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Winter propels Lancers to win against Montoursville in softball

By Chris Masse 5 min read

Three times runners stood on base when Hannah Winter batted. Each time Winter delivered hits. Those were not nerve-wracking moments, but enjoyable ones.

The Loyalsock senior does not run from pressure. She embraces it. Her teammates did so, too, Tuesday and the Lancers repeatedly produced the timely hits which helped them break open a close game at rival Montoursville.

Winter went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, five players drove in runs and seven collected hits as Loyalsock defeated Montoursville, 9-1. The Lancers (9-3) scored five sixth-inning runs to open an eight-read lead and Marissa Helmrich threw a gutsy six-hitter, stranding 11 runners over the final six innings.

"I know pressure means a lot to people and one thing you can do help settle down in the box is take it all in and just really relax and let loose," Winter said. "It's a fun game and you'll get those timely hits and those hits will find holes. Those are the fun ones to get."

Loyalsock had a lot of fun in those situations and those good approaches and clutch hits made the game's biggest difference. While Helmrich held Montoursville (8-6) to an 0-for-12 outing with runners in scoring position, Loyalsock pounded out six hits in those spots. Winter hit singles both times she came up with runners in scoring position and Grace Shaible (2 for 5) and Mallory Rodarmel (2 for 4) each hit triples which generated three runs.

Following Saturday's loss at Central Columbia in a rematch of last year's district final, Loyalsock switched its lineup around and it paid dividends. That was especially true in the sixth inning when the Lancers totaled seven hits, including six in seven batters at one point.

"It was really nice to see everyone finally in unison and not just getting a few doinker hits here or there," Winter said. "We're coming together as a team."

"We were looking at the statistics and moved some kids around hoping we could get that bunch of hits together. We were hoping to get those hits together like we did today," Loyalsock coach Mark Godfrey said. "It was making those couple adjustments. The girls responded well. We had a really good practice (Monday) and came out and played a good game."

Montoursville did some good things as well. Mahlon Yonkin scattered four hits through the first five innings and struck out six. Center fielder Hannah Klotz made a super, face-first diving catch to rob Allyia Kennedy of a single and six players registered hits.

Actually, entering the sixth inning, Montoursville had out-hit Loyalsock. It wasn't about the hits through those first five innings, though. It was when those hits came.

Through those first five innings, Loyalsock belted three run-scoring hits, the first coming on Winter's second-inning, two-out RBI single after Natayah Abdul-Hakim plated the first run with an RBI grounder. The next came when Rodarmel hit a two-out RBI triple in the third to make it 3-0 and Anna Luxenberger's two-out RBI single made it 4-1 in the fifth. At that same point, Montoursville had gone 0 for 7 in similar situations.

Winter, Shaible and Rodarmel all had RBI hits in the sixth inning after Rylie French and Hailey Berkhiser (2 for 2) opened it with singles. Shaible's two-run triple went deep into the left-center field gap and she scored when the throw to third was off the mark, making it, 8-1.

"We did a lot of good things," Godfrey said. "We moved runners, we hit the ball and we ran the bases well from one through nine."

And while Loyalsock kept producing fires offensively, Helmrich kept putting them out in the pitching circle. After Helmrich opened the game by striking out the side, Montoursville put runners on base against her in each of the last six innings. Alexis Hartland singled in the third inning and scored from there on Klotz's RBI double a batter later but Helmrich did not surrender another run despite Montoursville constantly putting runners on base.

Over the final six innings, Helmrich left 11 runners on base. She struck out nine, relied on a defense which made no errors and continued showing that her toughness is equal to her talent.

"Marissa came up big. She regrouped and you see what she can do," Godfrey said. "That's the biggest thing the coaching staff is happy about is her guts."

Following Klotz's RBI double, Montoursville looked like it might pull within a run or tie the game because there were no outs. Instead, Helmrich came roaring back and closed the inning with a strikeout. She also did that in the fourth inning before, leaving two runners on base in each of the last three innings and inducing groundouts each time.

Montoursville never went away and Natalie Bennett opened the seventh inning with a single and Brianna Trueman followed with a walk. Winter then called a timeout from second base, relaxed Helmrich and the junior pitcher went back to work, retiring the next three batters and sealing the win.

"I have a bunch of confidence in the defense, especially when I'm pitching," Winter said. "I love to see the defense behind Marissa as well. We're really trying and playing with 100 percent effort."

Loyalsock 021 015 0--9 13 0

Montoursville 001 000 0--1 6 3

Marissa Helmrich and Grace Shaible. Mahlon Yonkin and Brianna Trueman. W: Winter, (6-2). L: Yonkin.

Top Loyalsock hitters: Hannah Winter 3-4, RBIs, run; Shaible 2-5, 3B, 2 RBIs, R; Anna Luxenberger 2-4, RBI, run; Mallory Rodarmel 2-4, 3B, 2 RBIs, run; Hailey Berkhiser 2-2, run; Rylie French 1-4, run; Helmrich 1-4. Top Montoursville hitters: Hannah Klotz 1-4, 2B, RBI; Natalie Bennett 1-3, SB; Johanna DeVore 1-2; Kelly Friel 1-3; Yonkin 1-3; Alexis Hartland 1-3; Jocelyn Jean 3 BBs.

Records: Loyalsock (9-3), Montoursville (8-6).

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