Minersville's softball team always looks a whole lot different in May - and June - than it does in March.
That's because head coach Dave Homa and his assistants aren't afraid to make changes. In fact, adjustments continued all the way through the PIAA Class A championship game June 13.
Personnel changes. Position changes. Lineup changes.
Through all those changes, the Big Blue Machine's ultimate goal remained the same: Win the last game.
It's OK to stumble a time or two along the trail, as long as the players learned from their mistakes and got better.
To be sure, Minersville hit some bumps in the road in 2014, but each time, the Miners came back better, stronger and working harder.
In the second game of the season, 2013 state champion Williams Valley visited Ken Schneck Field and handed Minersville a 7-0 defeat. Clearly, much more work had to be done.
In late April at its tournament, eventual PIAA Class AA state champion Central Columbia hung a 13-0 loss on Minersville.
By May 4, though, the Miners had significantly closed the gap on Williams Valley. They still fell 2-1 in Tower City, but it was clear the Big Blue Machine was gaining on the Vikings.
So when Minersville and Williams Valley met yet again May 29 in the District 11 Class A final, the Miners won the game that mattered
most, holding on 2-1 to earn their ticket to states.
After delivering three beatdowns along the PIAA trail, Minersville defeated Claysburg-Kimmel 4-1 at Penn State University's Nittany Lion Softball Park to capture the program's ninth state softball championship.
Just call them "Nine-rsville.''
Or, as Homa said after the game, "The Battlin' Niners."
Members of the senior class capped their careers with a second state gold to go along with the one they won as freshmen in 2011. In the process, they passed the torch to the underclassmen - particularly a large and talented freshman class - to carry the tradition into the future.
You could say the whole community was on cloud nine.
It took less than a week for the billboard proclaiming Minersville's state softball championships to be updated.
The blue and white sign stands on the right-hand side of the Pottsville-Minersville Highway as drivers head toward the borough.
The first line reads: 1979, 1980, 1986.
The second: 1987, 1993, 1999.
And the third: 2005, 2011 ... and now, 2014.
With foresight, the billboard holds space for 12 state championship years. When it was erected, Minersville had seven state titles with five open spaces. Now just three empty spots remain.
With all that in mind, let's take a game-by-game look back at Minersville's championship season:
April 1 Minersville 14 Lourdes 0
MINERSVILLE - Adrienne Kroznuskie hit a grand slam and finished with five RBIs as Minersville opened its season with a Division II shutout of Lourdes.
Grace Lescavage tossed a five-inning three-hitter while striking out 10 and walking one for the Battlin' Miners.
Mallory Ebert hit a two-run home run for the winners, while Lindsey Snyder added three hits and two RBIs. Jayme Kerrigan also had three hits for Minersville.
April 3 Williams Valley 7 Minersville 0
MINERSVILLE - Hannah Nestor's home run gave Williams Valley the lead and the Vikings rode that momentum to a victory over Minersville in a Schuylkill League Division II clash at Ken Schneck Field.
The game matched the 2013 PIAA Class A champion Vikings against the 2011 PIAA Class A champion Miners.
Senior right-hander Cassidy Pinchorski tossed a three-hit shutout, striking out five and walking none.
Minersville, meanwhile, made four errors behind losing pitcher Riley Gerenda, who gave up eight hits but struck out nine.
All-Area shortstop Reighly Melochick missed the game due to injury.
"It's the second game of the year, and we're not going to panic,'' Minersville coach Dave Homa said.
April 10 Minersville 2 Tri-Valley 0
MINERSVILLE - Morgen Woodford had three hits and drove in both runs to back up a four-hitter by winning pitcher Riley Gerenda in the Miners' Division II shutout of the Bulldogs.
Woodford had an RBI double in the second inning and added a run-producing single in the sixth.
Gerenda struck out eight and walked one.
April 12 Minersville 8 Pottsville 0
Emily Mealey produced the power.
