COAL TOWNSHIP - The true measure of a team's growth is how it fares the second time through the league schedule.
Using that guide, Shamokin is heads and tails better than it was earlier this season, and showed as much by beating Selinsgrove 10-5 Monday, a marked improvement over a 4-2 loss in the second game of the year.
"It helps a lot seeing a team the second time," Shamokin head coach Christi Cryder said. "We know where they hit, we know the players and we've seen the pitcher before."
The Indians had their troubles early with Selinsgrove's Katie Kratzer, and only scored in two innings, but they broke out in a big way with eight runs in the sixth inning to salt the game away.
But to think this win came easy is a mistake.
Selinsgrove scored the game's first
run when Kratzer doubled to left field and scored on a walk to Saagge Garrett with the bases loaded, but Shamokin pitcher Steph Pancher got out of a bases-loaded jam.
The Indians answered in the next half inning when Courtney McGrath walked and then trotted home on a home run by Helena Supsic to give Shamokin a 2-1 lead.
Selinsgrove wrestled the lead back with two runs in the third and Shamokin stranded five baserunners in the next three innings.
"It took us awhile to get this pitcher down because she throws a lot of changeups, and we struggle with changeups," Cryder said. "The sixth inning we came around and that's all we needed. It was a win."
Shamokin had 13 plate appearances in that sixth inning, scored eight runs and took a commanding 10-3 lead with just three outs to even its record at 7-7.
McGrath was the first batter up and hit a long single to left. Jenny Hornberger laid down a sacrifice bunt to move McGrath before the next four hitters got on base. McGrath eventually came up again, walked and scored her third run of the game.
For McGrath, it's her first year with the Indians after playing for three years for North Schuylkill, and she's stepped right into the starting lineup in a number of positions as the Indians have needed her. On Monday, she started at first base before being moved behind the plate.
"I'm happy to go anywhere," McGrath said. "I'm definitely having much more fun up here. I love the team and we're all supportive of each other. Now that we're at .500, we're definitely on track for our goal of making districts."
Selinsgrove was able to score two more runs in the seventh inning, but Shamokin's defense, which committed two errors earlier, settled down to help Pancher work out of yet another jam.
"This is another win toward getting to districts, and I hate to say it but we need all we can get now," Cryder said.
"If we didn't win this it was going to be a struggle. We were going to be in that must-win situation every game, although we still want to win every game."
Game Summary
SELINSGROVE (AB-R-H-BI) - Bailey 4-0-0-0, Goodling 3-1-0-0, Musser 3-1-0-0, Kratzer 4-3-3-0, Reibscheid 3-0-0-0, Kerstetter 3-0-1-0, Spriggle 2-0-1-1, Garrett 1-0-0-0, Hauck 3-0-0-0, Freed 0-0-0-0. Totals 26-5-5-1.
SHAMOKIN (AB-R-H-BI) - Wolfe 3-1-1-1, B. Bonshock 3-0-0-1, S. Pancher 1-1-0-0, O. Bonshock 4-1-1-2, McGrath 2-3-2-0, Hornberger 3-0-1-0, Supsic 3-2-2-3, Templar 4-0-1-0, Wasilewski 0-1-0-0, Augustitus 3-0-1-1, Demsko 0-1-0-0, C. Pancher 0-0-0-0. Totals 26-10-9-8.
Selinsgrove 012 000 2 - 5 5 2
Shamokin 020 008 x - 10 8 2
Extra-base hits: 2B - Kratzer. HR - Supsic.
IP H R ER BB K
Selinsgrove
Kratzer (L) 6 8 9 9 5 5
Shamokin
S. Pancher (W) 7 5 5 4 6 3