice each in the first and third innings with Matt Laubach and Curtis Mills playing a big role both times.
Laubach doubled and scored on a Mills single in the first inning. Jake Decker singled in the second run.
Mills doubled to drive in Laubach, then came home in a first-and-third situation when Decker was thrown out stealing second base in the third inning.
Blue Ridge made the lead, 5-2, in the fifth when Trey Hillard walked and courtesy runner Nick Swoha eventually stole home.
Decker joined Laubach and Mills with two hits each. He also was part of the double steal that allowed Swoha to score.
Laubach, the starting pitcher, held MMI scoreless for the second through fifth innings.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Three Susquehanna County players were on the Lackawanna League team that lost to the Wyoming Valley Conference, 7-3, Sunday in the second annual Field of Dreams game at PNC Field in Moosic.
The all-star game is for graduating high school baseball players.
Elk Lake’s Nick Dudock and Mountain View’s Colby Thomas and Matt Heller participated in the game.
Dudock played shortstop. He had a hit in his only at-bat and scored one of the three Lackawanna League runs.
Heller started as the designated hitter and was 0-for-2.
Thomas pitched and played third base. He was 0-for-1 at the plate and gave up four runs in a third of an inning when the WVC stretched its lead from 3-2 to 7-2 in the fifth inning.
In professional hockey, Chuck Kobasew scored two goals and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins scored twice in the final 15.8 seconds Saturday night to avoid elimination with a 4-2 victory over the St. John’s IceCaps.
The Penguins trailed, 2-1, going into the third period. They rallied to cut the St. John’s lead to three games to two in the best-of-seven series heading into the week.
Zach Sill scored the game-winner and the Penguins followed it up with an empty-net goal.
Michael Hutchinson gave up just two goals as St. John’s won three straight games after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had taken the opener.
Hutchinson came within 1:04 of a shutout in Game Two, then got one in Game Three.
Hutchinson made 34 saves May 24 on home ice in a 2-1 victory to tie the series at one game apiece. He then made 30 saves Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre in a 5-0 shutout that gave the IceCaps the series lead.
Andrew Gordon had three assists and five different players, including former Penguin Jason Jaffray, scored goals in Wednesday’s win.
Anton Zlobin had the Penguins’ only goal of the two games, his sixth of the playoffs.
The IceCaps won on the road for the second straight night when they beat the Penguins, 2-1, Thursday to push Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the brink of elimination.
St. John’s piled up a 19-2 shot advantage in the second period and finally broke the scoreless tie with 26.1 seconds left in the period.
The Penguins ended a 107:52 scoreless streak, but the IceCaps answered on the power play to pull out the win.
Peter Mannino made 27 saves in the loss.
Hutchinson stopped 18 shots for the win.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs move to the final round this week.
TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.
