HS SOFTBALL: Schuylkill League races start to take shape

Hard to believe, but we’ve nearly reached the halfway point of the regular season in Schuylkill League softball.

Teams have done a great job over the past 10 days getting caught up after the snowy, rainy, muddy start to the season.

As a result, we now have a much clearer picture of each of the division races. Nothing’s been settled yet, but at least we know the major players.

Let’s take a closer look at each division:

Division I

The surprise here is Pottsville, which stands atop the division at 6-0. Losing six starters to graduation isn’t easy to replace, but the Tide’s seniors and their excellent coaching staff have the team in position to compete for a division title.

As expected, Tamaqua (6-1) and North Schuylkill (5-1) are right behind and will have plenty to say about who heads to the playoffs.

Watch out for an improving Pine Grove team that is capable of pulling an upset down the stretch.

Big games: Today — North Schuylkill at Tamaqua and Pine Grove at Pottsville; Wednesday — North Schuylkill at Pottsville; Thursday — North Schuylkill at Pine Grove.

Division II

The usual suspects rule here. Tri-Valley (5-1) and Williams Valley (5-1) are tied for the lead, with Minersville (4-1) just a half-game back.

So far, Minersville edged Williams Valley 4-3; Tri-Valley topped Minersville 5-4; and Williams Valley rallied past Tri-Valley 8-6 in nine innings.

The second round of division play begins Monday with Williams Valley at Minersville.

Division III

Marian (4-2) clubbed Weatherly 10-0 on Saturday to establish itself atop the division. Mahanoy Area (2-2) is one game back but lost 5-2 to Marian on April 7. The rematch is May 1 in Hometown.

Other big games

Saturday features some excellent options:

• Emmaus at Pottsville at noon and Tamaqua at Tri-Valley at 2 p.m. at Hegins Park.

• Upper Dauphin will compete at the Williamsport Tournament, open against the hosts Friday night and play twice Saturday.

• The Blue Mountain Tournament will feature Berks Catholic vs. the Eagles at 11 a.m. and Hazleton vs. Hamburg at 1 p.m. The consolation game will be at 3 p.m., followed by the championship at 5 p.m.

• Minersville will make its annual trip to the Central Columbia Tournament. The defending PIAA Class A champion Miners will open against Berwick at noon.

At the same time, defending PIAA Class AA champion Central Columbia will take on Holy Redeemer. The consolation and championship games will be at 2 p.m.

Who’s hot

Some local teams are starting to hit their stride. An alphabetical sampling:

• Minersville (6-2) — Has won 5-of-6 after 1-1 start;

• Nativity (4-4) — Has won 3-of-4 after 1-3 start;

• North Schuylkill (7-2) — Has won 6-of-7 after 1-1 start;

• Pine Grove (7-4) — Has won 5-of-6 after 2-3 start;

• Schuylkill Haven (5-6) — Has won three straight after 2-6 start;

• Tri-Valley (9-1) — Has won four straight after suffering its only loss of the season to Williams Valley;

• Williams Valley (11-1) — Has won 10 in a row after 1-1 start.

Schuylkill success

With a lot of local talent on the roster, the Penn State Schuylkill softball team finds itself in the thick of the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoff race.

After Sunday’s sweep of PSU-Greater Allegheny, the local Lady Lions improved to 10-0 in the PSUAC.

That sets up Wednesday’s doubleheader with PSU-Brandywine, which leads the conference at 12-0.

The twinbill will begin at 2 p.m. at the Schuylkill Haven-area campus.

Players on the Schuylkill roster from local schools include:

• Blue Mountain — Joelle Moyer;

• Mahanoy Area — Marcella Scheeler;

• Minersville — Cara Brennan, Rebecca Schweikert;

• Nativity — Stephanie Killian, Erin Luckenbill;

• North Schuylkill — Dominique Grasso;

• Pine Grove — Jena Leffler, Courtney Tyler;

• Pottsville — Tabitha Dusel, Paige Vandermeer;

• Schuylkill Haven — Kaitlyn Boyer.

League leaders

When results are reported, we compile basic statistics such as pitching records and extra-base hits. Remember, what follows isn’t wrong, it’s unofficial based on what has been reported.

All teams are asked to provide their official statistics after the season.

• Doubles — Jordyn Ebersole, Tri-Valley, 6; Rebecca Blatt, Hamburg, 5; Karissa Elser, Blue Mountain, 5; Jordan Skoff, Blue Mountain, 5; 6 tied with 4.

• Triples — Tiffany Lapotsky, North Schuylkill, 4; Hayley Wolff, Pine Grove, 4; Erica Lutz, Hamburg, 3; Rachael Setlock, Pottsville, 3; 7 tied with 2.

• Home runs — Adrienne Kroznuskie, Minersville, 5; Kate Whelski, Williams Valley, 5; Paige Lesher, Hamburg, 4; Emma Schweigert, Schuylkill Haven, 4; Tiffany Lapotsky, North Schuylkill, 3; Erica Lutz, Hamburg, 3; Meg Schwalm, Minersville, 3.

• Pitching (minimum 5 wins) — Taryn Wilson, Tri-Valley, 9-1; Tianna Yanoscak, Williams Valley, 7-1; Bailey Pedersen, Tamaqua, 7-2; Paige Lesher, Hamburg, 7-6; Brooke Schach, Pine Grove, 6-3; Bethany Shaud, Marian, 6-3; Haley Burd, North Schuylkill, 5-2; Sara Tobin, Pottsville, 5-2.

(Lipsky is the softball beat writer

for The Republican-Herald)

Softball Power Poll

(Through Saturday’s games)

Team Rec Prv

1. Williams Valley 11-1 —

2. Tri-Valley 9-1 —

3. Minersville 6-2 —

4. Pottsville 7-3 —

5. Hamburg 7-6 —

6. Tamaqua 8-2 —

7. North Schuylkill 7-2 —