Despite graduation losses, Johnstown offense not taking a step back
JOHNSTOWN ― Between singing the national anthem, picking up the pitching win and driving in five runs, senior Ava Peterman did it all for Johnstown on Saturday.
The Johnnies' four stellar seniors from last year's Division III state semifinal run have departed, including Division I college players Macy Walters and Dakota Staffan, but the four who have replaced them plan on keeping the program at a high level. It's just that without the dominant Walters in the circle, they'll have to get things done in a different way.
Case in point? The 15-8 win against visiting Newark on Saturday, coming on the heels of a disappointing 16-10 loss Friday to Utica. However, on Monday, it was an impressive 18-4 victory at Lakewood.
"We knew from the beginning, we had some big roles to fill, but we're still not letting up at all," Peterman said. "I'm proud of our team, the way we responded to that loss last night. It would have been easy to give up, but we kept our heads up. One through nine, everyone in our lineup can hit."
Along with Peterman and classmates Emily Yanczura, Makayla Fain and Maddie Holbrook, several players gained valuable experience last year. That included sophomores Addy Zak, who started at catcher as a freshman in 2023 and was hitting a hefty .780 coming into Saturday's game, and classmates Aubrey Del Cecato and Jenna Hochanadel. Against Newark, four sophomores and three freshmen got at bats.
"The loss did not affect us. We got over it and we learned from it," said Zak, who had two hits and scored three runs out of the second spot Saturday. "We've grown a lot since the winter, and we're going to work with the talent we have. Replacing our four seniors is going to make us work that much harder."
On Saturday, seven players collected multiple hits in a 17-hit attack and the Johnnies (3-2) scored in all but one inning. They jumped on the rebuilding Wildcats, who lost eight players from last year's Division I district champions, for a 9-2 lead after two innings.
In the first, Peterman's two-run single plated Del Decato and Zak after they had also reached base. Junior Brooklynne Siegel followed with an RBI double and Hochanadel had a sacrifice fly. In the second, Siegel came right back with a two-run single, and Hochanadel and junior Peyton Mischel added RBI hits with Fain drawing a bases-loaded walk.
Later, Peterman had a run-scoring hit and drilled a two-run homer over the right field fence, while Mischel singled home another run. Peterman finished 3 for 4 with five RBIs and Siegel 3 for 5 with three RBIs, with Hochanadel also driving in three runs and contributing two hits along with Del Decato, Zak and Mischel. Freshman Riley Stefanick came off the bench for a double and single. She also pitched three innings, allowing just one run in relief of Peterman. Classmate Emma McGeehan scored three times as a pinch runner.
"Johnstown is a very good hitting team, especially the top ot their order," said Newark coach Chris Back, who returns just lone senior Paige Simons and sophomore Mallory Back from a historic season. "Their one through five hitters are legit."
The Wildcats (2-5), which had won their last two games, also found plenty of success at the plate with 11 hits. Simons, Back, Lilly Holmes and Audrey Lennon all had two hits each, with Holmes driving in three runs and Lennon a pair. Calyn Music slammed a no doubt solo homer over the center field fence and Savannah Woody added a sacrifice fly.
"We've been stressing putting the ball in play and making things happen, and having a game plan when you step into the box," coach Back said. "We need to cut down on our mental and physical errors in the field (they had five Saturday), but we're improving every game, and that's the point."
Meanwhile, Johnstown seeks to maintain the excellence that has gotten it to the state two times in the last three seasons, and three times since 2016.
"There's still a target on our back, and we can't let the pressure get to us," Peterman said. "We're still one of the best programs in the LCL."
Second-year head coach Mike Justice has pointed out to this year's seniors, that they can be the second group to make the state twice, after Walters, Staffan, Laney Zak and Addie Triplett.
"I'm proud of the way we're producing runs. We probably have more speed than last year. But in our first four games, we've allowed 42, and we only gave up 55 in 29 games last year," Justice said. "We have to start giving up field goals instead of touchdowns, and when you score 10 times, that should be enough to win. We have to get things fixed on defense. Yes, we have younger kids who don't have much experience at the varsity level, but we have to make the routine plays."
He wants his team to feel the confidence that the program has brought.
"We can't go into games thinking that we aren't the same Johnstown," Justice said. "We have the experience that it takes."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Despite graduation losses, Johnstown offense not taking a step back