Grace Lescavage supplied the finesse.
Minersville's freshman first baseman and junior pitcher led the way as the Miners cruised to a non-league victory over Pottsville in front of a large, sun-splashed crowd at the 16th Street Complex.
Mealey went 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the first inning and a three-run home run in the third that extended the Miners' lead to 5-0.
"I knew it was gone. As soon as it hit the bat I was really excited,'' Mealey said.
That offense proved plenty for Lescavage, who changed speeds and locations to baffle the Crimson Tide lineup. The right-hander finished with a one-hitter and struck out 12.
Catcher Morgen Woodford threw out a runner trying to steal second base as Lescavage faced the minimum through 4.2 innings.
"Gracie pitched a helluva game,'' Minersville coach Dave Homa said. "We got all the fundamentals down. There's still room to improve, a little tweaking we have to do here and there, but that was a real good performance against a really good, well-coached ballclub.''
April 14 Minersville 15 Weatherly 0
MINERSVILLE - Freshman Adrienne Kroznuskie tossed a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and two walks to lead Minersville to a Division II-III victory.
Kroznuskie allowed only a second-inning single by the Wreckers' Kelly Parker.
Kroznuskie also helped the offense with a two-run home run in the winners' six-run first inning and a triple. Jayme Kerrigan added two hits and four RBIs and Sarah Nawrocki hit a two-run single. Rachel Sterner, Maura Bentz, Allison Polinsky and Meg Schwalm each added two hits for the Miners.
April 17 Minersville 9 Pine Grove 0
MINERSVILLE - Riley Gerenda hurled a four-hit shutout, struck out 11 and walked none to lead the Miners to a non-league victory.
Rachel Sterner went 3-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and one RBI, while Adrienne Kroznuskie went 3-for-4 with a double, one run and one RBI.
Alyse Ryan and Emily Mealey added two RBIs apiece for Minersville.
April 21 Minersville 14 Schuylkill Haven 2
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Adrienne Kroznuskie went 4-for-4 with two doubles and teammates Emily Mealey and Morgen Woodford each knocked in three runs as Minersville cruised past Schuylkill Haven in a Division II game.
Allison Polinsky and Maura Bentz each had a triple for the Miners, who scored 10 runs on eight hits in the second inning.
April 23 Minersville 9 Marian 1
MINERSVILLE - Riley Gerenda hurled a three-hitter and struck out 16 to lead the Miners to a Division II-III victory over the Fillies.
Meanwhile, freshman Adrienne Kroznuskie blasted two of her team's four home runs. Morgen Woodford found the left-center gap for a solo home run in the fifth inning and Emily Mealey, who matched Kroznuskie's three hits in the game, made it back-to-back solo shots in the sixth to produce the final score.
Minersville coach Dave Homa said the game was one of Gerenda's better performances.
"Her ball was moving all over the place today," Homa said. "We just stuck the finger down No. 1. We just threw fastballs and mixed in a change-up. She was very good in the strike zone."
The pitching performance backed a Minersville offense dominated by freshmen.
"They're going through a learning process like everyone else, but they have some talent," Homa said of his young team.
April 24 Minersville 23 Mahanoy Area 6
MAHANOY CITY - Lindsey Snyder collected four hits, including a pair of doubles, as Minersville outslugged Mahanoy Area in a Schuylkill League Division II-III crossover matchup.
Emily Mealey clubbed a pair of doubles as part of Minersville's 18-hit attack, which included nine extra-base hits.
The game was tied 4-4 after two innings before Minersville scored 16 runs in the top of the third.
April 25 Minersville 26 Pius X 0
ROSETO - Adrienne Kroznuskie and Mallory Ebert combined on a one-hit shutout as the Miners rolled to a non-league win.
Kroznuskie struck out four in two innings; Ebert whiffed two in her one inning of work. Kroznuskie helped herself at the plate with three hits and six RBIs.
