NTL SOFTBALL: TOWANDA GETS 4-3 WALK-OFF WIN OVER WYALUSING (2024-04-24)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
WYSOX — It was high drama on a cold evening in Wysox as Towanda rallied to beat Wyalusing in a walk-off, 4-3, during NTL softball action Wednesday.

“It took us a while to get the bats started today,” said Towanda coach Caitlyn Crawford. “Definitely, we’re slow coming out with that, but they pushed through and persevered in that last inning. And we really compromised on that, with runners in scoring position, and just getting those two runs in that we needed.”

Towanda pushed two across in the bottom of the second to take the lead with the Rams cutting it to 2-1 in the fourth.

It stayed that way until the top of the seventh, when Wyalusing scored twice to take a 3-2 lead. In the bottom half it was Towanda, though, having the final say, scoring twice with two outs to get the win.

The Knights’ number nine batter, Kynlee Kunkle, had the big day, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored, while Payton Perry (1-for-4) had a double with a run scored and an RBI. 

Aleah Johnson (1-for-3) drove in a run as Shay Greenland (1-for-3), Brooklyn Evans (1-for-3), and Tae-Lynn Brabant (1-for-3) all had hits. Brynsen Vargason crossed home for Towanda, too.

Johnson went the distance for the win, striking out six with one walk, four hits, and three runs, none of which were earned.

For the Rams Alli Liddick (1-for-3), Rachel Wilson (1-for-3), and Emily Johnson (1-for-1) had their hits with Treanna Nickeson, Kenda Millard, and Kirra Millard scored their three runs. Bly and Ferris each drove in a run.

Kylie Pickett started, and went two innings, striking out one with three hits, one walk, and two runs. Addison Fluck pitched the final 4 2/3-innings to take the loss, striking out four with two walks, and four hits.

After a scoreless first two innings Kunkle led off the third with a walk, then scored on a Perry double. Fluck got the next two batters out, but a Johnson single allowed Perry to score for the 2-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth Nickeson led off by reaching on an error, getting all the way to second. She would take third on a wild pitch, then scored on a Bly sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.

In the fifth it looked Towanda might get another run across as Greenland hit one deep into the gap with a runner on. Ferris, though ran it down with a highlight catch to keep it a 1-run game.

Then in the top of the seventh the error bug hit Towanda. Liddick would reach on an error, then two batters later Fluck reached on an error, one that saw Fluck, and Kenda Millard - Liddick’s courtesy runner - on second and third.

“We made a couple big mental errors today,” Crawford said. “We really need to work on that mental part of the game, but the mental errors is what cost it to be that close, I think.”

A fielder’s choice off the bat of Ferris allowed saw Kenda Millard sneak in under the tag at home to tie the game up at 2-2.

Wilson then brought home Kirra Millard to put the Rams up 3-2 with just three outs left.

Vargason led off the inning with a four pitch walk. Fluck would induce the next batter to pop out but Kunkle kept things going by getting a hit to put runners on first and second.

“That was huge,” Crawford said about the bottom of the order coming through in a situation like that. “We talked about it in practice all the time when we’re in those deep pressure situations.”

Vargason and Kunkle would each move up a bag on steals, but Fluck got a strikeout to put the Knights on the brink.

Greenland would draw a walk after going down 0-2 to load the bases for Evans. Evans hit a hard ground ball that was fielded cleanly by the third baseman, but the throw to first was off, allowing Vargason and Kunkle to come around to score for the win.

“My mind was I knew we had runners on second and third and we needed to get those runners in,” said Crawford. “I chase Kynlee down the third base line to score that run in and she got it in there.”

Wyalusing (5-6) will travel to Troy on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. start while Towanda (5-4) gets their second shot at undefeated NP-Liberty at home that say day, also with a 4:30 p.m. start.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Towanda’s Kynlee Kunkle watches her single against Wyalusing in the bottom of the seventh…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING