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Area teams set to make noise in District 4 softball postseason

By Chris Masse 11 min read

A year ago, Montgomery edged Bucktail 1-0 in a District 4 Class A semifinal thriller. Other than an extra-inning battle against Tri-Valley in its state tournament opener, Montgomery faced no tougher challenge during its seven-game state championship run.

And that says a lot about District 4. Survive this field and one has achieved quite a lot while giving itself a legitimate shot at the state's ultimate prizes. The following is a look at the four District 4 playoff fields.

Williamsport (12-8) again will go through District 2 in the 6A field and opens its title defense against Wilkes-Barre in the semifinals. The Millionaires started strong but faded some down the stretch. They and Hazleton have met in all but one of the last 11 championships and it would be surprising if they do not again.

District 4 Class AAAA

(4 teams, champion advances)

This is the most balanced field with all four teams being within two wins of each other. To understand how level the field is, three teams sat at No. 2 in the seedings at different times last week. Defending champion Shamokin defeated Jersey Shore in last year's final and those two square off again in the semifinals with Selinsgrove playing Montoursville in the other.

No. 2 Jersey Shore (11-9) played the district's most demanding schedule, with its opponents having the highest combined winning percentage. That experience paid dividends last weekend when the Bulldogs scored 24 runs and pounded out 37 hits in wins against Danville and Shikellamy. Jersey Shore has a deep lineup and both Isabelle Engel and Lynna Clark are reliable pitchers. Highlighting how the Bulldogs spread out the offense, lead-off hitter Grace Lorson homered against Danville and No. 9 hitter Rachel Lorson did the next day.

No. 3 Shamokin (13-7) surges into the playoffs, after scoring 31 runs in their last two wins against playoff qualifiers Midd-West and Central Columbia. Shamokin is hitting a collective .345 and has hit 13 home runs. The Indians showed off their firepower and resiliency in Friday's 15-14 win against Central Columbia, rallying from a 10-0 fifth inning deficit and producing 14 hits.

Top-seeded Montoursville (13-6) split two games with Shamokin and is seeking its first championship since 2002. The Warriors won seven of their last eight games and have a quality pitching tandem in Mahlon Yonkin and Jocelyn Jean. Despite losing standout shortstop Kayleigh Sheleman to a season-ending injury, the Warriors have received production throughout the order and are hitting .345. Brianna Trueman and Nevaeh Montoya both have topped 20 RBIs and Natalie Bennett is batting .448. Yonkin went over 100 strikeouts in her last start and has a 1.72 ERA.

Tournament sleeper--Selinsgrove: Truthfully, there is no sleeper in this field because everyone feels like an equal title threat, but since the Seals are the No. 4 seed, we will give them that title. The Seals swept two games from Jersey Shore, beat Shamokin, 6-3 two weeks ago and finished third in the rugged HAC-I. Alison Beddall is hitting .406 with three home runs and 19 RBIs and pitcher Kiersten Dupert is 8-6 with a 3.29 ERA and 77 strikeouts.

Class AAA

(7 teams, finalists advance)

Lewisburg captured last year's championship and then reached the state final. Two years ago, Central Columbia reached the Final Four, so this almost always is a deep, talented field and this year is no different. Top-seeded North Penn-Liberty (19-0) is enjoying its best season ever and is the lone team to receive a bye into the semifinals.

The Mounties await the winner of Midd-West at Mifflinburg. No. 5 Midd-West has enjoyed a resurgent season and finished second to Loyalsock in the HAC-III. Midd-West opened the season 8-1 and four starters are hitting .356 or higher. Pitchers Miley Beachel and Lorna Oldt have combined for 103 strikeouts.

North Penn-Liberty captured its first NTL championship and returns most of its starters from last year's semifinalist. The Mounties highlighted their season with a 1-0 win against 5A Central Mountain and rallied late the next day to beat surging Troy, 5-4. Pitcher Mackenzi Tice is 16-0 with 1.17 ERA and 156 strikeouts. Six starters are hitting above .300 and McKenna Lightner has 12 extra-base hits.