April 26 Miners split games at Central tourney
BLOOMSBURG - Reighly Melochick went 5-for-7 with a double and a triple as Minersville split a pair of games at the Central Columbia Tournament.
The host Blue Jays used an eight-run fourth inning to defeat the Miners 13-0 in five innings in the semifinals.
In the consolation game, Lindsey Snyder clubbed two triples and had three RBIs as Minersville dumped Northeast Bradford 13-2 in five innings. Emily Mealey also knocked in three runs, while Morgen Woodford, Leah Leshko, Rachel Sterner and Alyse Ryan added two hits apiece.
April 28 Minersville 17 Lourdes 0
MOUNT CARMEL - Mallory Ebert pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking one, for her first varsity win.
Reighly Melochick, Adrienne Kroznuskie and Morgen Woodford had three hits apiece for Minersville. Kroznuskie finished with four RBIs, while Lindsey Snyder had two hits and three RBIs.
May 2 Minersville 2 Tri-Valley 0
HEGINS - Riley Gerenda pitched a two-hit shutout as Minersville defeated Tri-Valley in Schuylkill League Division II action.
Gerenda struck out five to out-pitch Tri-Valley's Katie Rabuck, who allowed just three hits and struck out three.
In the fourth inning, Adrienne Kroznuskie led off with a single and scored from second base when Morgen Woodford's hit was misplayed in the outfield.
Minersville scored an insurance run in the seventh inning on an error to complete the season sweep of Tri-Valley.
May 4 Williams Valley 2 Minersville 1
TOWER CITY - Kyrsten Miller launched a two-run home run in the second inning as the Vikings edged Minersville in a pressure-packed, state-playoff-caliber Schuylkill League Division II game.
With the win, Williams Valley clinched the division title and became the first team to punch its ticket to the Schuylkill League playoffs.
Minersville answered in the top of the third when freshman Adrienne Kroznuskie smashed a low liner that cleared the center-field fence in a hurry. Kroznuskie's fifth homer of the season cut the deficit to 2-1.
Still with two outs in the inning, Emily Mealey followed with a single to left, and Mallory Ebert entered as a pinch runner. Lindsey Snyder then roped a double down the left-field line. Minersville tried to score the runner from first base, but left fielder Bindy Boyer threw to third baseman Kylie Doyle, who relayed to catcher Maura Kreiser, who put the tag on Ebert.
The loss was the last of the season for Minersville, which ended the year with a 12-game winning streak.
That's what makes us so competitive when we get on to the next level,'' Williams Valley coach Lee Reiser said. "Whether Minersville's in the state tournament or whether we're in the state tournament, we're going to make waves - there's no doubt about it - because you play that type of competition.''
May 5 Minersville 10 Nativity 0
MINERSVILLE - Riley Gerenda pitched a no-hitter, striking out eight, as Minersville rolled past Nativity in a Schuylkill League Division II-III crossover game.
A walk issued to the second batter Gerenda faced was the only thing that kept her from a five-inning perfect game.
Minersville's offense provided more than enough run support. Adrienne Kroznuskie and Lindsey Snyder hit solo home runs in the first inning. Kroznuskie added a double and two RBIs after hitting her sixth homer of the season and second in as many games.
Reighly Melochick drove in two runs for the Miners on two hits - one a double - while Rachel Sterner registered three RBIs on two hits.
May 6 Minersville 15 Shenandoah Valley 0
MINERSVILLE - Freshman Maura Bentz tossed her first career no-hitter, striking out eight and issuing three walks, as the Miners rolled to a Division II-III crossover win over the Blue Devils in the first of two games at Ken Schneck Field.
Emily Mealey collected four RBIs, clubbing an RBI double in the second inning and adding a bases-loaded triple in the third.
Minersville 6 Brandywine Heights 2
MINERSVILLE - Lindsey Snyder and Adrienne Kroznuskie each smacked a solo home run as Minersville defeated defending PIAA Class AA state champion Brandywine Heights in a non-league game at Ken Schneck Field.
