EXETER — Back Mountain remained unbeaten through two games in District 31 Little League major softball on Monday.
Hope is the all-stars are just scratching the surface after a 7-2 victory over Greater Wyoming Area.
“Overall, we’ve played well. We haven’t played our best,” Back Mountain manager Bob Aten said. “Which is exciting to me because I know the ceiling is higher.”
Olivia Aten, the manager’s daughter, struck out 10 and surrendered just two hits and one earned run. After GWA’s Harper McHale hit a towering home run to center to start the second inning, she didn’t allow a baserunner past second until the fifth inning.
The Back Mountain defense committed just two errors, but only once did a miscue produce a run. That came in the sixth when Reagan Sienkiewicz reached on an error.
“Our defense was very solid,” Aten said. “They made the plays they needed to make, especially in big spots when you don’t want the momentum to go the other way.”
Sienkiewicz moved to second on an infield single by Audrina Retzena and to third on a wild pitch. She scored on a sacrifice fly by Paizley Balbach.
By then, Back Mountain had scored in all but one inning and received production throughout its batting order.
“We always talk to our team that everybody can find a way to contribute in some way,” Aten said. “We definitely did that today. We picked each other up. There were a few girls who made some mistakes and got a little bit down and the next person after them picked them up.
“Again, that’s awesome to see as a coach and even as a teammate.”
After scoring in the first on a couple errors, Back Mountain’s Gracelyn Butcofski hit an RBI double off the left-center fence in the third to score Ella Wilson from first base. Wilson had walked.
Back Mountain’s Harper Morris singled in the fourth and eventually scored on a double by Addy Piekara for a 3-1 lead.
Back Mountain added two more runs in the fifth. Maya Marianacci and Vicky Liparela drew consecutive walks with one out. Everleigh Morris brought them both home with a single to left.
RBI singles by Rhylyn Feldmann and Giuliana Zukosky capped Back Mountain’s scoring in the sixth.
GWA (0-1) is at Harveys Lake (0-2) on Wednesday and hosts Greater Pittston Area (1-0) on Friday. Back Mountain (2-0) is idle Wednesday and hosts Harveys Lake on Friday.
Plains/KFF 18, Harveys Lake 4
Winning pitcher Piper Farrell had 12 strikeouts and surrendered two hits as Plains/Kingston/Forty Fort defeated Harveys Lake in five innings in District 31 major softball.
Farrell, Morgan Lewis, Collette Sedon and Natalie Lord collected multiple hits for Plains/KFF, which improved to 1-1 in pool play.
Harveys Lake’s Emma Krane struck out four. Felicity Garinger had a double.
