Palmerton a big hit
Megan Green ties single-season Bombers home run record with her 11th
The last time the Colonial League softball quarterfinals were held, Palmerton beat Wilson behind the pitching of Lexi Merkel who tossed a one-hitter with 15 strikeouts in a 2-0 win on May 11, 2019.
Two years and a few days later, the Blue Bombers again blanked the Warriors, 8-0, in a Colonial League quarterfinal at Patriots Park.
This time Merkel was a spectator in the stands cheering on Palmerton on Friday night, especially freshman pitcher Carly Gaffney, who picked up where Merkel left off two years ago.
Gaffney tossed a two-hitter and struck out 10 in her first postseason appearance.
Palmerton (18-3) had 11 hits, including an over-the-fence home run by Megan Green and an inside-the-park race around the bases by Alyssa Silliman. Gaffney had three hits.
It was a well-rounded performance that sends the No. 3-seeded and defending champion Blue Bombers back into the semifinals where they will face No. 2 Bangor at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Patriots Park.
“We keep telling the kids that this is
the time of year you wait for,” Palmerton coach Bob Hock said after his team won its eighth straight game. “You want to play into late May and into June and if you do, you know you’re having a great season.”
Wilson (10-11) was a surprise entry into the six-team league tournament, winning three in a row and five of six down the stretch to earn the sixth seed.
But the Warriors, who lost to Palmerton 12-2 on April 19, didn’t have a baserunner until Mikayla Smith doubled with two out in the fourth. The only other Wilson hit was a bunt single by Katelyn Kram in the sixth.
“I wasn’t really that nervous because I knew I had my defense behind me,” Gaffney said. “If anything happened, I knew they were going to back me up and I knew our bats were going to be on. I was just excited.”
Gaffney was especially excited when Green was intentionally walked ahead of her in the fourth and she foiled Wilson’s strategy with an RBI single to right.
“I get excited because they just walked her and they shouldn’t have done it,” Gaffney said. “I felt pretty good and just had fun.”
It wasn’t the first time Green has been intentionally walked.
“It seems to happen a lot,” said Green. “I was intentionally three times by Southern Lehigh after I put together a couple of hits. I am a little down when I get intentionally walked, but I know Carly is always there to back me up.”
Green’s home run in the third inning was her 11th this season and tied her with Colleen Hahn for the single-season mark set in 1991. Green remains one shy of the all-time school mark of 16.
Had not the entire 2020 season been taken away from her by the pandemic, she would already own all Palmerton home run records. She is eager to make up for lost time.
“I didn’t really have the spirit at first to try for a record after losing last season, but now it’s a goal,” she said.
Winning another league championship is another goal, but it won’t be easy to get to the finals considering Bangor is 17-1 and on a 17-game winning streak. One of those wins was a 5-1 victory over Palmerton on April 23.
“We have to play with really high intensity,” Green said. “Once we step on the field we’re going to need that mindset that we’re going to string together a bunch of hits and play a great game.” Green has faith in Gaffney.
“She’s doing extremely well, playing at a high level, and it’s crazy what’s she’s doing being so well,” Green said.
Hock said that everyone feeds off a senior leader like Green.
“She likes to show off her arm and her bat and she got to do that tonight with a home run and a pickoff at first,” Hock said. “
Hock said the first meeting with Bangor was closer than it appeared.
“It was 1-1 in the sixth and we were battling and we got snuffed in the top of the sixth inning by a great defensive play and then Sarah Harvat hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth to put them ahead and they tacked on a couple more,” Hock said. “Our kids really want another title badly. The seniors remember two years ago and they brought the younger kids along and they have responded.”
Southern Lehigh slams Notre Dame
In the second game Friday night at Patriots Park, Southern Lehigh (12-7) sent 11 hitters to the plate in the top of the first inning and jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back in beating Notre Dame-Green Pond 18-2 in a game shortened to four innings by the mercy rule.
All of the Southern Lehigh runs came with two out.
Morghan Davies had a two-run double to get it started. Emily Schlegel, Morgan Benner, Mikaela Benner and Rylee Hobel all singled in runs, and Hannah Bausher doubled in a run.
The Spartans will play No. 1 seed Northwestern Lehigh at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday. The tournament finals are slated for 5 p.m. Thursday, also at Patriots Park.
Southern Lehigh added 10 more runs in the fourth. Morgan Benner had a three-run triple and Moravian College recruit Holly Walter spanked a threerun home run.
Caitlyn Frederick doubled and scored the Crusaders first run on Haley Nedo’s single in the first.