Snyder belted her solo home run in the second inning, giving the Big Blue Machine an early cushion.
The Miners added four more runs in the third before Kroznuskie hit her leadoff shot to start the fifth.
May 7 Minersville 6 Schuylkill Haven 2
MINERSVILLE - Using a two-run home run by Lindsey Snyder and a two-run single from Rachel Sterner, the Battlin' Miners held off the Hurricanes' fifth-inning rally for a Division II victory at Ken Schneck Field.
Schuylkill Haven sliced its five-run deficit to 5-2 with back-to-back RBI singles from Elizabeth Bayliff and Katherine Shaud.
Morgen Woodford provided an insurance run for Minersville in the fifth inning with a solo home run.
May 9 Minersville 15 Allentown C.C. 0
MINERSVILLE - Adrienne Kroznuskie hammered a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning to end the game early and secure a non-league win.
Rachel Sterner finished with two hits and four RBIs for Minersville, while Morgen Woodford had three hits and three RBIs.
Leah Leshko added three more hits - two for doubles - and two RBIs.
Reighly Melochick, Emily Mealey, Alyse Ryan and Morgan Nawrocki all had two hits. Riley Gerenda picked up the win for the Miners, striking out eight.
District 11 Tournament Quarterfinals May 20 Minersville 13 Moravian Academy 0
MINERSVILLE - Senior pitcher Riley Gerenda struck out 12 of 16 batters, leading the Miners to a five-inning victory over the Lions at Ken Schneck Field.
Gerenda increased her career strikeout total to 402 to join the 400-strikeout club.
Reighly Melochick got the scoring started for the Miners when she hit an inside-the-park home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Melochick also hit a triple and two singles, going 4-for-4 on the day with four RBIs.
Rachel Sterner helped the Miners with a two-run triple in the fourth inning. Sterner finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Semifinals Minersville 15 Marian 0
ORWIGSBURG - The Big Blue Machine torched Marian for a program playoff-record 18 hits in just four innings to advance to the district final at Patton Field.
Reighly Melochick, who finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored, jump-started the Miners' offense with a single and Adrienne Kroznuskie's ensuing RBI single started the onslaught.
Emily Mealey and Morgen Woodford added RBI singles, and Leah Leshko's RBI groundout put the Miners ahead 4-0.
"They were relaxed. They're a veteran team," Minersville coach Dave Homa said. "The big thing was jumping on them. Reighly getting on, Kroznuskie driving her in and that just relaxed everybody.
"Once we had four, that took a lot of what they do very well away - the bunt and the run. They just couldn't gamble after that."
After missing time early in the season with an injury, Melochick has come on lately. The senior shortstop delivered at the top of the Minersville lineup, waiting on pitches that she crushed into the outfield.
Mealey added a pair of hits and three RBIs, Woodford contributed two hits and three RBIs, Rachel Sterner finished with three singles and Lindsey Snyder, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, ended the game with a two-run infield single.
Riley Gerenda did her part in the circle as well, surrendering just one hit and striking out six.
Championship May 29 Minersville 2 Williams Valley 1
ORWIGSBURG - Williams Valley's Kyrsten Miller crushed a sinking line drive to center field.
If the ball touched the grass, Miller would have a game-winning, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning of the District 11 Class A championship game at Patton Field.
Adrienne Kroznuskie made sure that didn't happen.
Racing forward, Minersville's freshman center fielder made a diving, tumbling catch. Then she flipped the ball to shortstop Reighly Melochick, who stepped on second base for a game-ending double play.
Minersville 2, Williams Valley 1. Final.
In seconds, the Miners went from a possible crushing defeat to district gold.
"The ball came - Oh my God, my stomach just dropped,'' Kroznuskie said. "I knew I had to keep it in front. So I dove for it, and everyone's yelling, 'Go 2!' I couldn't get up. I had to roll over just to throw it in.
