HAWLEY — Wallenpaupack Area picked the perfect moment to play its most complete game of the softball season Monday afternoon in the District 2 playoffs.
The Buckhorns used a potent combination of power pitching, Gold Glove defense and clutch hitting to defeat Berwick on May 18 in the Class 4A quarterfinals.
Coach Chris Doty’s squad, which is seeded third in the bracket, scored four late runs to seal the deal on a 4-1 victory.
“I’m very proud of this group,” the veteran skipper said. “These girls come out every day and work hard to become better players. Being a better team tomorrow than we are today has been our mantra all season and we’ll keep striving for that.”
With this win, Paupack upped its overall record to 12-9. Weather permitting, the Buckhorns will face Valley View May 20 in the district semis. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Archbald.
Diamond dominance
A big enthusiastic crowd assembled on the shores of The Big Lake Monday in the hopes of seeing Paupack post an exciting win in its final home game of the season.
Berwick broke the scoring ice in the top of the first when clean-up batter Emma Welsh roped an RBI single. For the next four innings, though, the game would be a pitchers duel between Makayla Brown of Berwick and Paupack’s Lexi Laing.
Defensively, Laing received a big boost thanks to highlight reel plays from right fielder Sarah Decker, third baseman Regan Anderson and shortstop Lucy Babyak.
As a result, the high-scoring Dawgs were held to a single run in the top of the first. After that, the visitors only managed to advance one runner as far as third base the rest of the way.
The Buckhorn offense finally came to life in the bottom of the fifth. Decker got things started with a lead-off double, then sprinted home thanks to a towering triple off the bat of Madison Haynes.
Lucy Babyak, Regan Anderson and Hannah Daidone followed with three straight clutch at-bats, giving Paupack a 3-1 lead through five frames. The Bucks tacked on one more insurance run in the sixth, then trusted their pitching staff to slam the door shut.
Laing turned in a solid effort against the Dawgs. She worked six innings before exiting the game after being hit with a pitch. Laing allowed just one run on four hits while striking out two and issuing two walks.
“Lexi was outstanding in the circle,” Doty said. “She features a good fastball, change and rise. Lexi has worked really hard at getting ahead of hitters and staying ahead.”
Laing handed the ball off the freshman phenom Anna Babyak who closed things out with a scoreless seventh.
A hard-throwing righty, Babyak has been nothing short of a revelation for Paupack this spring. She leads the team in both ERA (2.33) and strikeouts (102) and is fresh off a brilliant performance against West Scranton in which she piled up 14 Ks.
The next hurdle
Paupack will face its biggest challenge of the season on Wednesday against defending PIAA state champion Valley View in the semifinals.
The Cougars boast a stellar 17-3 record and are seeded second in the Class 4A bracket. The two teams met back on April 16 with Valley View coming away with a 5-2 victory.
According to Doty, this game has all the hallmarks of a classic — and his Bucks are champing at the bit for a shot at the perennial softball powerhouse.
“We need to get solid pitching and play excellent defense” he said. “Offensively, we’ll have to put the ball in play consistently and put pressure on their defense.”
A victory over the Cougars would propel the Bucks into the District 2 championship game against either top-seeded Tunkhannock (19-1) or Dallas (10-10).
This year’s title tilt is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, time and venue TBA.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: PIAA District 2 Class 4A softball Wallenpaupack Area versus Berwick