By Peter Vassilakos
The River Hawks welcomed the York Spartans to Selinsgrove for this midweek showdown. The River Hawks came off two 1-1 splits against Stevenson and Lebanon Valley, hoping to sweep the Spartans.
The first of the two games started off hot for the River Hawks with Rosemarie Mirabella stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded. Mirabella hit a single to center field sending Morgan Henry to second base and bringing Ashley Warner and Erin Bean home.
The River Hawks kept scoring in the second inning with first-year Kassidy Smith stealing second and third. Smith then scored on the throw to make the lead 3-0 for the River Hawks. Lexi Palumbo was up next for the Hawks and Palumbo rifled a double down the left field line sending Emily Deitch home. This extended the lead to 4-0 early in the second inning.
The Spartans remained scoreless until the sixth inning thanks to an outstanding performance by first-year pitcher Hannah Foust. Foust struck out eight batters in her 5.1 innings pitched, making way for Amanda Amerman. The Spartans stole two runs off Foust before the change was made.
The score entering the seventh inning was 4-2 in favor of the Hawks. The Spartans continued the late push adding another two runs in the top of the seventh, thus tying the game. The River Hawks would have a chance to end this one in the bottom of the seventh inning, which they did in dramatic fashion.
As senior Erin Bean stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded the pressure got to the Spartans pitcher. Rietema walks Bean to send Henry home for the game winning run. The Hawks won the first of two 5-4 in nail-biting fashion.
The River Hawks looked to keep the momentum going by securing the second win of the day over the Spartans, who looked to bounce back from a close loss in the first game. The River Hawks kept the run going with Hailey Kaba doubling to left center field, sending Erin Bean home for a 1-0 lead.
The lead did not last as the Spartans answered in the fourth inning with a bunt R.B.I. that sent the game-tying run home. The Spartans continued to add to the scoring run and had their first lead of the day thanks to a single that sent two runners home, making the score 3-1.
The Hawks got back on the board thanks to Zoey Bork hitting a single to centerfield. This sent Kayleigh Saboja home, cutting the lead into one. That woke the Spartans back up after their scoreless sixth inning.
The Spartans closed this one out in the seventh inning, scoring two more runs to put this one out of reach for the River Hawks after the first game. The second of the day puts the River Hawks at 1-1 on the day and 12-11 overall with Moravian up next on the schedule.