"They are a good team,'' she added. "We struggled with them all season, but it's great to come out with a win.''
As a result:
- The Battlin' Miners won their 20th district championship and fourth in the past five seasons.
- In the process, they dethroned 2013 district and state champion Williams Valley by ending the Vikings' 31-game winning streak.
- And the Miners advanced to the state playoffs yet again to play District 4 runner-up Bloomsburg, a 5-2 loser to South Williamsport in the District 4 final.
In the first inning, Minersville jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Kroznuskie reached on a one-out error, stole second, took third on a groundout and scored on Lindsey Snyder's bad-hop double.
In the sixth, Minersville doubled its lead. Jayme Kerrigan roped a one-out double to left-center. Singles by pinch-hitter Maura Bentz and Melochick chased her home.
A trademark of Minersville softball teams is that they get better throughout the season. The Miners constantly make adjustments and are stronger at the end of May than they are at the end of March.
"The season's a novel, not a short story,'' Minersville coach Dave Homa said.
"They're champions,'' he added about Williams Valley. "We knew they weren't going to give up. ... They did everything right. We did everything right. We got the play at the right time, this time. I have a feeling this battle's going to go on for another decade.
"They're a tremendous team. I think our program can match them.''
PIAA Tournament First Round June 2 Minersville 13 Bloomsburg 3
TAMAQUA - Morgen Woodford had seen enough.
Minersville's senior catcher and her teammates had just endured their worst defensive inning of the season.
A botched pickoff play and a routine pop-up that fell between two infielders allowed Bloomsburg to score twice, tie the game and grab the momentum during the fourth inning of the PIAA Class A first-round contest.
"Woody'' and the Miners weren't going out like that. So the senior leader spoke up.
"We're not losing this. We have to pull it together,'' Woodford said. "(Senior pitcher) Riley (Gerenda) and I, we pulled everybody together, and we were like, 'We're not making this our last game. We have to pull everything together. Everybody has to do their jobs. We have to communicate.' ''
Minersville got those two runs right back in the bottom of the fourth, then used a huge sixth inning to beat back Bloomsburg at Tamaqua Area High School.
In the top of the sixth, Brianna Benscoter scored on the back end of a double steal to cut the deficit to 4-3. Woodford threw out Alex Luxardo at second base, exchanging an out for a run.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Miners bunched six hits, three errors, a walk and three stolen bases to produce a nine-spot that turned a close, pressure-packed game into a rout.
"This was the weirdest 10-run rule game I've ever been involved in,'' Minersville coach Dave Homa said.
Freshman Adrienne Kroznuskie sparked rallies in the fourth and sixth with leadoff singles. Both times she stole second and scored. Kroznuskie finished 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs scored and one RBI.
In the sixth, Woodford clubbed an RBI triple to right field. Alyse Ryan, Reighly Melochick, Kroznuskie and Emily Mealey added RBI singles in the uprising.
The key inning, though, was the fourth when RBI doubles by Lindsey Snyder and Leah Leshko put Minersville back on top 4-2. The torrid Snyder - 8-for-her-last-10 - roped a pair of doubles and knocked in three.
Minersville produced 15 hits and five walks to keep matching Bloomsburg's pressure. The Miners also stole seven bases without being caught.
Woodford went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and threw out two runners trying to steal.
Melochick went 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI; Leshko finished 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI; and Ryan added two hits, a run and an RBI out of the No. 9 spot.
"We're hitting a ton. We're hitting great,'' Homa said. "That's Coach (Marty) Brophy. The turnaround in one year under Marty has been simply amazing. These kids are really stroking the ball well.''
Woodford, Melochick and Leshko hope for a repeat of 2011, when as freshman starters they helped Minersville win its eighth state championship.
Now a new crop of freshmen - Kroznuskie, Mealey, Maura Bentz and others - have helped Minersville into the final eight.