On the other side of the bracket, HAC-III champion Loyalsock (17-3) earned the No. 2 seed and hosts Towanda. The Lancers have won eight straight games and loaded their schedule with tough non-conference opponents, defeating Williamsport, Jersey Shore and Holy Redeemer late in the season, in addition to Abington Heights last month. Loyalsock features a nice blend of speed and pop and several hitters have done damage throughout the season. Katie Ryder is a weapon in center field, Natayah Abdul-Hakim is among the area's RBI leaders and pitcher Marissa Helmrich threw a no-hitter in a 10-0 win against Warrior Run last Thursday.

No. 7 Towanda (10-9) rallied from a midseason slump to reach the playoffs and has one of the field's most dangerous hitters in Brea Overpeck. She is hitting .548 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs. Four other starters are hitting .333 or higher.

The Towanda-Loyalsock winner faces either No. 3 Central Columbia or No. 6 Warrior Run. Central (14-6) can score runs in bunches and three-year starters Alyx Flick, Emmie Rowe and Payton Crawford are strong hitters with lots of big-game experience. The Blue Jays are seeking their third straight finals appearance.

Warrior Run (10-10) played Central tough last month and the game was tied 8-8 in the seventh before the Blue Jays pulled away for a 14-8 win. The Defenders are one of the field's youngest teams, starting four freshmen and have made a five-win improvement from last season. Abby Evans is hitting .517 and freshman pitcher Mackenzie Heyler has won 10 games.

Tournament sleeper--Mifflinburg: Whether it is Midd-West or Mifflinburg, North Penn-Liberty will be playing a challenging opponent in the semifinals. Mifflinburg (10-9) captured the HAC-II championship and swept two league games from Central. Freshman pitcher Taylor Stewart has 104 strikeouts and Evelyn Osborne has hit four home runs.

Best quarterfinal--Midd-West at Mifflinburg: Midd-West one the first time these teams played, 9-8 and that game featured 25 hits while going back and forth. Expect another close one in the rematch.

Player to watch--Shyla Fulp, Loyalsock: The freshman has come on strong late this season and is 8 for 10 in her last four games. In consecutive victories last week, Fulp went 4 for 5, hitting for the cycle and homering against Warrior Run.

Class AA

(8 teams, finalists advance)

This looks like another loaded field with all teams having won at least 12 games and, with the addition of Cowanesque Valley, including three district finalists from a year ago. Making the quarterfinals, especially interesting is that three of the four games feature league rivals playing each other.

Top-seeded South Williamsport is the playing in the only game without league opponents when it hosts No. 8 East Juniata. The Tigers have heated up at the perfect time, winning their last five games and outscoring their opponents, 49-3. Brenna Watts has a team-high 21 RBIs and has 61 strikeouts in 61 innings.

South (16-2) played eight games the past two weeks, going 7-1 and its lone loss was in extra innings against Central Mountain. The Mounties defeated Jersey Shore, 15-2 Thursday and played with a lot of intensity that entire game. South also has quality wins against Bellefonte, Loyalsock and Williamsport has seven starters are back from last year's champion. South features several offensive threats and when they click together, they are particularly dangerous.

The EJ-South winner will play either No. 4 Wyalusing or No. 5 Troy in the semifinals. Wyalusing (13-6) played in four straight finals from 2017-21 and reached the semifinals last year. The Rams split two games with Troy and also defeated defending District 2 champion Holy Cross. Pitcher Jenelle Johns has 109 strikeouts.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Muncy hosts Mid-Penn rival Northwest. Muncy (19-1) reached last year's final and captured the Mid-Penn Crown, while winning its last 13 games. Nolah Moyer has struck out 214 batters and the offense has been consistent, especially down the stretch. Shortstop Casey Fry has scored a program record 87 career runs, Alaina Brelsford has provided pop toward the bottom of the order and Chevelle Bauman had some big RBIs in close wins. The Indians finished the regular season with good non-conference wins at Mifflinburg and Lewisburg.

Northwest (13-7) reached last year's semifinals and played South tough there, losing 4-0. The Rangers are streaking into the playoffs, having won eight straight games while playing their best softball this season.

The Northwest-Muncy winner plays either Cowanesque Valley or Northeast Bradford. No. 3 CV (16-3) has won nine straight games and has a solid core back from last year's District 4 Class A finalist. Four different pitchers have won games for CV and Ashley Woodring and Ruby Sherman help spark an offense which has topped 10 runs in six consecutive games. No. 6 NEB (13-6) held a one-run lead against South Williamsport last week before the Mounties rallied for a 10-5 win and is hitting a collective .327. The Panthers feature just one senior starter and have two players with 20 RBIs.

