Lindsey Jason’s fifth-inning home run provided the tying and winning runs Thursday as Mid Valley rallied past host Holy Redeemer, 4-2, to claim the District 2 Class 3A softball championship.
Emma Kobylanski also homered in the three-run inning that erased a two-run deficit and sent the Spartanettes on their way to victory.
The game matched division championship teams that are ranked as the top two Small Schools in District 2, according to the Riverfront Sports Super Six Softball Power Rankings of district teams.
No. 2 Mid Valley, the Lackawanna League Division 3 champion, improved to 19-2 and landed a spot in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament Monday at a District 4 site. The Spartanettes will play the winner of Saturday’s District 4 championship game between a pair of 18-3 teams, Loyalsock Township and Central Columbia.
Holy Redeemer, which entered the game as the top-ranked team, is also 19-2 after having its seven-game winning streak broken. The Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 champions had their season come to an end.
The Lady Royals took a 2-0 lead in the third inning of the game, which featured just seven total hits.
Holy Redeemer got the last two of its three hits during the inning.
Akira Kopec doubled to drive in Olivia Murray, who had singled, then scored on a Lynzie Skoronski groundball. Kopec’s double was her team’s only extra-base hit.
Skoronki reached on an error while Kopec was scoring, but Mid Valley pitcher Maranda Runco got the last 14 outs while facing just 13 batters.
The Spartanettes ended the third inning with a double play and the only other batter to reach was also thrown out on the bases before Runco retired the last five without letting the ball out of the infield.
Runco finished with five walks and a strikeout.
Jenna Santuk threw a four-hitter for Holy Redeemer with eight strikeouts and six walks, half of which went to Runco, who leads District 2 with 17 home runs. Runco was hit by a pitch in her other plate appearance.
Kobylanski broke up the shutout with one out in the fifth.
Runco followed with a walk, then after the second out, Jason hit her home run.
Kobylanski scored again in the seventh on Chiara Zavislak’s bases-loaded single.