"We've been here,'' Woodford said. "We were going over where our games were at (in 2011), what games we had to play to get to Penn State. It would be awesome if we could go all the way like our freshman year.''
Quarterfinals June 5 Minersville 12 Halifax 2
BLOOMSBURG - When Halifax scored a run in the top of the first inning, Minersville didn't panic.
"I wasn't expecting that, to be honest,'' Miners shortstop Reighly Melochick said. "But I just knew if I got it started, the rest of the team will follow (hitting) after me.''
Turns out Melochick knows what she's talking about.
Minersville answered by batting around in the bottom of the first inning and clubbed its way to a five-inning win over the Wildcats at Bloomsburg University's Jan Hutchinson Field.
In two state playoff victories, the Miners scored 25 runs on 24 hits with five doubles and two triples.
"We're pounding the ball,'' Minersville coach Dave Homa said. "There's no ifs, ands or buts, we're scoring runs at an unbelievable pace, knock on wood.''
Minersville wasted no time starting its rally in the bottom of the first. Melochick and Adrienne Kroznuskie both singled on the first pitches they saw, putting the Miners in business.
Lindsey Snyder reached on the first of five Halifax errors to load the bases. On an 0-2 pitch to Emily Mealey, Chelsea Konyar uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Melochick to score the tying run and moving Krozunskie and Snyder into scoring position.
Mealey worked the count to 2-2, then scorched a two-run double to the gap in right-center to put Minersville ahead to stay at 3-1. No. 8 batter Maura Bentz pounded a two-run triple over the right fielder's head to cap the five-run rally.
Mealey's sacrifice fly - caught at the left-field fence - extended the Miners' lead to 6-1 in the second inning.
Homa made some lineup changes that paid immediate dividends. He flip-flopped Snyder and Mealey, with Mealey driving in three runs out of the cleanup spot.
The other change was starting Bentz at designated player and moving Alyse Ryan, the usual DP, to left field. Bentz had three straight playoff pinch-hits against Marian, Williams Valley and Bloomsburg to earn the start. She responded by going 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, a run scored and four RBIs.
Minersville scored in every inning to steadily build its lead.
The Miners added four runs in the third inning to push their advantage to 10-1. Bentz rapped an RBI double; two runs scored when Melochick's deep fly ball was dropped; and Kroznuskie laced a two-run single.
In the fourth, Bentz drove in a run on a groundout, and in the fifth, Kroznuskie stole two bases and scored on an error to end the game via the 10-run rule.
"We were in the zone all day,'' Mealey said.
Kroznuskie, a freshman center fielder, went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs scored and two RBIs. In two state playoff games, she's gone 6-for-9 (.667) with six runs scored and three RBIs.
Semifinals June 9 Minersville 10 Bristol 1
ALLENTOWN - Eight-time state champion Minersville is known as the Big Blue Machine.
You can also call this year's club the Big Blue Mashers.
For the third straight PIAA Class A state playoff game, the Miners mashed a postseason pitcher. This time, they scored early and often against Mary Wallick to overwhelm Bristol on a muggy Monday afternoon at Allentown's Patriots Park.
With the win, District 11 champion Minersville (23-3) advanced to the 10th state championship game in program history to play District 6 runner-up Claysburg-Kimmel, which edged Neshannock 5-4 in eight innings in the other semifinal.
"We're so excited, especially the seniors,'' said winning pitcher Riley Gerenda, one of the players who graduated from high school the previous Friday, June 6. "We're trying to lead them through it because we've been there.
"So we're really excited, and experienced, and we're just so pumped to be in the finals,'' she added. "We always want to win our last game.''
In wins over Bloomsburg, Halifax and Bristol, Minersville totaled 35 runs on 37 hits.
Against the Warriors, Lindsey Snyder, Emily Mealey and Morgen Woodford smacked three hits apiece, while Leah Leshko and Rachel Sterner both rapped two.