Tournament sleeper--Troy: The Trojans may have the field's most powerful offense, having hit 14 home runs in their last eight games and have the firepower to hang with anyone. Troy has won five of its last six games with the lone loss coming against undefeated North Penn-Liberty. The Trojans also held a big lead against Central Mountain before the Wildcats rallied for an 11-8 win and scored 20 runs in a doubleheader split with Midd-West.

Best quarterfinal--NEB at CV: Tuesday will be the sixth time these NTL-II rivals have met the last two seasons. NEB swept the regular season series a year ago, but CV won the district semifinal, 4-0. They split two games this year, so it feels like anything goes here between teams who know each other so well.

Player to watch--Izzy Gush, Muncy: The senior second baseman forms a strong tandem with Fry atop the lineup and in the middle infield. She has sparked Muncy's offense from the lead-off spot the last three years and went 3 for 3 the first time Muncy played Northwest last month.

Class A

(5 teams, champion advances)

After coming so close to toppling Montgomery last year, Bucktail earned the top seed and has a quality blend of veterans as well as exciting freshmen. The Bucks (14-4) finished second to Muncy in the Mid-Penn and made a big statement when they blanked Class AAAA Jersey Shore, 1-0 at midseason. Makenzie Wagner is a three-year starter who is hitting .619 while also striking out 67 in 57 1/3 innings. Bucktail starts four freshmen and all are hitting .420 or higher.

The Bucks could see Montgomery again in the semifinals. The Red Raiders host No. 5 Sullivan County Tuesday with the winner facing Bucktail. St. John Neumann vaulted Montgomery last week for the No. 3 seed but Montgomery swept that season series and showcased its potential in a 3-2 loss at Muncy. Like Bucktail, Montgomery is loaded with young talent and produced 14 hits in a regular-season finale 14-11 loss against No. 2 Canton. Freshman Zoe Furman has enjoyed a big debut season as has Madisyn Miller and Sloan Wooten, the lone returning starter from last year's state champion, provides a boost from the lead-off spot.

Canton (12-8) held its own in a fiercely competitive NTL and has wins against NEB and Towanda as well as a one-run loss against North Penn-Liberty. The Warriors can swing it and had 16 hits in that Montgomery victory. Molly Ward went 4 for 5 with a home run and double in that game and Mae Kinner has been a strong run producer all season. Pitcher Keri Wesneski is a three-year starter and threw a shutout at Montgomery last season.

Neumann (11-8) is having its best season ever, setting the program record for wins while reaching the semifinals for the first time. The Knights have made enormous strides the past two years, making five-win improvements each time. Neumann is in the playoffs for just the third time and first time since 2017 and it has been a team effort with it getting production throughout the order. Gigi Parlante is hitting .561 and seniors Brianna Lisi and Lily Reid have combined for 34 RBIs. The Knights closed their regular season with an impressive 7-6 win against a Southern Columbia team two days removed from thumping Warrior Run.

Tournament sleeper--Montgomery: While Bucktail twice defeated it by 10 runs, Montgomery cannot be overlooked. Chris Glenn's teams traditionally play their best at the right time and, with them being underdogs, the Red Raiders are playing with house money.

Dr. Masse's Top 5

RANKINGS

1. North Penn-Liberty (19-0); 2. Central Mountain (14-3); 3. South Williamsport (16-2); 4. Loyalsock (17-3); 5. Muncy (19-1)

Players of the Week

Lizzie Weller, Neumann and

Alizabeth Schuler, South

Weller enjoyed what could be a decent season in just one week. The junior dual threat went a ridiculous 12 for 12 in four games, hitting for the cycle against Millville. She also slammed a home run, four doubles, three triples, drove in eight runs and scored eight times.

Oh yeah, she also struck out 30 in three starts, going 3-0. Schuler was equally effective at the plate and in the circle.

The sophomore went 10 for 14 with four home runs, a double and 10 RBIs. She also earned the win against Jersey Shore and a save against NEB, closing her week with hits in six straight at-bats.

Starting at /week.