Loyalsock’s lineup has plenty of potential power throughout, even if it hasn’t necessarily shone through in the chilly early goings of the season. In Thursday’s 10-6 HAC-III win over Warrior Run at Short Park. The Lancers, however, reminded everyone the kind of fireworks display they can put on.

Kinsie Phillips and Lydia Kresock combined for four home runs as Loyalsock slugged their way to a 10-6 victory.

“Kenzie is a pure hitter. She’s at her best when she’s driving balls to left-center, staying back, and going the other way. She’s quick enough to turn on a fastball,it doesn’t matter who’s pitching, and she’s got great power. She’s a pure hitter,” Loyalsock coach Casey Walle said. “Then Lydia comes through with two home runs tonight. We hit off the machine yesterday, and the girls don’t love the pitching machine, but if you handle the machine and come out here and hit against live pitching, it pays off. I’m really happy for Lydia because she’s been working hard this year.”

Loyalsock put up three runs in the first inning and didn’t need the long ball to do it. Easton Waller led off the inning with a single up the middle and came around to score on a wild pitch. Then Maddie Wertz’s sacrifice groundout scored Shyla Fulp, and Kresock brought home Phillips on a sacrifice groundout of her own.

The Defenders got one back in the top of the second after Makenzie Heffner was driven in by Lydia Keener. But, Lancer starter Sophia Miller was able to work out of the jam with a big two-out two-on strikeout to end the threat.

“Sophie went out there and did a great job pitching. She was moving the ball up and down, in and out and she had a heck of a game pitching,” Waller said.

In the third, the Lancers had the first two in the order reach base, with Waller earning a hit by pitch and Fulp walking, to set up Phillips with two on and no out. Phillips took a 1-1 pitch in the upper part of the strike zone and deposited a fly ball over the centerfield wall for a three-run home run and a 6-1 Lancer lead.

“I know every time I have girls on, it’s just a matter of putting the ball in play. I was looking for one pitch to drive, got that inside pitch, and hit it up the middle,” Phillips said.

Two batters later, Kresock, a senior, hit the first home run of her career, hitting a two-strike pitch over the centerfield fence.

“I was kind of surprised, but I was really happy and excited. When I was rounding first, I was like, ‘wow, that actually just went out,'” Kresock said.

Kresock did much the same her next at-bat. In the bottom of the fourth, she came up with Maddie Wertz on first after a two-out walk. This time, Kresock hit a pitch to straightaway left field that just kept carrying and ended up clearing the wall for her second home run to put Loyalsock up, 9-1.

The Defenders didn’t go down without a fight, however. They scored two runs in the top of the fifth on a Skye Reigle RBI groundout after Phillips was put on the mound heading into the innings, and a wild pitch to cut the lead to 9-3. Then, in the sixth, they really got things going. A two-out bases-loaded single for Ella Pritzenhoff made it 9-4. And one batter later, Riegle hit an 0-2 pitch right back through the box for two more runs.

With runners on second and third, and the tying run on the plate, Coach Waller decided to go to Easton Waller in the circle. Waller delivered, getting a strikeout to end the threat. The sophomore struck out all four batters she faced on Thursday.

Phillips got back one of those runs with a towering shot to dead-center with two outs in the sixth, and Waller closed the game out with three straight strikeouts in the top of the seventh to improve the Lancers to 5-1.

Loyalsock 10, Warrior Run 6

Warrior Run 010 023 0 — 6 5 0

Loyalsock 304 201 x — 10 8 2

Lydia Keener, MacKenzie Heyler (3) and McKenna Forman. Sophia Miller, Kinsie Phillips (5), Easton Waller (6) and Shyla Fulp. W: Miller. L: Keener.

Top Warrior Run hitters: Ella Pritzenhoff 2-4, RBI, run; Skye Reigle 1-4, 3 RBIs. Top Loyalsock hitters: Kinsie Phillips 2-3, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, 3 runs; Lydia Kresock 2-3, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, 2 runs.