"Huge hits, gappers all over the place,'' Minersville coach Dave Homa said. "It's everybody in that lineup right now that is hitting the ball. ... One through nine, and I've never, ever - even helping Kenny (late coach Ken Schneck) - that we've ever hit the ball this well for this long.''
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning, Minersville batted around for the third time in three state playoff games.
With one out, Adrienne Kroznuskie walked in a nine-pitch at-bat and Snyder singled. Mealey followed with her second RBI double of the game to put the Miners ahead to stay.
After Woodford reached on a bunt to load the bases, Leshko worked the count full against Wallick. Leshko crushed the next pitch to the fence in left-center, chasing three runs home.
Rachel Sterner followed with an RBI single to left-center that drove in Leshko and extended Minersville's advantage to 6-1.
"We left a bunch of runners on base and I knew it was time for me to knock some in,'' Leshko said.
Gerenda took care of the rest, keeping Bristol hitless over the final four innings. She finished with a three-hit complete game, striking out six and walking two.
Her ability to throw strikes to both sides of the plate kept Bristol off-balance.
"She dialed it in,'' Homa said. "That was her best game since the Williams Valley game (a 2-1 win in the District 11 final), truly on top of her game. She pitched out of any situation they wanted to get us into.
"She did a great job, hit her spots, moving in and out,'' he added. "She prepared herself well for this game.''
In the fourth inning, Minersville pushed its lead to 8-1 when Snyder and Woodford connected on RBI singles.
In the fifth, the Miners tacked on two more runs on Mealey's RBI single and Woodford's RBI double. In the third, fourth and fifth innings, Minersville sent a total of 24 batters to the plate.
Defensively, Leshko made a diving stop in the third inning to save a run. In addition, Kroznuskie made two highlight-reel catches in center field. In the second inning, she picked a sinking liner just before it hit the turf and tossed the ball to Melochick for an inning-ending double play. The play was similar to the one that ended the district final against Williams Valley.
In the sixth, Kroznuskie raced into right-center field and made a diving catch to save a run and take a hit away from Jade Stevens.
"Adrienne saves us, like, all the time,'' Gerenda said.
So seven Minersville seniors returned to Penn State to try to win their second state championship. Woodford, Melochick and Leshko were starters on the 2011 title team, while Gerenda and outfielder Alyse Ryan played much larger roles this time.
Joining them were a few juniors and sophomores, plus a huge freshman class, hungry for their first state gold.
In addition to the three state softball playoff games, 12 players experienced Minersville's basketball run that included Schuylkill League and District 11 championships and two state playoff contests.
"The more you play under pressure, the better you're going to be,'' Homa said. "Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it.
"These kids have played all winter. They've played all spring,'' he added. "They played the top teams in the state, and this senior group is so composed, it rubs off.''
Championship June 13 Minersville 4 Claysburg-Kimmel 1
STATE COLLEGE - The Big Blue Machine reigns supreme.
Again.
For the ninth time in school history, Minersville won a PIAA softball championship.
With a victory over Claysburg-Kimmel at Penn State's Nittany Lion Softball Park, the Battlin' Miners captured the PIAA Class A title.
They did it on the strength of early offense, clutch pitching by senior Riley Gerenda and error-free defense behind her.
Morgen Woodford's RBI single in the first inning gave Minersville a 1-0 lead.
In the second, the Miners (24-3) added three more to extend the advantage to 4-0. Reighly Melochick and Lindsey Snyder hit RBI singles, with another run scoring when a Claysburg-Kimmel outfielder on Snyder's hit let the ball get past her and roll toward the wall.
Staked with that early lead, Gerenda went to work pounding the strike zone. After walking the leadoff batter in each of the first two innings, the senior right-hander retired 11 in a row - each out bringing Minersville closer to a championship.
A rain/severe storm delay stopped play at 4:34 p.m. but only delayed the inevitable.
Play resumed at 5:55 p.m. By 6:11 it was over.
