H.S. SOFTBALL: Blue Mountain holds off North Schuylkill for critical win

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Through the first three innings, it looked as though North Schuylkill’s Brigid Flynn was going to mow through the Blue Mountain Eagles’ lineup.

But the Eagles, who all season have had success on their second time through the lineup, broke out for five runs in the fourth inning en route to a 6-4 win over the Spartans.

“I think our M.O. is becoming second time through the lineup,” Blue Mountain coach Paul Leonard said. “Brigid is a heck of a pitcher; we’ve faced her plenty of times and chased a little bit in the first inning. Got to see her a second time through the lineup. Girls had better approaches at the plate. We stayed calm and just kept fighting.”

Entering the fourth inning trailing 1-0, the Eagles saw seven straight hitters reach base after Flynn recorded outs on each of the first two batters.

Anna Borden started the two-out rally with a single before Hailey Place drove in Borden, ripping a Flynn pitch down the right field line and into the corner for an RBI triple.

Place would later score on a North Schuylkill error.

Later in the inning with two on, Avery Hudock belted a double into the left-centerfield gap to score a pair of runs, extending the Eagles’ lead to 4-1. Starting pitcher Emily Leonard helped her own cause, tacking on a fifth run with an RBI single.

The Eagles later extended their lead to five, with an Emmerson Frie home run, as the sophomore power hitter crushed one to right-center field and into the night.

In the sixth inning, North Schuylkill threatened to score, but Leonard stopped the Spartans’ rally, which later proved pivotal.

The Spartans, looking to stage a seventh-inning comeback, scratched across three runs in the game’s final frame. All three runs came despite not a single batted ball leaving the infield.

Monica Selgrade, Lyza Holmes, Gianna Capone, and Jordanna Frie all recorded singles in the inning, with the latter three picking up RBIs on their hits.

Leonard, despite the three runs in the seventh, pitched a terrific game for the Eagles, minimizing hard contact throughout the evening while striking out six. Of North Schuylkill’s eight hits in the game, just one went for extra bases, a double from Mallorie Croker.

“The ball was finding holes, and she’s kind of built for that moment,” Paul Leonard said. “She doesn’t really show too much emotion. She kind of takes a deep breath and goes about her business.”

With the win, the Eagles will now have the upper hand in the Schuylkill League playoff race, their second win over North Schuylkill this season. They previously beat the Spartans 4-1 on March 26 in Orwigsburg.

The Eagles will next take on Mahanoy Area on Thursday evening in Orwigsburg before facing Hazleton Area on Saturday.

The Spartans are still positioned well to make the Schuylkill League playoffs with a 7-2 record within the league, still holding a single-game advantage over the Pottsville Crimson Tide.