FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Raining and waiting, stopping and starting, it's difficult to build momentum this softball season.
North Schuylkill, though, took a step toward generating some rhythm by belting Panther Valley 15-0 in three innings Tuesday in Schuylkill League Division I action.
That the Spartans' field was playable was remarkable in itself as Monday's steady rain forced most baseball and softball games to be scratched again Tuesday. But a major effort by school staff got both the softball and baseball fields in shape to get the games in.
Coming off a win over PIAA Class A state qualifier Bloomsburg on Saturday, the Spartans (3-1, 1-1 D-I) used an 11-run second inning to settle the issue against the Panthers (0-3, 0-3).
Zierra Treshock smacked
a three-run triple to the gap in left-center, and Chase Stokes launched a three-run home run during the outburst. Stokes' towering drive cleared the fence 220 feet from home plate and bounced off the sloped roof of the maintenance building between the softball and baseball diamonds.
Kelly Damiter came off the bench to go 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Tiffany Lapotsky finished 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and a run scored.
The Spartans also benefited from seven walks.
"What we stressed all week was patience,'' North Schuylkill coach Dominick Grasso said. "They were a little impatient a couple times early in the year. Like everybody else, we're in the same boat (with the weather).''
In the circle, Christie Hutira pitched a one-hit shutout and struck out seven for the Spartans. Kylie Catena's first-inning single was Panther Valley's only hit.
Panthers third baseman Cassidy Ryan made the defensive play of the game, turning a 5-3, first-inning-ending double play.
"(Panther Valley) never quit,'' Grasso said. "No matter how many times you play them, they're always great sports. They never say anything negatively. Every time they come to play.''
North Schuylkill will try to build on its two-game winning streak when it visits Blue Mountain today, hosts Tamaqua on Friday and entertains Danville on Saturday. The league games will start to sort out the Division I race, which looks like it could be wide-open for the two Schuylkill League playoff spots.
"This is a very important week for us,'' Grasso said.
Upper Dauphin 8 Greenwood 6
ELIZABETHVILLE - Kate Boyer's two-run triple and Autumn Walker's two-run single sparked an eight-run third inning that propelled the Trojans to a Tri-Valley League victory.
Mikayla Grow and Walker both went 3-for-4 for Upper Dauphin.
Amber Bingaman recorded the final six outs, five of them by strikeout, for the save. She added an RBI triple in UDA's big inning.
Hamburg 11 Tulpehocken 0
NEW SCHAEFFERSTOWN - Sydney Oberholtzer blasted a three-run home run in the fourth inning as the Hawks rolled to a non-league victory over the Trojans.
Erica Lutz finished 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the fifth inning, while Courtney Graham also homered.
Winning pitcher Paige Lesher surrendered just two hits in the shutout.
H.S. Baseball North Schuylkill 15 Panther Valley 0
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Tevin Murray plowed through the Panthers' lineup, recording a perfect game on 44 pitches, as the Spartans earned a Division I shutout in five innings.
Matt Smarkanic doubled in the third inning and smashed a three-run homer in a 10-run fourth for North Schuylkill. Murray supported his own cause at the plate with a two-run double in the fourth.
Hamburg 6 Berks Catholic 5
HAMBURG - Ryan Smith hit a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh to send Austin Bashore home with the winning run in the Hawks' Berks II victory over the Saints.
Jordan Youndt went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Kyle Nye was 2-for-3 with two runs scored for Hamburg (6-1, 1-1).