Claysburg-Kimmel mounted a rally and scored a run in the top of the seventh inning, but a perfectly executed relay play cut down Christina Wannyn at the plate. Senior left fielder Alyse Ryan threw to senior shortstop Melochick, who relayed to senior catcher Woodford, who applied the tag for the final out.
"The Battlin' Niners," Minersville coach Dave Homa said with a laugh. "That's the first time it ended like that, but those are repetitions they've had since seventh grade. ... Senior, to senior, to senior. That's how the game ended, and that's the way it should end for that class."
Backing up home plate, Gerenda had a front-row seat for the final out.
Standing a couple feet up the line, Woodford caught the ball, blocked the plate, dropped the tag on Wannyn and held up the ball in her glove for the umpire to see.
Game over. State championship No. 9 secure.
The victory sent this senior class out with its second state championship. Only the 1979-80 and 1986-87 Minersville squads have multiple state titles.
"It's exciting, overwhelming,'' Gerenda said. "We were all very pumped up going into the game, so ending it right by Morgen (backing up home plate), we went right for the hug. We're really excited about winning and going out with a bang.
"It means the world to all of us,'' she added. "The freshmen from 2011 were pumped to go out and work to become state champs again.''
Once play resumed after the weather delay, Minersville needed to get three outs to go home champions again. Claysburg-Kimmel started to time Gerenda, but she got two strikeouts and the play at the plate to become a two-time state champion.
"Ever since you've dreamed as a Little League player, your dream is getting that state title,'' senior second baseman Leah Leshko said. "I got it as a freshman, and as a senior also, it's amazing.
"My feelings from winning my freshman year to this year, I wanted to win so bad,'' she added. "That was my biggest goal this whole year. Going out as a senior with that state championship, it's the best thing ever.''
And it's forever.
Team roster
Minersville
Battlin' Miners (24-3)
No. Name Grade
0 Grace Lescavage Jr.
3 Reighly Melochick Sr.
4 Rachel Sterner So.
6 Rachel Hughes Fr.
9 Morgen Woodford Sr.
10 Allison Polinsky Fr.
11 Maura Bentz Fr.
12 Riley Gerenda Sr.
13 Alyse Ryan Sr.
14 Sarah Nawrocki Fr.
15 Meg Schwalm So.
18 Mallory Ebert Fr.
19 Emily Mealey Fr.
20 Lindsey Snyder Jr.
21 Morgan Nawrocki Sr.
23 Jayme Kerrigan Jr.
24 Leah Leshko Sr.
25 Brianna Smulley Jr.
28 Adrienne Kroznuskie Fr.
34 Rebecca Schweikert Sr.
93 Maddyson Melochick Fr. 2014 Results
Date Opponent Score
4/1 Lourdes 14-0
4/3 Williams Valley 0-7
4/10 Tri-Valley 2-0
4/12 @ Pottsville 8-0
4/14 Weatherly 15-0
4/17 Pine Grove 9-0
4/21 @ Sch. Haven 14-2
4/23 Marian 9-1
4/24 @ Mahanoy Area 23-6
4/25 @ Pius X 26-0
4/26 vs. C. Columbia 0-13
4/26 vs. NE Bradford 13-2
4/28 @ Lourdes 17-0
5/2 @ Tri-Valley 2-0
5/4 @ Williams Valley 1-2
5/5 Nativity 10-0
5/6 Shen. Valley 15-0
5/6 Brandywine Hts. 6-2
5/7 Schuylkill Haven 6-2
5/9 Allentown C.C. 15-0
District 11 Tournament
5/20 Moravian Acad. 13-0
5/23 vs. Marian 15-0
5/29 vs. Williams Valley 2-1
PIAA Tournament
6/2 vs. Bloomsburg 13-3
6/5 vs. Halifax 13-3
6/9 vs. Bristol 10-1
Class A Championship
At Penn State University
6/13 vs. Clays.-Kimmel 4-1