Batting with the bases loaded of a tie game in the bottom of the seventh inning, Pottsville senior Katie Deegan blocked out the bedlam around her.
She focused on two things: Try to hit a single. Get a good pitch to hit.
Deegan did just that, connecting for a single to left field. The hit drove home pinch-runner Katie Marx with the winning run as the Crimson Tide escaped with a 2-1 win over North Schuylkill on a blustery Friday afternoon at the 16th Street Complex.
“I was pumped. I was very excited,’’ Deegan said. “I was happy that I could help my team out.’’
Through six innings, Pottsville’s Sara Tobin was working on a no-hitter and had allowed just one base-runner. The Tide’s 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the second inning looked like it might stand up.
North Schuylkill, though, refused to go quietly. Kelly Damiter led off the seventh with a clean single to center field.
After a sacrifice bunt, Chase Stokes blooped a single to left to put runners at the corners. After Stokes stole second, Raquele Amato hit an RBI groundout to second base to tie the game.
With temperatures dropping, Pottsville wanted no part of extra innings.
Rachel Coyle walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and Olivia Moran bunted her into scoring position. North Schuylkill tried to get an out at third base on a ground ball and a bunt, but the runner was safe both times.
That loaded the bases for Deegan, who came through in the clutch.
With the victory, Pottsville (10-3, 9-0 D-I) won its third in a row and opened a one-game lead over Tamaqua in the Schuylkill League Division I race.
North Schuylkill (7-5, 5-4) dropped its fourth in a row after a 7-1 start.
The Spartans had their third baseman out of the lineup due to an illness and lost pitcher Haley Burd to an injury in the sixth inning.
Burd, working on a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings, got hit on the pitching hand with a hot shot off the bat of Micki Garland. Burd had to leave the game but walked off under her own power.
“We’re not getting any breaks, but if we play the way we did today, the breaks will start happening,’’ North Schuylkill coach Dominick Grasso said. “... That’s probably the best game we played all year.’’
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (1) — Lapotsky ss 3 0 0 0, Damiter cf 3 1 1 0, Burd p 2 0 0 0, Stokes 1b 3 0 1 0, Amato lf 3 0 0 1, Morgan dp-rf 2 0 0 0, Hutira rf-p 2 0 0 0, Bell 3b 2 0 0 0, Schally 2b 2 0 0 0, Peleschak c 0 0 0 0. Totals 22 1 2 1.
POTTSVILLE (2) — Deegan ss 4 0 1 1, Ma. Garland c 3 0 1 0, Mi. Garland 2b 3 0 2 0, Horvath 3b 2 1 0 0, Setlock cf 2 0 0 0, Coyle 1b 2 0 0 0, Marx pr 0 1 0 0, Moran dp 2 0 0 0, Tobin p 2 0 0 0, Naradko ph 1 0 0 0, Porter pr 0 0 0 0, Boris rf 3 0 0 0, Mates lf 0 0 0 0. Totals 24 2 4 1.
NS (7-5, 5-4) 000 000 1 — 1
Potts (10-3, 9-0) 010 000 1 — 2
One out when winning run scored.
E — North Schuylkill 1, Pottsville 0. LOB — North Schuylkill 2, Pottsville 4. SB — Stokes, Mi. Garland 2, Porter. S — Peleschak, Setlock, Moran.
North Sch. IP H R ER BB K
Burd 5.1 3 1 0 1 7
Hutira L,2-2 1 1 1 1 1 0
Pottsville IP H R ER BB K
Tobin W,7-2 7 2 1 1 1 9
PB — Peleschak. T — 1:31.
Minersville 14
Nativity 0
MINERSVILLE — Alli Polinsky hit a three-run home run in Minersville’s six-run second inning as the Miners beat Nativity in a Division II game.
Winning pitcher Adrienne Kroznuskie tossed a two-hit shutout with five strikeouts in the three-inning game.
Rachel Sterner, Mallory Ebert and Abby Schoffstall each had two RBIs for the winners, who tied Tri-Valley and Williams Valley atop the division.
Sterner and teammate Maura Bentz each homered.
Nativity (5-6, 2-5) 000 — 0 2 0
Miners (8-2, 6-1) 365 — 14 17 0
Walaconis and Melochick; Kroznuskie and Polinsky. W — Kroznuskie (2-2). L — Walaconis (4-6).
HITS: Nativity — Palko, Zelanko. Minersville — Kroznuskie, Snyder, Bentz 2, Mealey 2, Sterner 2, Schwalm 3, Polinsky, Ebert 2, Schoffstall 3.
2B — Kroznuskie. HR — Bentz, Polinsky, Sterner.
Williams Valley 7
Southern Columbia 4
TOWER CITY — Kyrsten Miller rapped out three hits, including a double, and had three RBIs to lead Williams Valley to a non-league win over Southern Columbia.
Kate Whelski added three hits for the Vikings, while winning pitcher Tianna Yanoscak, who struck out eight, helped her own cause with two hits.
SC (5-4) 000 003 1 — 4 8 1
WV (13-1) 300 220 x — 7 13 2
Herr and Johnston; Yanoscak and Kreiser. W — Yanoscak (8-1). L — Herr (4-4).
HITS: Southern Columbia — Chaundy, Podpora, Dunkelberger 3, Hoffman, Welkom, Herr. Williams Valley — Hawk, Yanoscak 2, Whelski 3, Kreiser, Pinchorski, Miller 3, Boyer 2.
2B — Dunkleberger, Hoffman, Hawk, Pinchorski, Miller.
Schuylkill Haven 16
Schuylkill Valley 2
LEESPORT — Emma Schweigert collected her 100th career hit as Schuylkill Haven pounded Schuylkill Valley in a non-league game.
Schweigert finished 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. She now has 101 career hits.
Megan Ditzler added to the Hurricanes’ attack by going 4-for-4 with a triple, five runs scored and one RBI.
Sarah Personette went 4-for-4 with a double and four RBIs for the winners.
SH (7-6) 230 204 5 — 16 19 1
SV (1-10) 000 002 0 — 2 2 5
Svenson and Personette; Geiger and Steffey. W — Svenson (7-5). L — Geiger.
HITS: Schuylkill Haven — Ditzler 4, Bayliff 2, Schweigert 3, Personette 4, Wagner 2, Donati, Gerber 2, Svenson. Schuylkill Valley — Hepner, Phillips.
2B — Bayliff, Schweigert, Personette. 3B — Ditzler.
Tamaqua 16
Panther Valley 0
TAMAQAUA — Taylor Fritz went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored to power Tamaqua to a non-league win.
Courtney Hoffman and Shayna Dietrich added two hits and three RBIs apiece for the Blue Raiders. Carly Sassaman tripled and knocked in three runs.
PV (1-9) 000 0 — 0 2 4
Tam (11-2) 823 3 — 16 11 0
Manturana, Hoffman (2) and Rodriguez; Pedersen and Sassaman. W — Pedersen (10-2). L — Manturana (0-1).
HITS: Panther Valley — Hill, Ryan. Tamaqua — Kistler, Hoffman 2, Dietrich 2, Sassaman, Fritz 2, Joseph, Miller, Matsago.
2B — Fritz 2, Matsago. 3B — Sassaman.
Weatherly 15
Lincoln Leadership 0
WEATHERLY — Jessica Maiello slugged a two-run home run to power Weatherly to a non-league victory.
LLA (2-5) 000 0 — 0 2 5
Wea (5-4) 563 1 — 15 3 2
Parker, Isom (3) and Maiello, Frye (4); Vazquez and Richetti. W — Parker (1-1). L — Vazquez.
HITS: Lincoln Leadership Academy — Soto, Colon. Weatherly — Maiello, Rivera, Henry.
HR — Maiello.
College Softball
PSU-Schuylkill splits with PSU-Hazleton
HAZLETON — After losing its first Penn State University Athletic Conference game this season 8-0, Penn State Schuylkill scored two runs in the seventh inning to salvage a split with Penn State Hazleton with a 4-3 victory.
First game
Sch (13-8, 12-1) 000 00 — 0 1 1
Haz (23-11, 10-2) 310 13 — 8 12 1
Brennan and Scheeler; Rhome and Dougherty. W — Rhome (11-5). L — Brennan (11-8).
HITS: Penn State Schuylkill — Scheeler. Penn State Hazleton — Stauffer 2, Kaluzny, Bri. Grunza 2, Quillman 3, Dougherty 3, Bra. Grunza.
2B — Stauffer. HR — Stauffer, Quillman.