FILE PHOTO: Tunkhannock’s Paige Marabell.
Paige Marabell smashed three home runs and Gabby Wood added one May 31 when Tunkhannock repeated its District 2 Class 4A softball title with a 9-2 victory over Valley View at Wilkes University.
Marabell, the lead-off hitting catcher, started the bottom of the first and sixth innings with home runs for Tunkhannock’s first and last runs. She also hit a two-run shot to left after Hannah James had started the fourth inning with a double.
Ella McNeff followed Marabell’s first-inning homer with a single. One out later, Wood ripped a two-run homer for a 3-0 lead.
Marabell and Wood each drove in four runs.
Valley View closed within 3-2 in the top of the second inning.
McNeff started the bottom of the third with a single and Emily Schultz followed with a single to put runners on the corners.
After Schultz stole second, Wood lined a double to left field to score both runners.
Kaya Hannon then singled to drive in Wood for a 6-2 lead.
James and Marabell made it 8-2 in the fourth, then Marabell’s homer closed the scoring in the sixth.
Marabell and McNeff were each 3-for-4 in the top two spots in the order. Marabell scored three times and McNeff two. Wood also scored twice.
Ally Stafursky was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored to lead the Valley View offense.
Hannon was the winning pitcher. She struck out three and did not walk a batter while scattering seven hits.
Marabell had four of her seven homers on the season in the last two games. She went 5-for-8 during the three-game district tournament with all extra-base hits, including a double, while driving in 10 runs and scoring 4.
Wood homered twice in the district tournament, giving her six on the season. She was 5-for-9 with nine RBI and four runs in the district tournament when she also had a double.
Hannon was also effective throughout the tournament with a 21-2, strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17 innings. She was also 3-for-8 at the plate.
Tunkhannock outscored its district opponent, 29-3.
