LEHMAN TWP. — Gabby Starr, the center fielder for Berwick, made two amazing catches in the fifth inning, preventing Lake-Lehman from getting hits.
However, Lucy Honeywell ensured that she would not be another victim of theft by hitting a two-run home run to initiate Lehman’s comeback in a 9-7 win in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 softball game on Thursday.
Lehman (5-1 Div. 2, 9-1 overall) remained at the top of the standings while Berwick dropped to 3-1 in the division and 6-2 overall.
“We played these guys last year and we knew what it was going to take to battle with them,” said Berwick coach Emily Johnson. “And we battled. If we could redo a couple of plays here and there, there is a strong possibility of a different outcome in the end.”
Berwick took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth by scoring four times. Starr delivered two runs with a double while a sacrifice fly by Casey Corro and a single by Alyssa Lewis brought in the first two runs.
In the bottom of the fifth, Lehman’s Hannah Chipego hit a deep ball to center that Starr caught while crashing into the fence. After Kirsten Finarelli walked, Starr made another catch deep in the left-center gap for the second out.
Honeywell then hit a two-run homer to right-center to tie the score 4-4. Gracie James then walked and managed to score all the way from first base due to an error. Janaya Yusko singled in the final run for a 6-4 lead.
“I knew that was going to be the trigger,” said Honeywell, “because we were a little flat — I’m not going to lie — coming out of the gate. During warmups, we were a little lacking.
“But when I hit that and we tied it, I thought this is the beginning. People get on and that’s what happens. I’m just proud of my team.”
Honeywell wasn’t finished. She hit a three-run homer to left-center in the sixth to extend the lead to 9-4, giving her a six RBI game.
The Black Knights needed Honeywell’s final homer as Berwick used RBI singles by Starr and Emma Walsh to cut the deficit to 9-7. Chipego, however, got a strikeout — her 11th — to end the game.
Lehman scored two runs in the first, with one coming from an RBI single by Honeywell and the other when Kaitlyn Brudnicki scored on a wild pitch after a strike three call. Otherwise, the bats didn’t do much until the fifth against Berwick starter Makayla Brown.
“I really don’t think there was any sort of trickery there (on the pitches),” said Lehman coach Nicole Chipego. “I think we weren’t being aggressive enough at the plate. I think that first pitch was a strike and we were waiting back while she was moving it around a bit.”
Lake-Lehman 9, Berwick 7
Berwick`AB`H`R`BI
Cotto rf-cf`2`1`0`1
Lewis ss`3`2`1`1
Starr cf-p`3`1`2`3
Walsh c`4`0`1`1
Berlin lf`4`0`0`0
Brown p`4`0`0`0
Yankoswsky 3b`2`1`1`0
Savoy 1b`3`1`1`0
Hunter 2b`2`1`1`0
Siegel rf`1`0`0`0
Totals`28`7`7`6
Lehman`AB`R`H`BI
Bucknavage cf`4`0`1`0
Chipego`3`1`2`0
Finarelli c`0`3`0`0
Brudnicki ss`4`1`0`0
Honeywell 2b`4`2`3`6
James rf`2`1`0`0
Makarewicz 3b`4`1`0`0
Yusko 1b`3`0`2`1
Shotwell pr`0`0`0`0
Wallace lf`3`0`0`0
Totals`27`9`8`7
Berwick`000`040`3 — 7
Lake-Lehman`200`043`x — 9
2B — Starr, Chipego. HR — Honeywell 2.
Berwick`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Brown (L)`5`6`6`4`4`7
Starr`1`2`3`3`2`0
Lake-Lehman`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Chipego (W)`7`7`7`6`2`11
