ALMEDIA - Shamokin had two games to win one and qualify for the District 4 Class AAA playoffs Thursday.
The Indians made it interesting.
After losing the first end of the doubleheader, 10-6, to Central Columbia, Shamokin bounced back to win the second game 8-7 and earn that elusive postseason berth.
"Their backs were against the wall and they responded," Shamokin head coach Billy Clark said.
"We've been on the cusp of making it for three years, and we could have given up after Monday (a 4-3 loss to Mahanoy Area) but we turned it around."
Senior Paul Gurba went the distance on the mound, striking out nine, and had to battle through a three-run inning in the seventh to help the the Indians hold on.
"Gurba pitched fantastic in the first six innings," Clark said, "and he gave us all he had in the last inning."
The offense was consistent in support of Gurba, picking up runs in five different innings.
Austin Fry went 2-for-2 with two doubles, while Theo Deptula scored twice.
The Indians had their chances in the first game. They led 3-2 early, but left the bases loaded in the first inning and Josiah Miller hit into a triple play when Central first baseman Garratt Barratt caught Miller's liner, stepped on first for the second out and threw to second for the third.
Darien Craft was the hard-luck loser in Game 1, going the distance and absorbing four errors in the field by his defense.
Deptula went 4-for-4 and scored three runs to pace the Indians' offense.
Game 1
Koch, Schleich (2) and Bowman; Craft and Jo. Deitrick. W - Schleich. L - Craft.
Hits: Central Columbia - Poirier, Williams 2, Thivierge, Bowman, Barratt, Coombe 2, Novak, Duttry, Ball. Shamokin - Deptula 4, Rodarmel, Fry, Ju. Deitrick, Gurba 2, Malett, Young, Craft.
2B - Thivierge, Fry. 3B - Deptula, Gurba.
Game 2
Gurba and Jo. Deitrick; Novak, Duttry (3), Thivierge (5), Bowman (6) and Coombe. W - Gurba. L - Novak.
Hits: Shamokin - Deptula, Gurba, Fry, Malett, Miller, Young, Kashner. Central Columbia - Schleich, Thivierge, Bowman, Williams 3, Coombe.
2B - Fry 2, Williams.
Track and field Shearn doubles up on titles
ORWIGSBURG - North Schuykill's Brendan Shearn, Dan McSurdy and Carly Gregas won titles Thursday at the District 11-AA track and field championships at Blue Mountain High School and were joined by teammate Cody Antalosky in qualifying for next week's state championships at Shippensburg University.
Shearn, who won the 3200 for the third straight year on Thursday, won the 1600 final with a time of 4:24.22. Shearn also qualified Thursday with the Spartans' 3200-meter relay team.
McSurdy, who qualified in the 300-meter hurdles on Thursday, won the 100 meters with a time of 11.16 seconds.
Gregas won her second straight title in the high jump with a leap of 5-4.
Antalosky finished second in the long jump with a leap of 21-4½.
At Blue Mountain High School Thursday's results
Top two qualify for state meet
CLASS AA BOYS
100 - 1. Dan McSurdy (North Schuylkill) 11.16, 2. Bruno (Marian) 11.27.
200 - 1. Johnson (Northern Lehigh) 22.66, 2. Richardson (Northwestern Lehigh) 22.73.
400 - 1. Johnson (Northern Lehigh) 50.23, 2. Agosti (Mar) 50.62.
800 - 1. Brinkley (Catasauqua) 1:59.62, 2. Hinkel (Minersville) 2:01.50; 4. Halko (North Schuylkill) 2:04.07.
1,600 - 1. Brendan Shearn (North Schuylkill) 4:24.22, 2. Brinkley (Catasauqua) 4:34.42.
110 hurdles - 1. Shupp (Palmerton) 15.09, 2. Johnson (Northern Lehigh) 15.14
400 relay - 1. Northwestern Lehigh (Weiss, Miller, Hall, Richardson) 43.63, 2. Palmerton (Green Shupp, Vignone, Pereira) 43.89, 5. North Schuylkill (Mazeika, Motsney, Gownley, McSurdy) 44.85,
1,600 relay - 1. Marian (Karnish, Agosti, Julian, Bruno) 3:28.39, 2. Palmerton (Pereira, Shivone, Seiler, Shupp) 3:32.46, 3. North Schuylkill (Shinkus, Motsney, Gownley, McSurdy) 3:33.54.
Long jump - 1. Reichenbach (Salisbury) 21-9½, 2. Cody Antalosky (North Schuylkill) 21-4½.
Javelin - 1. Bartholomew (Salisbury) 175-8, 2. Quick (Marian) 167-0*
Shot put - 1. Snyder (Palmerton) 52-2¼, 2. Cavenas (Mahanoy Area) 48-10½.
CLASS AA GIRLS
100 - 1. Robinson (Palmerton) 12.78, 2. Ramsden (Palisades) 13.00*.
200 - 1. Ramsden (Palmerton) 26.61, 2. Bauer (Salisbury) 26.92*.
400 - 1. Robinson (Palmerton) 58.87, 2. Bauer (Salisbury) 1:00.42*
800 - 1. Chikotas (Saucon Valley) 2:17.43, 2. Scartelli (NDGP) 2:25.95.
1,600 - 1. Chikotas (Saucon Valley) 5:07.34, 2. S. Brannon (Wilson) 5:25.99.
100 hurdles - 1. Rossi (Palmerton) 16.21, 2. Dutt (Wilson) 16.46, 5. Skinner (North Schuylkill) 16.96, 6. Evanousky (North Schuylkill) 17.24
400 relay - 1. Palisades (Gehman, Robinson, Rossi, Ramsden) 50.32, 2. Wilson (Carl, Dutt, Mizack, Swiatek) 51.66.
1,600 relay - 1. Notre Dame Green Pond (Jordan, Simone, Edwards, Aquilina) 4:10.93, 2. Palisades (Gehman, Badman, Odle, Robinson) 4:14.20, 3. North Schuylkill (Reinoehl, Gregas, Fetterolf, Gownley) 4:18.81.
High jump - 1. Carly Gregas (North Schuylkill) 5-4, 2. Nesfeder (Notre Dame Green Pond) 5-2.
Javelin - 1. Christine Streisel (Tamaqua) 144-0*, 2. Demetriades (Tam) 124-2, 3. Nine Marone (North Schuylkill) 120-4.
Triple jump - 1. Swiatek (Wilson) 34-3, 2. Olewine (Northern Lehigh) 34-1½.
Softball
Millersburg 8 Line Mtn. 1
MANDATA - Millersburg scored all eight runs in the first three innings and went on to hand the Eagles the Tri-Valley League loss in their final game of the season.
Line Mountain finished the season 8-12.
M. Roadcap, B. Shomper (6) and Kayla Snyder; Savannah Copson and Kiana Lukoskie. W - Roadcap. L - Copson.
Hits: Millersburg - Shomper 2, T. Herb, Roadcap 2, M. Armor 3, K. Leitzel. Line Mountain - Lukoskie, Sarah Lahr 2, Casey Masser, Shania Kerstetter.
2B - Kerstetter. 3B - Shomper.