Mid Valley starting pitcher Ava Hazelton (left top) is all smiles as her teammates celebrated their 6-4 win over Lake-Lehman for the District 2 Class 3A softball title.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman starting pitcher Hannah Chipego celebrates as she helps out her cause by hitting solo home run in the first inning against Mid Valley.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman’s Brooke Reilly lays down a bunt, sending teammate Kirsten Finerelli to third base.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman’s Kaitlyn Brudnicki celebrates after reaching second base.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman’s Kirsten Finarelli, one of the top power hitters in the state, didn’t even get a chance to swing the bat against Mid Valley. The Penn State commit was intentionally walked four times.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Mid Valley’s Abigail Mackey (8) and Avery Tinney (33) score on Elise Larson’s single in the third inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman shortstop Hayley Wallace saves a Mid Valley extra-base hit by making a backhand catch.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
EDWARDSVILLE — Lake-Lehman jumped to a quick start Thursday afternoon.
Hannah Chipego launched a solo home run. Alexis Shotwell hit a two-run single. Just like that, the Black Knights were up by three runs before their opponent had a chance to bat.
That opponent, though, in the District 2 Class 3A softball championship game was Mid Valley, which has been able to handle the Wyoming Valley Conference’s best in recent years.
The Spartans did that once again, taking the lead with three runs in the top of the sixth to defeat Lehman 6-4 at Wilkes University.
Mid Valley (20-2) won its sixth consecutive D2-3A title. All six times, the runner-up has been a WVC team, including Lehman in 2022.
Lehman finished its season at 18-3.
“Honestly, both teams could compete in a state tournament,” Lehman coach Nicole Chipego said. “It’s sad the PIAA doesn’t allow two teams. I get it, you want to take your best team.
“It’s just like Valley View and Tunkhannock (in the D2-4A title game). Both of those teams could compete at a state level. Same thing with us and Mid Valley. We’ve been told by umpires if you get out of this district, you win a state title.”
No WVC team has won the D2-3A championship since Holy Redeemer 2018.
Lehman led 4-2 through five innings, with Kaitlyn Brudnicki’s RBI single in the fifth plating the fourth run.
The Black Knights, though, managed just three hits after the first inning, struck out 13 times and had their best hitter not even take one swing.
Kirsten Finarelli, a Penn State commit and one of the top power hitters in the state, was intentional walked four times. Lehman was unable to make Mid Valley pay for the free passes as Finarelli’s only run came in the first inning on Shotwell’s single.
Mid Valley scored two runs in the third on a single by Elise Larson and then took a 5-4 lead in the sixth, benefiting from three Lehman errors.
Mid Valley’s Audrey Hasenzahl opened sixth with a walk and scored from first when Krista Cortazar’s single was misplayed in the outfield.
Cortazar made it to third on the single/error and scored on a bunt by Natalie Hricenak. Addison Frein ran for Hricenak and was bunted over to second where she scored on two errors on a grounder by Abigail Mackey.
“(Our coach) told us we were going to be really aggressive on the bases,” Frein said. “I feel like he was going to tell me to go.”
Cortazar made it 6-4 with an RBI double in the seventh.
“The way (Lehman pitcher Chipego) was throwing, I’ll tell you that kid has a lot of pop on the ball,” Mid Valley coach Mike Piercy said. “We got down three early, definitely not a place you want to be in against those guys.
“Our kids kept chipping away, kept fighting. A run here, a run there and we end up on top.”
Mid Valley opens state play on Monday against District 4 runner-up Hughesville.
District 2 Class 3A Championship
Mid Valley 6, Lake-Lehman 4
Mid Valley`AB`R`H`BI
Mackey rf`3`1`1`0
Bennett 2b`4`0`0`0
Adolfson c`2`0`0`0
Tinney cr`0`1`0`0
Larson ss`4`1`2`2
Hasenzahl 1b`3`1`2`0
Cortazar 3b`4`1`2`1
Hazelton p`3`0`0`0
Hricnak dp`3`0`1`1
Frein cf-pr`0`1`0`0
Carroll lf`2`0`0`0
Totals`28`6`8`4
Lehman`AB`R`H`BI
Wallace ss`4`0`1`0
Chipego p`3`2`1`1
Finarelli c`0`1`0`0
Brudnicki 2b`3`1`1`1
Reilly lf`2`0`1`0
Shotwell 3`0`1`2
James rf`4`0`0`0
Shorts 1b`3`0`0`0
Makarewicz 3b`3`0`0`0
Totals`25`4`5`4
Mid Valley`002`003`1 — 6
Lake-Lehman`300`010`0 — 4
2B — Larson, Cortazar. HR — Chipego.
Mid Valley`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hazelton (W)`7`5`4`4`6`13
Lehman`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Chipego (L)`7`8`6`3`3`11
