SCRANTON – Old Forge players did not need long to establish their presence in the second Field of Dreams – Lackawanna League Softball All-Star Rivas Game June 30 at the University of Scranton’s Magis Field.
Karen Sickle struck out three straight batters to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning, then Talia Piragas and Meghan Marianelli had hits to help fuel a six-run outburst in the bottom of the inning to send Team White on its way to a 16-2 romp over Team Purple.
Piragas led off the bottom of the inning with a single and scored the run that erased the only Team Purple lead. Marianelli’s two-run double to the fence in left-center field was the biggest hit of the inning.
As things turned out, it was just the start for the Old Forge trio and the Team White lineup as a whole.
Piragas finished 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
“As much as you’re here to have fun, you went to get the job done. We won pretty big,” Piragas said. “It’s such a great feeling to end my high school career off with a bang and being successful together.”
Piragas said she went to the game hoping to have fun turning some old rivals into new friends. But it was also special to lead the victory with her teammates from the District 2 champion and Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state Class A semifinalist Lady Devils.
“Karen pitched awesome,” Piragas said. “She pitched six innings, great. Meghan had a big hit, too.
“It’s great seeing my teammates be successful, even when we’re not playing Old Forge softball.”
The top of the first inning was the only part of the game that was not a breeze for Team White.
Sickle threw just two pitches before action was halted for a rain and lightning delay.
When play resumed, the first four Team Purple batters reached on two hits and two walks, producing a run and loading the bases.
Sickle put a stop to the Team White offense right there. Three runners were left standing where they were and the team only managed one unearned run the rest of the way.
“She’s insane,” said Piragas, who was in her usual spot, behind the plate, catching Sickle. “She does that all the time.
“She’s like a magician.”
Sickle gave up four hits and three walks total while striking out nine in her six innings. She retired 11 of the last 13 batters she faced and finished up with two straight strikeouts to end a 1-2-3 sixth.
Piragas singled and scored in the middle of an eight-run sixth.
Marianelli started at third base.
Sickle was 0-for-2 at the plate.
Players from Abington Heights, Dunmore, Honesdale, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mid Valley and West Scranton joined the Old Forge players on Team White. The team was coached by Dunmore’s Ryan Ferguson with Old Forge’s Pat Revello among his assistants.
Team Purple, coached by Joe Ross from Holy Cross, included players from Blue Ridge, Holy Cross, Mountain View, North Pocono, Riverside, Valley View, Wallenpaupack and Western Wayne.
Most Popular
Comments / 0