TUNKHANNOCK — At first, it seemed like a routine pop-up to second. Then again, when Addisyn Waterman is on base, nothing is going to be routine.
As soon as Pittston Area’s Kelcey Podwika caught the ball at the edge of the dirt, the Tunkhannock leadoff hitter broke from third and headed home.
She was safe, beating the throw by a few steps, as the sophomore had herself a solid day both at the plate and in the field during the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 matchup. Tunkhannock scored five in the first inning and put it away with a six-run fifth en route to a 12-2 victory over Pittston Area on Wednesday afternoon in Wyoming County.
The Tigers (7-0) remain undefeated in the division, along with Hazleton Area, which defeated Wyoming Valley West on Wednesday. It was the first league loss for defending division champion Pittston Area (2-2).
“The team is so supportive, and it makes it so easy to be a leadoff hitter,” Waterman said. “I love it. My speed is probably my greatest weapon. It’s my favorite thing. I’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason, especially with my hitting. We work so hard every day, and it shows.”
What opponents are about to find out is: Waterman is a menace at the top of the Tigers’ order. And if you put her on the bases, she’s going to become more of a headache with her blazing speed.
She stole five bases Wednesday; legit steals that were contested every time she broke toward a bag. She manufactured Tunkhannock’s first run — drawing a five-pitch walk, stealing second and third on consecutive pitches, and later swiping home on a double-steal as Erin Van Ness took second.
Waterman was back to work in the second. This time, she used her speed to beat out a push bunt between the pitcher’s circle and third. She stole second and third once more, scoring again, but this time on McKenzie Hannon’s pop-up to second.
“She is so fast, and when she’s on base, she’s impressive to watch,” Tunkhannock coach Bob Hegedty said. “For only being a sophomore, she’s such an implosive player. She’s tough at the top. When she gets going, she’s fun to watch.”
For Tunkhannock, it was about putting together the big inning. For Pittston, it’s about finding ways to limit those crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
The Tigers took advantage of three walks to open the bottom of the first, and got run-scoring hits from Taryn Newswanger, Lucy Karp and Alli Kinney to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
In the fifth, they put it away.
A walk to Hannon, coupled with Emily Patton’s second single of the night and Newswanger’s four-pitch walk, started off the frame. MaKenzie Bevan’s high-fly toward the gap in right-center was dropped, allowing both courtesy runner Sarah Van Ness and pinch runner Veronica Franko to score.
After Newswanger crossed home on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 9-2, Kayden Bamberger put it away, driving a two-run triple to the right-center gap. She later scored herself when the relay throw from the outfield skipped past third base.
Tunkhannock finished with eight hits by six different players.
“Our approaches are getting better, but I wish we can get some consistent play where we are playing like every other day. It seems like we play, and then, have four or five days off. Things are coming along, but we have to play a little cleaner in the field,” Hegedty said.
It was more than enough run support for Hannon, as the Lock Haven commit allowed just eight hits, and struck out seven.
Pittston trimmed the six-run deficit back in the third as Marina Antal’s single inside the left-field line scored Lili Hintze from third. The Patriots got another run one inning later on Hintze’s infield roller that Waterman made a great sliding stop on to save more runs from crossing home.
“They have a tough lineup with good bats that have been there for a few years. There are a lot of tough outs in that lineup,” Hegedty said of Pittston. “You know you are going to have a battle with them, and you have to be careful how to pitch to them. They can put the ball over the fence at any time, so it’s always a good win against them.”
Hintze and Samantha Herbert combined for four of the eight Patriots’ hits, while Julia Long added a double.
“Pittston always has a really good team. We’ve had a rivalry with them for years, so it was nice to come away with a victory,” Waterman said.
Holy Redeemer 14, Hanover Area 0 (5 inn): At Casey Field, Zoe Pecuch hit for the cycle, and Anne Carter tossed a five-inning one-hitter in the WVC Division 2 win.
Pecuch finished with four RBIs, while Carter and Grace Stetz-Madden each drove in two runs. Bella Boylan finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs, and Mary Lombardi went 3 for 3, scoring three times.
Ava Malacarne had the lone Hanover Area hit.
Berwick 16, Nanticoke Area 2 (5 inn): At Berwick, Emma Welsh drove in six runs to lead Berwick to a five-inning win over the Trojanettes in WVC Division 2 softball.
Welsh had a double, home run and finished 3 for 4. Kennedy Hunter was 4 for 4, while Ashlyn Klahold was 3 for 4 with four runs scored.
Hailey Verazin was 2 for 2 for Nanticoke Area.
Hazleton Area 11, Wyoming Valley West 4: At Valley West, Hazleton Area pounded out 13 hits to pick up the WVC Division 1 victory.
Saige Klesh was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, and Aleeyah Blanyar added three hits. Olivia Williams and Sofia Rodgers each had doubles in the victory.
Brooke Long drove in two for the Spartans. Bella Seip and Nora Yurko each added an RBI.
