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Spartans trying to end playoff drought

Hughesville played against Muncy last Saturday morning, but the work started well before the 11 a.m. first pitch.

This was, “Strikeout Cancer Day,” and Hughesville players wanted everything just right. They delivered, too. The Spartans drew a good crowd, raised a lot of money and honored outfielder Lilly Houseknecht’s uncle Tim Kramer, a cancer survivor who threw out the first pitch.

Hughesville then went out and defeated Muncy, 9-1, hoping what it starts is a playoff push. The Spartans (5-8) are seeking their first playoff berth since 2011 and play their last five games at home, four in which they could be labeled favorites. Whatever happens, Hughesville is fighting the good fight and growing better as players and people.

“What they did for the game (Saturday) is great. That was led by Emily Watts and Shayna Ragan, our senior captains and all the players,” Hughesville coach Dave Dimoff said. “This was a great example of Spartan pride and how the students at Hughesville work really hard on and off the field. I can’t be more proud of how they play and what they do off the field for the community.”

What Hughesville is trying to for themselves and their community now is end a seven-year playoff drought. The Spartans have made nice strides in Dimoff’s two years and made a furious late-season push last year, winning four of five games following a 5-9 start and having a shot at clinching the elusive berth on the regular-season’s final day. Eventual District 4 Class AAAA champion Shikellamy prevented Hughesville from clinching, but the Spartans know from that experience what is possible.

They also know how close they are this season to having a much different record. Hughesville has lost four walk-off games by one run, including to Class AA title contender South Williamsport. Reverse those outcomes and Hughesville is 9-5. Split them and it is .500.

The point is, Hughesville knows what it can do. It is a few hits, a few plays from being in a much different position. But that is behind Hughesville. They cannot fix the past, but the Spartans can make their future. Play its best these next six games and Hughesville will be right where it wants.

“If we keep it together and play like we know how to play and just do routine plays and play good softball we have really good chance to turn the season around,” shortstop Megan Ryder said after going 4 for 4 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs against Muncy. “We definitely progressed a lot from past seasons. I look forward to coming in every day and hearing people say, ‘wow, you’ve made a change throughout the season.’ These girls put in a lot of work to change it.”

From 2013-16, Hughesville never won more than six games in a season. Things started changing last season as Hughesville was more competitive against some of the area’s better teams and defeated NTL-I champion Wellsboro late in the season to fuel their playoff push.

Hughesville has talent and good coaching, but more goes into changing a culture than just those qualities. The Spartans have to believe they can do that and are crossing that threshold.

Hughesville struck out cancer Saturday. Now it is trying to wipe out this playoff drought.

“I truly believe that they’re on board and they believe they can do it. We learned from last year. We came up short in that Shikellamy game in the last game of season and finished 9-11 and we came up short a couple times this season but you just try and build on it,” Dimoff said. “We’re trying to make the adjustments and I can’t ask for a better group of kids. They are a great group of kids on and off the field.”

CRUZ CONTROL

Nobody could have blamed Loyalsock pitcher Juliana Cruz if she snapped last Tuesday against South Williamsport. The Lancers made seven errors behind her over the first six innings and South took a 4-1 lead.

Chaos seemed to surround Cruz, but she never broke and never let negative emotions take over. She kept battling and gave Loyalsock a shot at coming back. The Lancers did so in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six times and defeating the Mounties, 7-4. The win kept Loyalsock (9-4) just one game out of first place in the HAC-III and revealed as much about Cruz’s character as her talent.

“A lot of credit to Jules. She’s a competitor. She kept throwing strikes and even though her defense wasn’t helping her she found a way to get some outs and that’s the most important thing,” Loyalsock coach Tom O’Malley said. “She kept us right there. That’s what you have to do. She maintained her composure and came out there and held them at bay. That was impressive.”

Cruz has been especially impressive the last three games, allowing just one earned run. The junior left-hander threw a two-hit shutout against Hughesville, combined with Katie Welker on a three-inning perfect game against Southern Columbia and limited South to six hits.

“She has been so good this season about not letting any errors get to her,” shortstop Sam Stopper said. “She just keeps throwing strikes and that’s what she has to do. She has done really well with that and helped us a lot.”

SURGING SULLIVAN

Winning and Sullivan County softball were not synonymous throughout the 2000s. The Griffins never won more four games in a season this decade and had not made the playoffs in more than 20 years. The 2018 Griffins have broken both droughts in a big way. Sullivan went 4-0 last week, highlighting its surge with a thrilling 7-6 win at CMVT, and clinched a playoff berth. The Griffins (11-3) have won five straight games and are tied for first with CMVT in the Mid-Penn.

Sullivan is bashing its way upward, hitting .385 and scoring at least nine runs in all but three of its games. Coach Brian Heisman is receiving production from every player in his lineup and pitcher Madison Burke has won 10 games.

