Grace Shaible used her first two at-bats as learning experiences Wednesday at Elm Park. She walked, flied out and remembered all the pitches she had seen.

Then Shaible showed off what she learned and broke open a close game.

Shaible lined an RBI single and smashed a three-run double in the fifth and sixth innings, driving in four runs as Loyalsock pulled away and defeated Montgomery, 9-1, in Week 5 of the Elm Park Town League summer season. Winning pitcher Hanna Winter and Marissa Helmrich combined on a one-hitter and nine Loyalsock players reached base and/or drove in a run as Loyalsock improved to 4-1.

“The first two at-bats I knew she was throwing a lot of rise pitches so I was trying to lay off that and get one low in the zone,” Shaible said. “The last two at-bats I really saw the ball down and was able to get good swings on them.”

Shaible produced a lot of good swings throughout her 2019 freshman campaign, helping Loyalsock capture the HAC-III championship and win 18 games. She seemed poised to become one of the area’s premier players last spring until the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season before it began.

She cannot get her spring season back, but Shaible can make the most of this new opportunity and has done just that. After playing right field as a freshman, Shaible has caught throughout the summer and again has been one of the team’s most consistent producers offensively and defensively.

“I’m just happy to do what is best for the team,” Shaible said. “It’s another opportunity to play together. We play travel ball and things like that but it’s different when you play with the girls you go to school with. I really enjoy doing that.”

Loyalsock enjoyed the pitching it received as well. Winter threw four innings of one-hit softball and did not allow an earned run before Helmirch earned the three-inning save, surrendering no hits and striking out eight. After Helmrich left the bases loaded in the sixth by striking out the side for a second consecutive inning, Shaible highlighted a five-run rally which made it 9-1.

Kathryn Schluter, Winter opened the inning with singles, Helmrich and Jocelyn Cruz walked and Shaible drilled her bases-clearing double into the right-center field gap. Mallory Rodarmel capped the rally with a sacrifice fly.

“This is great for the kids, especially for the girls who don’t play travel ball,” Loyalsock coach Mark Godfrey said. “They get to go out and do something and you get to build some team unity and work on different things.”

Like most coaches in the 16-team league, Loyalsock and Montgomery are focusing on experience and not wins this summer. Victories are a bonus. The primary goal, however, is learning more each game and developing the chemistry that COVID-19 has tried weakening.

Both teams are learning well and both produced several positives last night. For Loyalsock that included a lineup featuring players who were all underclassmen last spring showing excellent balance. After Faith Persing tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning, Rodarmel and Allyia Kennedy opened the bottom of the inning with back-to-back triples before Hailey Berkheiser added an RBI grounder, making it 4-1.

“We have a good core of kids and we’re approaching it the way I approached junior high,” Godfrey said. “Everybody is going to play and get at-bats and time in the field. That’s why we’re here. It’s all about development.”

Montgomery coach Chris Glenn liked the development he saw from Persing who likely would have pitched a lot last spring as a sophomore. One of the area’s top hitters in 2019, Persing has the tools to become just as good in the circle and struck out six Loyalsock hitters.

Persing has good velocity and also is learning to spot and mix her pitches better, too. She did not allow an earned run through three innings and the only hit Loyalsock had at that point was an infield single. It was another step forward with an eye toward 2021.

“Faith has been working hard and putting in a lot of time pitching. We were working a lot tonight on those things she’s been working on,” Montgomery coach Chris Glenn said. “I like what I saw. I think she’s going to be pretty good by the time we come around in the spring again. She’s working on movement and it’s coming. It’s just a matter of getting more experience and this is the perfect setting for that.”

Montgomery 000 100 0-1 1 2

Loyalsock 100 215 x-9 8 1

W-Hanna Winter. L-Faith Persing. SV-Marissa Helmrich.

Top Montgomery hitter: Persing 1-3, RBI, SB. Top Loyalsock hitters: Grace Shaible 2-3, 2B, BB, 4 RBIs; Mallory Roadarmel 1-2, 3B, RBI, run; Allyia Kennedy 1-3, 3B, RBI, run; Kathryn Schluter 1-3, run; Winter 1-3, run; Jocelyn Cruz 2 BB, 3 runs, 2 SB.