H.S. Softball: Five-run seventh gives Holy Redeemer District 2 Class 3A semifinal win

May 24—LEHMAN TWP. — Both teams seemed destined for an offensive outburst Thursday.

Lake-Lehman had one in the bottom of the sixth, only for Holy Redeemer to have a bigger inning in the top of the seventh.

The Royals scored five times in the top of the seventh, answering Lehman's three-run sixth and rallying for a 7-5 victory in a District 2 Class 3A softball semifinal game.

"I knew we could hit the ball," Redeemer coach Jerry Paulukonis said. "It was just a matter of us getting that key hit."

Redeemer (14-8) will play Mid Valley (20-1) on Wednesday at a site and time to be announced for the championship and a spot in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs. Redeemer has graduation that night, so the start time will likely be early afternoon. Lehman finishes 18-3.

Just like last season, Redeemer lost both regular-season games to Lehman only to come back and defeat the Black Knights in the D2-3A semifinals.

Lehman took a 4-2 lead in the sixth with three runs. Gracie James bunted in a run and Janaya Yusko knocked in another with a single. An error on Yusko's hit allowed another run to cross the plate.

Redeemer had threatened to score in sixth previous innings but managed just two runs. The Royals had runners called out twice for interfering with Lehman infielders on grounders. They had another tagged out at home in the first trying to score on a fielder's choice for an inning-ending double play.

All the pieces came together for Redeemer in the seventh.

"We knew 3-4-5 was up and our coaches told us we had base runners every single inning," said Redeemer pitcher Anne Carter, who picked up the win on her third try against Lehman. "We had confidence in ourselves and knew we could do this. We just needed singles. We told each other yesterday we don't need home runs anymore. We need singles and that's how we'll win games."

Bella Boylan singled, Abby Williams walked and Kaylee Gryboski singled to load the bases with no outs. A run scored when Carter's flyball was misplayed, but then Lehman got two outs.

Slap hitter Mary Lombardi then kept Redeemer's hopes alive. Lombardi takes a few steps toward the pitcher while batting, with the idea of slapping the ball while in stride. She sent a grounder up the middle that was knocked down but produced two more runs.

"Mary had been doing fantastic slapping the ball," Paulukonis said. "Just hitting the ball in general. She has great speed and makes things happen."

Katie Genovese and Zoe Pecuch followed with more traditional singles to the outfield to make it 7-4 before a flyout ended the inning.

Lehman's Hannah Chipego started the bottom of the seventh with a blast over the left-center fence. Lucy Honeywell reached on an error with two outs, but a foul flyout ended the game.

In the four innings Lehman didn't score, it left three runners stranded on third and two more on second.

"We just left too many girls on base," Lehman coach Nicole Chipego said. "We couldn't get that key hit."

District 2 Class 3A Semifinals

Holy Redeemer 7, Lake-Lehman 5

Holy Redeemer'AB'R'H'BI

Genovese c'5'0'2'1

Pecuch 3b'5'1'2'1

Boylan cf'5'1'2'1

Williams ss'3'1'2'0

Gryboski 1b'4'1'2'1

Anne Carter p'3'1'0'0

Hayden rf'4'0'0'0

Stetz-Madden 2b'4'1'1'0

Lombardi lf'4'1'2'2

Totals'37'7'13'6

Lake-Lehman'AB'R'H'BI

Bucknavage cf'4'0'1'0

Chipego p'4'1'1'1

Finarelli c'3'0'2'0

Brudnicki ss'3'0'0'0

Honeywell 2b'3'1'1'0

Wallace lf'3'2'1'0

James rf'3'1'1'1

Yusko 1b'3'0'1'1

Shotwell pr'0'0'0'0

Makarewicz 3b'3'0'0'0

Totals'29'5'9'3

Holy Redeemer'101'000'5 — 7

Lake-Lehman'010'003'1 — 5

2B — Pecuch, Gryboski. HR — Chipego.

Holy Redeemer'IP'H'R'ER'BB'SO

Carter (W)'7'9'5'3'2'6

Lake-Lehman'IP'H'R'ER'BB'SO

Chipego (L)'7'13'7'4'1'10