EXTRA BASES

St. John Neumann pitcher Anne Weller threw a four-inning perfect game in Saturday’s 15-0 win against Sugar Valley. Weller struck out seven and threw 40 of her 50 pitches for strikes. She also hit a home run and scored three times … Speaking of strong pitching performances, Montoursville freshman MacKenzie Weaver is starting to consistently deliver them. Weaver threw 4-hitters in big wins against Mifflinburg and Central Columbia, surrendering just three runs. She also had two hits in those games and a key sacrifice fly in the 2-1 Central victory. Teammate Kaitlyn Klotz went 3 for 3 with three RBIs against Mifflinburg … Emily Snyder struck out eight and Saige Whipple had two hits, including a double, as Montgomery (5-5) continued its playoff push and defeated Bucktail, 7-6 … Muncy is one of the area’s youngest teams but has made nice strides, winning three of its last five games. Jen Frederick, Kassidi Lenhart, Makenna Snyder, Rory Oden and Annabelle Bergey all had two hits in an 11-9 win against Canton … South Williamsport’s Emily Hennigan closed her week with a flourish, going 4 for 6 and driving in four runs. Hennigan hit two triples and also homered in a 10-0 win against Southern Columbia … Wellsboro (8-6) is looking dangerous again and has won five of its last six games. The Green Hornets defeated 2017 District 4 Class AAA finalist North Penn-Liberty 5-4 as Tiana Lecker went 3 for 3 with an RBI. Two days earlier, sophomore Ryann Adams went 4 for 4 with three RBIs in a 9-4 win at Troy.

Dr. Masse’s Top 5 Softball Teams

1. Jersey Shore (12-0)

The district’s last undefeated team, Jersey Shore is two wins from clinching no worse than a share of the HAC-I championship. The Bulldogs are one game ahead of Central Mountain which held a 2-1 fourth inning lead against them in a game suspended due to rain last Thursday. A one-run deficit will not faze a team that has topped 10 runs 10 times in 12 games. Coach Randy Smith has dangerous threats he can bring off the bench and there really is no time an opposing pitcher can rest against this team. Six players delivered multi-hit performances in Friday’s 11-4 win at Selinsgrove and center fielder Heather Mayes is heating up. She sparked a rally against Central Mountain with a single and added a hit, RBI and run a day later. Lexi Schuler improved to 6-0 and Kylie Russell (5-0) threw a 4-hitter in a 4-1 win at Shikellamy.

2. Warrior Run (12-1)

Central Columbia snapped Warrior Run’s 11-game winning streak last Wednesday. That, though, might prove beneficial. The Defenders seemed refocused Friday, scored four first-inning runs and held off a late South Williamsport rally in a hard-fought 5-3 win. Shortstop Haley Miller led the way, going 3 for 3 with a double and three RBIs. The four-year starter is having her best season. Miller is hitting .575 with a home run, five doubles, 16 RBIs and 17 runs.

3. Loyalsock (9-4)

Defense has been a sore spot for Loyalsock, but it often has the offense to overcome those mistakes. The Lancers are hitting a collective .437 and have 10 home runs. Just imagine how dangerous they can be if the defense performs well down the stretch and in the playoffs.

“If we can get rid of those errors it’s going to make us even better because if we can win with seven errors that shows something,” said Stopper who has an area-high 29 RBIs and three home runs. “We never gave up even though we had that many errors.”

4. Williamsport (7-4)

The Millionaires battered Shikellamy, 13-3 in five innings, pounding out 17 hits and winning on freshman Emma Dickey’s walk-off home run. It might have made a bigger statement, though, in defeat, dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker to undefeated Mifflin County. The Huskies (10-0) have battered most of their opponents but Williamsport outhit them, 8-3. Skyler Colarusso combined with Avery Eiswerth on that 3-hitter and the senior is having a strong season, going 4-0 while leading the team in hitting with a .448 average. Colarusso struck out eight against Shikellamy and also went 3 for 3 with three doubles, three RBIs and two runs. Williamsport hosts an eight-team tournament this weekend, facing Berwick Friday under the Elm Park lights. It could cross paths with state power Holy Redeemer Saturday.

5. Lewisburg (9-2)

A program that lost 57 straight games from 2011-14 entered Monday’s contest against Milton with a chance to clinch its first playoff berth in more than 20 years. It has been a remarkable turnaround for Lewisburg which already has more than doubled last year’s win total. Sisters Katie and Kara Koch are making the most of their one year playing high school softball together and are key to the resurgence. Katie went 4 for 4 with a home run, double and three RBIs in Saturday’s 6-5 win against Shamokin and Kara was 2-3 with a double and RBI. Both also had two hits in a 9-7 loss against Mifflinburg.

Players of the Week

Quincy Fry and Mykenzie Malacusky, Sullivan County

The Griffin teammates formed a dynamic duo, hurting opponents with their offense and speed. Fry went 8 for 17 with a home run, six RBIs, seven runs and five stolen bases. She had three hits Saturday when Sullivan erased a 5-1 deficit against Sayre. Malacuksy went 7 for 15 with four doubles, four RBIs and six stolen bases. She also earned her first win against Neumann. Fry and Malacusky have driven in 29 runs and both are hitting above .370.

Game of the Week

Loyalsock at Warrior Run

The scenario is simple Tuesday. If Warrior Run completes a season sweep of the Lancers, it captures the HAC-III championship. A Loyalsock win and the two teams are tied for first. The Defenders took Round 1 last month when Madi Waltman struck out 11 in a 7-1 win. Warrior Run snapped a six-game losing streak against the Lancers that day, but here is thinking Round 2 will be a much closer game.

Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

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