Jun. 8—ESPY — It was the most unconventional move Mid Valley coach Michael Piercy has seen.
With his team already ahead by a run, and the bases loaded in the second inning, Loyalsock elected to walk power-hitting Maranda Runco.
It backfired.
The Spartanettes plated seven runs in the second, keyed by a three-run homer from Madison Kizer, to blitz Loyalsock, 12-0, in five innings, in Monday’s PIAA Class 3A softball opener at Central Columbia High School.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that,” Piercy said. ‘It kind of backfired.”
Loyalsock (19-4) wasn’t about to let Runco add to her homer-run total after she pounded a solo shot to center — her 18th — to lead off the game.
“We’ve got to hide her or change her name so people will pitch to her,” Piercy said. “They did pitch to her when there was no one on base. They left a couple balls out over the plate.”
Her two-homer, two-intentional walk night makes Runco 3 for 3 with three homers in her last three games, coupled with eight intentional walks and a hit by pitch.
“They have a good pitcher and thought they’d be careful pitching to her with the bases empty,” Piercy said.
The strategy didn’t work because Mid Valley (20-2) ripped five homers in the game, three from the bottom half of the order.
“It’s scary,” Piercy said. “You put her on and we get big home runs from our fifth, sixth and eighth hitters. We thought we’d win a close game.
“We bunted, we slapped, we hit, we walked. I was blown away. You expect one-run games in the playoffs.”
Kizer’s shot followed a two-run single from Kat Davis that stretched the lead to 5-0.
“What a performance against that team,” Piercy said. “They pitched a two-hitter Saturday (in the District 4 final).”
Kizer just missed a second homer in her next at-bat, settling for a double. She wasn’t at second long as Kaylee Terranella smashed the third homer of the game for a 10-0 cushion.
Courtney Rebar’s solo shot made it 11-0 and Runco, who also allowed just one hits, ripped her 19th homer for the final run.
“Everybody behind Maranda is hitting,” Piercy said. “We’re gelling at the right time.”
Mid Valley 12, Loyalsock 0
Mid Valley 12, Loyalsock 0
Mid Valley 170 40 — 12
Loyalsock 000 00 — 0
WP: Maranda Runco 5IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 4SO
LP: Marissa Helmrich 3IP, 4H, 7R, 3ER, 3BB, 6SO
2B: Emma Kobylanski (MV), Madison Kizer (MV).
HR: Kaylee Terranella (MV), Courtney Rebar (MV), Maranda Runco (MV) 2, Madison Kizer (MV) 2.
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