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United Warriors break out against the WR Defenders

TURBOTVILLE – They travel in packs. Where one goes, others follow. Whatever they do, they enjoy doing it together.

And Wednesday, Montoursville hit together. Taking the cheer “everybody hits,” literally, the Warriors delivered 18 hits, at least one by every starter, as they thumped Warrior Run, 15-3, in six innings.

Montoursville (4-2, 4-2 HAC-II) scored three or more runs in four innings while producing its best offensive performance of the last few years.

“They are like a bunch of little sisters. They do everything together. Everybody sticks together no matter what,” Montoursville coach Mike Tate said. “You’ve heard the story before about teams where everybody hangs together and that is them. They win together, lose together and they don’t point fingers. Today, the whole team produced.”

Six players recorded multi-hit performances and pitcher Cayla Treaster (1 for 3, 3 RBIs) threw four no-hit innings as Montoursville took another step forward. A year after losing a series of close games and finishing 6-14, the Warriors are looking like a dangerous team that has turned productive practices into hits, runs and wins.

Montoursville scored at least five runs for a fifth consecutive game and is 4-1 during that span. Kourtney Phillips went 3 for 5 with a career-high five RBIs and Kelsey Stine went 3 for 3 with two RBIs, as Montoursville erupted early and took a 6-0 second-inning lead.

“I think we’re a good-hitting team. We’re doing better this year,” said Phillips, who had three RBIs in the first two innings. “I hope we take it into (Thursday’s) game, too.”

“We’ve been working hard at various speeds and we finally got the timing down,” Tate said. “We’re trying to work on getting some type of rhythm when we get up there and it’s been paying off the whole year.”

Six consecutive batters reached base in the first inning as Montoursville started strong and scored three runs. Lexi Marchioni (3 for 5, 3 runs) ignited the rally with a one-out single and Marlene Bassett capped it with an RBI single. Phillips produced the game’s first run with an RBI fielder’s choice and highlighted the three-run second inning with a two-run double to the left-field fence.

Montoursville never slowed down and had multiple hits in all but the fourth inning. The Warriors scored eight runs and collected 10 hits in their last two at-bats as seven players delivered at least one. Phillips had two RBI singles during that time and Janelle Konkle (2 for 4, 3 runs) hit a two-run double and Stine a two-run single.

Nos. 8-9 hitters Kim Foster (3 for 4) and Hanna Cioffi (2 for 4) drove the ball nearly every time up and sparked the sixth-inning flurry, revealing the team’s depth. Foster singled in her last three at-bats and Cioffi slammed an RBI double to the left-field fence in the sixth.

“They were swinging the bats well,” Warrior Run coach Garth Watson said. “It wasn’t what we did wrong, it was them smacking the ball around.”

“They were solid hits and that’s what we’ve been working on the most, getting the good part of the bat on the ball and trying to time things a little bit,” Tate said. “We’ve been using time mechanisms at practice and they are starting to come around as a team.”

Treaster mowed through Warrior Run’s lineup through the first four innings, striking out five and allowing no hits. The Defenders (2-5, 2-4) showed why they remain dangerous, scoring three times and belting seven hits over the last 1 1/3 innings. Warrior Run was down to its final out, trailing 11-0 in the fifth before producing four consecutive hits and scoring on a Laura Bastian RBI single and Lynn Vermilya RBI double.

Warrior Run continues showing promising moments like those a year after losing seven starters from a district championship team. The Defenders lost to undefeated Southern Columbia 2-0 in their previous game before hitting better yesterday. Now they are just trying to put everything together.

“There’s no quit in those kids,” Watson said. “I definitely like that, but we can’t wait until the fourth and fifth innings. We have to be ready to play right out of the gate.”

Montoursville is young, too, and starts just three seniors, Konkle, Cioff and standout shortstop Payton Lynch. The Warriors, though, understand the present looks as bright as the future. A unified team would like nothing more than building off yesterday’s performance and keeping this team together as long as possible.

“Today was really good for us,” Phillips said. “We really want to do well for the seniors. We do it all for the seniors.”

Montoursville331 044-15 18 2

Warrior Run000 021-3 7 0

Cayla Treaster and Kelsey Stine. Jackie Vogetz, Mikayla Griner (3) and Lynn Vermilya. W-Treaster, (4-2). L-Vognetz, (1-5).

Top Montoursville hitters: Lexi Marchioni 3-5, RBI, 3 R, 2 SB; Janelle Konkle 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R; Stine 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 R; Kourtney Phillips 3-5, 5 RBI; Treaster 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI; Kim Foster 3-4, 2 R; Hanna Cioffi 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R. Top Warrior Run hitters: Vermilya 2B, RBI; Griner 2-2, 2 2Bs, R; Laura Bastian 1-3, RBI.

Records: Montoursville 4-2, 4-2 HAC-II. Warrior Run 2-5, 2-4.

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