TOWER CITY — When Minersville and Williams Valley meet on the softball diamond, something special usually happens.
Maybe something you’ve never seen before.
Like season-changing and season-ending outfield double plays in the last two District 11 Class A finals.
Well, add another chapter to the long list of instant classics.
Alli Polinsky and Adrienne Kroznuskie slugged solo home runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally the Miners past the Vikings 4-3 on Wednesday in the Schuylkill League Division II opener for both teams.
Minersville is the defending PIAA Class A champion. Williams Valley won its first state title in 2013.
“They are a great team,’’ Kroznuskie said. “It’s been a competition, a rival game for how many years now, but it’s great that we came out with the win today.
“We’re thrilled to be back out on the field,’’ she added. “We’re thrilled to be together as a team this year. We have a lot of good chemistry going on in this team on and off the field.’’
Kroznuskie, last year’s All-Area Rookie of the Year, lined a two-run homer over the fence in right-center to give Minersville a 2-0 lead in the third inning. In one season and one game, Kroznuskie has clubbed 11 career home runs.
Williams Valley (1-1, 0-1 D-II) started to chip away and eventually took a 3-2 lead by capitalizing on Minersville’s mistakes.
“It’s an oddity to play this big of a game the first game of the season,’’ Minersville
coach Dave Homa said. “Both teams are going to improve immensely.’’
In the fourth inning, Kate Whelski led off with a double, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Caitlyn Pinchorski’s fielder’s choice grounder. That got the Vikes within a run.
In the fifth, two errors and two wild pitches helped the Vikings take the lead. Rayanne Hawk and Tianna Yanoscak delivered RBI singles for a 3-2 advantage.
Williams Valley loaded the bases in the sixth inning, but reliever Maura Bentz got a popup to escape the jam and keep it a one-run game. The Vikings left nine runners on base, six in scoring position.
“We had our chances in the sixth inning. That’s when we should have come through and got a couple insurance runs,’’ Williams Valley coach Lee Reiser said. “Then you could pitch a little different than how we pitched (in the seventh).
“It’s early,’’ he added. “I told the girls it’s better to lose one the first of April than it is in the last week of May.’’
Last season, Williams Valley put together a 31-game winning streak until falling to Minersville 2-1 in the district championship game.
“Maybe this will be an eye-opener and make us work a little harder,’’ Reiser said. “I’m sure it will.’’
So, still trailing by a run in the seventh, Minersville (1-0, 1-0) sent the 7-8-9 hitters in its batting order to the plate against Yanoscak.
With one swing, Polinsky changed everything. The sophomore catcher hit a towering drive to center field that kept carrying, landing well beyond the fence for a game-tying homer.
“The biggest thing is to have confidence in yourself,’’ Polinsky said. “With all the intensity that was in the game at that point, it was a lot of pressure. But you just need to have a lot of faith in yourself. I felt good about it.’’
Did she know the ball was gone?
“No,’’ Polinsky answered. “Wow, it was an incredible feeling.’’
Not only did Polinsky’s hit tie the game, but it also turned the lineup over and gave Kroznuskie another at-bat. She took advantage of it, launching a deep drive way over the left-field fence to put the Miners on top.
Bentz, a sophomore, slammed the door in the seventh, pitching a 1-2-3 inning to finish the job. She tossed two shutout innings in relief of Kroznuskie, another sophomore, to get the win.
“They’re a very young team but very experienced,’’ Homa said.
So Round 1 this season goes to Minersville. A year ago, the Vikings won both regular-season meetings but lost in the playoffs.
The teams will meet again April 27 at Minersville.
“I was shocked that the ball carried that well here today,’’ Homa said. “It’s freezing cold. We have a little pop in our lineup, and so do they. One through nine, there’s not an easy out in either lineup.
“So there’s going to be some monster fights down the line yet.’’
Game Summary
MINERSVILLE (4) — Kroznuskie p-cf 4 2 2 3, Snyder rf 4 0 1 0, Bentz lf-p 3 0 0 0, Mealey 1b 3 0 2 0, Wigoda pr 0 0 0 0, Sterner 3b 3 0 0 0, Schwalm 2b 3 0 1 0, Polinsky c 3 1 1 1, Ebert cf-lf 3 1 1 0, Schoffstall ss 3 0 0 0. Totals 29 4 8 4.
WILLIAMS VALLEY (3) — Han. Nestor ss 3 1 0 0, Hawk cf 4 1 2 1, Yanoscak p 4 0 2 1, Whitcomb cr 0 0 0 0, Whelski 2b 4 1 1 0, Kreiser c 3 0 0 0, Pinchorski 3b 4 0 1 1, Hal. Nestor 1b 3 0 1 0, Boyer lf 3 0 0 0, Miller rf 3 0 1 0. Totals 31 3 8 3.
Min (1-0, 1-0) 002 000 2 — 4
WV (1-1, 0-1) 000 120 0 — 3
E — Minersville 3, Williams Valley 1. DP — Williams Valley 1. LOB — Minersville 4, Williams Valley 9. 2B — Ebert, Whelski. HR — Kroznuskie 2, Polinsky. SB — Han. Nestor, Hawk. CS — Whitcomb.
Minersville IP H R ER BB K
Kroznuskie 5 6 3 1 2 1
Bentz W,1-0 2 2 0 0 0 1
Wms. Valley IP H R ER BB K
Yanoscak L,1-1 7 8 4 4 0 3
WP — Kroznuskie 2. PB — Polinsky. T — 1:36.