COAL TOWNSHIP - It's springtime in Shamokin and the ball was jumping off the bats Tuesday.
While the Indians did equal Mifflinburg in home runs hit, two each, it was the balls that stayed inside the fence that Shamokin had the most problems with in its 20-4 Heartland Conference Division I loss to the Wildcats in five innings.
It's deja vu for the Indians (2-2), who have hit well to start the season, but are having significant problems with the glove.
"We're hitting the ball and we can't make the basic plays in the field," Shamokin head coach Christi Cryder said. "That's the bottom line."
That bottom line included seven errors: two throws to first that were just inches too high, several drops in the field and at first and other errant throws.
Add that to two decisions not to make a throw and exchange a run for an out that count as mental errors but never show up in the box score and seven extra-base hits and it was a recipe for disaster for Shamokin.
And this was with the lineup that Cryder thought was her best chance defensively. That meant starting sophomore Carley Nash in the circle and returning other
players to their more natural positions.
"I'm moving people around, but they're all athletes and they can play the game," Cryder said. "We have to make the basic plays if we plan on winning, and we're going to. We're not going to sulk over this. We'll come back (today) and be ready for Line Mountain."
Nash baffled Mifflinburg's hitters in the first inning, striking out two and getting weak groundballs that were mishandled before Sara Stauffer hit a bomb to left field and the Wildcats had a 3-0 lead.
Shamokin responded and tied the game due to a couple singles by Natalie Wolfe and Olivia Bonshock, a Mifflinburg throwing error and a two-run home run by Courtney McGrath.
Then Mifflinburg came right back, batted around and scored four runs, although Nash did work out of a bases-loaded jam to end the inning.
The Indians commited two more errors in the second, but unlike the first inning couldn't muster any more offense against Mifflinburg's Ally Lloyd.
Nash's afternoon ended in the fourth inning after she gave up a solo shot to Stauffer, but Helena Supsic didn't provide much relief.
The Wildcats scored 12 against Supsic and sent eight batters to the plate in the fourth inning and 11 in the fifth.
"Between Helena and Carley, they're throwing the same, so I'm feeling like we can throw both pitchers and mix it up," Cryder said. "I went with the better defense today and I threw Carley. Carley threw well at first and then she got tired and they started pelting her. Unless my defense can play behind the pitchers, it's not going to matter who we throw."
Jackie Augustitus provided the Indians with a little excitement in the fourth inning when she hit a solo home run to finish Shamokin's scoring.
Game Summary
MIFFLINBURG (AB-R-H-BI) - Kline 5-3-3-3, Brouse 3-1-1-1, Kuhns 0-1-0-0, Crabb 4-3-2-1, Lloyd 5-1-2-2, Stauffer 5-3-2-3, Kyler 3-2-1-2, Davis 3-1-1-1, Noll 2-2-1-0, Przywara 1-1-1-1, Wiand 3-2-2-1. Totals 34-20-16-15.
SHAMOKIN (AB-R-H-BI) - Wolfe 3-1-1-0, B. Bonshock 3-0-0-0, Supsic 3-0-1-0, O. Bonshock 3-1-2-0, McGrath 3-1-1-2, Hornberger 1-0-0-0, Chapman 1-0-0-0, C. Augustitus 2-0-0-0, Forbes 1-0-0-0, Elliott 1-0-0-0, J. Augustitus 2-1-1-1, Nash 0-0-0-0. Totals 22-4-6-3.
Extra-base hits: 2B - Kline, Crabb, Davis, Noll. 3B - Kline. HR - Stauffer 2, McGrath, J. Augustitus.
IP H R ER BB K
Mifflinburg
Lloyd (W) 5 6 4 3 2 7
Shamokin
Nash (L, 1-1) 3.1 8 8 6 2 2
Supsic 1.2 9 12 9 2 0