Sports

MOOSIC – Only two games have been played so far in Lackawanna League Division 3 softball and already this is going to be a different season.

Elk Lake’s run of five straight unbeaten, championship seasons in the division and its 66-game divisional winning streak ended Thursday with a 7-5 loss at Blue Ridge.

Blue Ridge and Carbondale won the only two games played to date.

The Lady Raiders scored three times in the third for a 3-1 lead, then rallied from a 5-3 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Blue Ridge was led offensively by multiple hits from three sophomores – Hailey Champang, Abby Piechocki and Peyton Rutter.

Champang tripled, singled and drove in three runs. Piechocki doubled and scored twice.

Hailey Carpenetti struck out nine for the pitching win. She also had a hit and scored twice.

It was clear when the teams gathered at PNC Field for Bill Howerton Media Day that Blue Ridge would field a very young team this season.

None of the team’s three seniors have previous starting experience.

Carpenetti is a returning all-star at pitcher.

Piechocki is back at second base while Champagn and junior Trista Laude both started in the outfield last season.

Montrose returns senior second baseman Ally Legg, junior first baseman Cara Evans, junior catcher Myckenna Kublo, junior outfielder Krisalyn Welch, junior outfielder Allison Jennings and sophomore outfielder Kyleise Kublo to the starting lineup.

The Lady Meteors had the division’s only other winning record at 11-3 last season while Blue Ridge tied for third as one of two teams to go 7-7.

Both are expected to be in position to challenge Elk Lake for the division title.

Blue Ridge was also the last team to have beaten Elk Lake in divisional play, winning the 2019 regular-season finale to force a first-place tie, then beating the Lady Warriors in a playoff for the championship.

WEEK IN REVIEW

SCRANTON – Mountain View’s Addison Kilmer was named Most Valuable Player of the Blue team after scoring 12 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking eight shots in a 43-24 victory over the Red in the girls’ opener to the Lackawanna Interscholastic Athletic Association Senior Basketball All-Star Games March 22.

Kilmer was 5-for-12 from the floor, including 2-for-8 on 3-pointers. She led all players in the game in points and blocked shots while leading the Blue in rebounds. Kilmer also had an assist and a steal.

The Blue took a 16-8 lead after one quarter with Kilmer hitting both her 3-point attempts.

Kilmer scored from the top of the key for a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes. She hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to make it 16-8, then converted an offensive rebound into a 22-11 lead with 5:48 left in the half.

Before the game even started, Kilmer put on a show. She won the pregame Free Throw Contest by hitting 23, in 25 attempts, in one minute.

Joe Ferguson from North Pocono coached the Blue, which included players from Blue Ridge, Carbondale, Delaware Valley, Forest City, Honesdale, Mountain View, North Pocono, Valley View and Western Wayne.

Forest City’s Mehlayla St. Hilaire and Blue Ridge’s Addison Welch both came off the Blue bench, but did not score. St. Hilaire grabbed four offensive rebounds. Welch had two rebounds.

Dunmore’s Carrie Toomey coached the Red, which had players from Dunmore, Elk Lake, Holy Cross, Lackawanna Trail, Riverside and Wallenpaupack.

Celeste Clark from Elk Lake started while teammates Madison Casselbury and Kylie Shingler came off the Red bench.

Casslebury was one of five Red players to share the team scoring lead with four points each. She was the only Red player to make more than half her shots, going 2-for-3. Casselbury also grabbed two rebounds and made a steal.

Shingler grabbed five defensive rebounds, second most on the team, while also contributing two assists and a blocked shot. Clark had one rebound. Neither player scored.

Carbondale’s Maurie Newcomb made 14 shots in a minute to win the 3-Point Contest.

In the boys’ all-star game, Dunmore’s Jimmy Clark made six 3-pointers while scoring a game-high 26 points to earn Red Team MVP honors for his role in a 115-104 victory over the Blue.

Clark made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the fourth quarter when Red scored 41 points and overcame a two-point deficit. He finished 10-for-22 from the floor with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Jordan Shaffer from Abington Heights was the Blue MVP. He had the game’s only double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds, six of them offensive.

The winning Red team featured players from Dunmore, Riverside, Scranton, Scranton Prep, Valley View and West Scranton. It was coached by Scranton’s Tony Battaglia.

Delaware Valley’s Kris Holtzer coached the Blue, which had players from Abington Heights, Delaware Valley, Elk Lake, Honesdale, Mid Valley, Montrose, Old Forge and Wallenpaupack.

Elk Lake’s John Heitsman and Montrose’s Jude Adams contributed to the win.

Heitsman was 5-for-7 from the floor with a 3-pointer while scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Adams had two points, two rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.

Riverside’s Mikey Schimelfenig won the 3-Point Contest.

In boys’ volleyball, host Blue Ridge outlasted defending champion Abington Heights in five sets in Thursday’s early-season Lackawanna League showdown.

Jacob Brown led the way with 21 kills and four blocks as the Raiders won by set scores of 20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 22-25, 15-13.

Jacek Motyka added 15 kills.

Riley Phillips had 43 assists. Bryce Conklin had 15 digs and Landon Bishop had seven. Parker Glasgow had two aces.

Blue Ridge is 4-0 overall, matching Hazleton Area for the best record in District 2.

In baseball, Montrose and Elk Lake were two of the three teams to win Lackawanna League Division 3 openers, joining Lackawanna Trail.

Montrose defeated host Forest City, 10-4, Sunday to improve to 2-0 overall.

The Meteors opened a 10-0 lead after 5½ innings.

Chase Harman held the Foresters hitless for five innings while striking out eight and walking one.

Adam Sorensen went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three runs scored. Liam MacNamee double, singled, drove in three runs and scored twice. Kasey Carey had a triple and single.

Wyatt Reynolds had two hits and Mike Lesjack drove in two runs for Forest City.

Elk Lake (2-1 overall) won at Blue Ridge, 13-5, Thursday.

The Warriors scored in six of seven innings. They opened an 8-0 lead before Blue Ridge scored all five of its runs in the bottom of the fourth, then pulled away for good.

Stephen Newhart worked 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and also drove in three runs on two hits.

Lucas Benscoter had three hits and drove in two runs. Cohen Orlandini, who scored four times, and Brayden Miller, who had the team’s only extra-base hit with a double, each had two hits. Aiden Felker drove in three runs and scored twice.

COLLEGE CORNER

Ella Robinson had a hit and scored a run Friday when Finger Lakes Community College posted its first softball victory of the season, 14-12, at Middlesex Community College.

The sophomore utility player from Blue Ridge started in right field in the game and went 1-for-4.

Through five games going into Sunday’s doubleheader loss at Onondaga Community College, Robinson was 2-for-8, hitting .250 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored.

Finger Lakes dropped to 1-6 with Sunday’s losses.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Valley View is at Blue Ridge Thursday in a meeting of the two Lackawanna League boys’ volleyball teams that began the week with 2-0 league records.

In boys’ and girls’ track and field, Montrose is at Susquehanna and Blue Ridge is at Mountain View in Lackawanna Track Conference Division 3 openers Thursday. Elk Lake is at Lackawanna Trail in another meet.

In baseball, Montrose is at defending champion Elk Lake Monday, April 8 in a meeting of Lackawanna Division 3 teams that both won their openers.

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.