CURWENSVILLE – The Lady Tide (1-0) started the 2022 varsity softball season in style with a 20-5 victory in three innings in a Moshannon Valley League showdown against visiting Moshannon Valley (0-1).
The weather is always a concern in Pennsylvania during the March part of the schedule in spring sports, but Friday night, weather was not enough to stop Curwensville from picking up a statement win to begin their season. Fourteen hits and 18 runs batted in for the Lady Tide proved that it was a total team win in which each player did their part to start the season on a positive note.
Taylor Luzier led the way for the Curwensville offense as she was 4-4 at the dish with a double, four runs batted in, and three runs scored. MacKenzie Wall also came through in the clutch for the Lady Tide with three hits, including two doubles. Wall also scored two runs and drove in another in the victory.
Maddie Butler and Natalie Wischuck also collected multi-hit games as the duo collected a combined four hits, five runs batted in, and five runs scored. Shyanne Rudy, Teagan Harzinski, and Addison Butler found the hit column with one hit apiece in the victory.
In the circle was a familiar face for the Lady Tide as 11 game winner in 2021, Joslynne Freyer, struck out four over three innings to pick up her first victory of the season.
Moshannon Valley started the game with a run in the top of the first inning as the Damsels loaded the bases with no outs as Abby Gilson led the game off with a walk. After she stole second, she scurried to third on an error to put a runner 60 feet away with no outs. Jaley Agaus bunted for a hit and made it runners on the corners with no outs.
Makenzie Daniels reached next after she was plunked by the Joslyne Freyer 1-0 offering. After this, Freyer did her best to close out the inning. She struck out the next two batters to make it bases loaded with two away. Freyer nearly shut the door, but smart baserunning by Gilson allowed her to steal home to make it a narrow 1-0 lead for the Lady visitors. On the Gilson steal of home, Agaus got caught trying to swipe third, which ended the top half of the frame.
The Lady Tide brought the bats in their first game of 2022 as they wasted no time on the offensive with eights runs in the bottom half of the first. Thirteen batters took the box in the bottom half of the first inning, with the Lady Tide immensely pressuring the freshman hurler, Madison McCoy, who was making her varsity debut in the circle.
The Lady Tide took a commanding 8-1 lead into the top half of the second, and Freyer tossed a 1-2-3 inning to hold the score at 8-1 in favor of the home team. Curwensville added two runs in the bottom of the second to make it a 10-1 lead for the home team.
The Damsels got a rally going of their own going in the third inning as they got four runs back as Gilson smacked a two-run homer to right field to make it 10-3. Later in the inning, Daniels got into a Freyer pitch, which she sent over the left field fence to cut the lead to 10-4.
McCoy scored later in the top of the third inning as she scored on an RBI hit-by-pitch after Freyer hit Kate Fox with the bases full. Once again, Freyer worked out of a jam and limited the damage to four for the inning to make it a 10-5 advantage for the home squad heading into what would ultimately be the last at-bats for the game.
The bottom of the third saw the bats explode once again for the Lady Tide as they plated 10 in the inning and brought 12 more batters to the plate in the inning overall. The game sealing play was Teagan Harzinski’s sacrifice-fly to center, which scored Freyer, to end the game at 20-5 in favor of Curwensville.
The Lady Tide will celebrate the promising start to their season over the weekend, but after that, it is back to work on Tuesday, March 29, as they hit the road to take on Juniata Valley in another District 9 meets District 6 crossover game. First-pitch will be at approximately 4:30 p.m. from Alexandria.
MOSHANNON VALLEY – 5
Abby Gilson (CF) 1212, Jaley Agaus (LF) 2010, Makenzie Daniels (SS) 1111, Madeline Gresh (1B) 2000 Madison McCoy (P) 1100 Regan Domanick (3B) 1000 Tessa Martin (C) 1000, Gabriella Moore (RF) 1000, Kate Fox (RF) 0001 Justise Hertlein (2B), 2100, TOTALS 12 5 3 4.
Batting
HR: Abby Gilson, Makenzie Daniels
TB: Abby Gilson 4, Jaley Agaus, M Daniels 4
RBI: Abby Gilson 2, Makenzie Daniels, Kate Fox
ROE: Justise Hertlein
HBP: Makenzie Daniels, Kate Fox
SB: Abby Gilson 2
CS: Jaley Agaus
Team LOB: 4
Fielding
E: Makenzie Daniels 2, Justise Hertlein
CURWENSVILLE – 20
Taylor Luzier (CF) 4344, Addison Butler (C) 2112, Joslynne Freyer (P) 3103, Mackenzie Wall (3B) 3111, Teagan Harzinski (1B) 3010, Marlee Gasper (PR) 0100, Shyanne Rudy (2B) 1212, Maddie Butler (DP) 3322, Rylee Wiggins (RF) 1200, Natalie Wischuck (SS) 3223, Ava Olosky (PR) 0200, Kaylie Shaw (PR) 0000, TOTALS 24 20 14 18.
Batting
2B: Taylor Luzier, Shyanne Rudy, MacKenzie Wall 2
3B: Natalie Wischuck
TB: Addison Butler, Maddison Butler 2, Teagan Harzinski, Taylor Luzier 5, Shyanne Rudy 2, MacKenzie Wall 5, Natalie Wischuck 4
RBI: Addison Butler 2, Maddison Butler 2, Joslynne Freyer 3, Teagan Harzinski, Taylor Luzier 4, Shyanne Rudy 2, MacKenzie Wall, Natalie Wischuck 3
ROE: Maddison Butler, Joslynne Freyer 2
FC: Joslynne Freyer, Natalie Wischuck
SB: Maddison Butler 3, Teagan Harzinski 2, Taylor Luzier, MacKenzie Wall
Team LOB: 4
Fielding
E: Teagan Harzinski, Natalie Wischuck
Score by Inning
Moshannon Valley 1 0 4 x x x x
Curwensville 8 2 10 x x x x
Pitching
Moshannon Valley
Madison McCoy 2.1 IP, 14 H, 20 R, 15E R, 8 BB.
Curwensville
Joslynne Freyer 3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 HR.
W – Madison McCoy (0-1). L – Joslynne Freyer (1-0).