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Rivals Wellsboro and North Penn-Mansfield and North Penn-Liberty battled it out in NTL Large School Division baseball and softball action on Monday, April 9. Wellsboro topped North Penn-Mansfield in baseball while North Penn-Liberty edged Wellsboro in softball.

Wellsboro 17, North Penn-Mansfield 0

After struggling in their last game against Troy with just two hits, the Wellsboro Varsity Baseball team pounded out 13 hits en route to a 17-0 win over rival North Penn-Mansfield on Monday, April 9.

The game was originally supposed to be played in Wellsboro, but unplayable field conditions forced the game over to Mansfield. The change had no effect on the Hornets.

The Hornets led off with an early run as Johnny Rowland reached on an error then stole a base to move in to scoring position. After back-to-back singles by Caleb Tennis and Cam Tennis, Rowland scored to make it 1-0.

Later in the third the Hornets went on a 10-run scoring barrage to blow the game wide open. Senior Dalton Prough led off the inning with a single and came around to score to make it 2-0. Billy Lechler, Caleb Tennis, Cam Tennis, Carson Davis, Taynton Repard, and Silas Wagaman all scored before Lechler sent a shot over the fence on a three-run home run scoring himself, Prough, and Rowland to make it 11-0.

Wellsboro picked up where they left off in the fourth as Prough led off with another single and Rowland drew a walk. A base hit by Lechler loaded the bases for Caleb Tennis. Tennis hit his first career grand slam to empty the bases and give Wellsboro a 17-0 lead and win in four innings.

“It was a tighter game than what the score shows,” said Wellsboro head coach Philip Prough. “We took advantage of it and when you beat your rival it’s a good thing. We told the kids to expect a tight game (because of the cold). We figured Hillson would throw, he throws hard, he throws good, he just didn’t get a lot of help behind him.”

Caleb Tennis went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead Wellsboro while Prough and Lechler each went 3-for-4. Cam Tennis finished 2-for-4, Jacob Trowbridge was 1-for-2 and senior Parker Mann was 1-for-1. Prough and Trowbridge also had doubles on the afternoon.

Rowland threw all 4 innings on the mound for his second win of the season, giving up 2 hits with a double and 3 strikeouts on 45 pitches.

Dylan Williamson and Kipp Hillson recorded the Tigers two hits, with Williamson’s being a double. Hillson, Dylan Meyer, and Dewey Wise all combined to throw on the mound. Hillson recorded the loss in 2 and 2/3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 11 runs. Wise threw an inning and surrendered 6 runs on 5 hits and Dylan Meyer threw a third of an inning and walked a batter.

The win improves the Hornets to 2-1 overall (2-1 NTL Large School Division) while North Penn-Mansfield falls to 2-2 (2-1 NTL Large School Division). The Hornets will be back in action on Wednesday, April 11 on the road in Athens. Liberty hosts Towanda on Wednesday.

North Penn-Liberty 5, Wellsboro 4 (8 innings)

North Penn-Liberty’s Sara Swingle hit a walk-off single to left field in the bottom of the 8th inning to give the Lady Mounties a 5-4 win over rival Wellsboro on Monday, April 9.

After holding the Lady Hornets scoreless in the top of the 1st, the Lady Mounties jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Swingle drew a walk and Brooke Harvey was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for Savanah Doney. Doney singled up the middle to score Swingle then Mackenzie Heater hit a bloop single up the middle in the next at bat to score both Harvey and Doney before Wellsboro was able to get out of the inning.

Wellsboro managed to get a run back in the top of the 2nd. Kailee Clymer got things started at the plate with a base hit then stole 2nd to get into scoring position. A base hit by Jena Boyce up the middle scored Clymer to make it 3-1.

North Penn-Liberty held on to that lead until the top of the 5th when Wellsboro’s bats woke up. Tiana Lecker led off the inning with a single to left field and back-to-back base hits by Ryann Adams and Sydney Tremper scored Lecker to make it 3-2. In Wellsboro’s next at bat Kerrah Clymer hit into a fielder’s choice. Liberty threw home to force out Adams to prevent the run, but the Lady Hornets still managed to tie the game as Cathryn Brought reached on an error to score Tremper to tie it.

Doney then ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded to keep it at 3-all.

Liberty went back on top in the bottom half of the inning as Harvey singled past 3rd base. Doney hit into a fielder’s choice but remained on first as the Lady Hornets opted for the force out at 2nd. A Heater single put runners on the corners and Mariah Kshir was intentionally walked to load the bases for Emma Williams. Williams reached on an error to score Doney but Wellsboro caught Heater and tagged her out to end the inning, trailing 4-3.

The Lady Mounties maintained their one-run lead through the 6th inning, but Wellsboro kept battling to start the 7th. Kerrah Clymer led off with a triple to start the top of the 7th and later scored as Heidi Zuchowski hit a bloop single that died just past first base to tie it back up, but that’s the only run the Lady Hornets would get.

Liberty went down in order in the bottom half of the 7th to put Wellsboro back up. After fly out by junior Hailey Neal, Lecker singled to right center field to put the winning run on board for Adams, but she hit into an inning-ending double play to end the scoring threat.

North Penn-Liberty used that momentum to go on and win the game in the bottom of the 8th. Williams reached on error as her lazy pop fly to 2nd popped out of Adams’ glove. A sacrifice bunt by Ryley Kotulka moved Williams to 2nd, then was later moved to 3rd on a wild pitch by Brought as she walked Abby Heatley. Swingle then came up next in the order for her walk-off single to left field.

“It was an excellent ball game all the way through,” said Mountie head coach Lynn Grinnell. “Good defensive, good offensive by both teams. Both teams came in undefeated and our girls worked hard. Right at the end they came through and Sara Swingle had to go-ahead single to left field to help us out, but the big thing in the bottom of the 8th was ran a pop fly out that dropped in there and she didn’t give up.”

“Statistically we had a better game than our opponent but stumbled out of the gate and that was the difference,” said Hornet head coach Ron Brought. “Our pitching was better and we out hit them. They have an all-state pitcher that we hit well. We were able to get some of our younger players game experience against a team that played in the D4 Championship last year. That will certainly pay off later in the season. We’re off to a great start and we’re still improving. Our focus now is Athens on Wednesday.”

Heater and Swingle both finished 2-for-4 for the Lady Mounties while Doney, Heatley, Harvey, and Williams added hits on the afternoon.

Lecker, Kailee Clymer, and Tremper went 2-for-4 to lead Wellsboro while Kerrah Clymer, Adams, and Neal went 1-for-4 and Boyce went 1-for-3. Adams also drew a walk.

Both Doney and Brought went the entire distance on the mound. Doney scored the win and both ladies threw 112 pitches each. Doney gave up 11 hits and struck out 6 while Brought gave up 7 hits and struck out 10.

The loss drops the Lady Hornets to 2-1 (2-1 NTL Large School Division) overall while North Penn-Liberty remains undefeated at 3-0 (3-0 NTL Large School Division). Wellsboro will be back in action on Wednesday, April 11 on the road in Athens. Liberty hosts Towanda on Wednesday.