Agape Freedom Sports LLC

WRITTEN BY: JERIC YURKANIN

The early morning air in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina carried a different feeling for the Keystone Giants on Monday. The sun slowly climbed over the coastal ballfields as the breeze coming off the Atlantic rolled across the complex. It was cool, calm, and quiet — the kind of morning that feels like a reset.

Inside the Keystone dugout, however, there was a different energy.

This game meant something.

College softball seasons move quickly, and the Giants had already felt the sting of a loss the day before against Penn State Altoona. Early-season tournaments can move at a relentless pace, and teams rarely have time to sit with frustration. For Keystone, the opportunity to respond was sitting right in front of them.

And when the dust settled five innings later, that response came in emphatic fashion.

What unfolded was not just a bounce-back performance, but a moment that highlighted two familiar names for softball fans back home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Riverside graduate Clara Sandly and Mid Valley graduate Krista Cortazar — both freshmen now wearing Keystone blue — stepped into the spotlight and helped power the Giants to a commanding 10–1 victory over Immaculata.

The story of this game did not begin with a towering home run or a diving catch in the outfield.

It began with something simpler.

Something every team understands after a loss.

Reset.

Refocus.

Reload.

Coaches often talk about the importance of forgetting the previous game and moving forward. Keystone needed exactly that kind of response after falling to Penn State Altoona on Sunday. Early-season tournaments challenge teams physically and mentally. Travel schedules, unfamiliar fields, and quick turnarounds between games test a roster’s depth and resilience.

Monday morning became about putting the previous day behind them.

What made the response even more impressive was that it was led by two players just beginning their college softball journeys.

Clara Sandly and Krista Cortazar arrived at Keystone this season after standout careers at Riverside and Mid Valley, two programs deeply rooted in the softball culture of Lackawanna County. Both players were known for their ability to produce when the moment demanded it during their high school careers.

Fans across District 2 watched them deliver clutch hits, control games at the plate, and energize their teams with confidence.

Now, only a few games into their college careers, those same traits were on display again — this time on a collegiate field nearly six hundred miles away from home.

The game opened quietly, as many early innings do.

Keystone’s first trip through the lineup produced a couple of baserunners, but no runs crossed the plate. The Giants appeared to be feeling out the pitching, adjusting to the rhythm and pace of the game.

Meanwhile, in the circle, Keystone pitcher Aimee Lyons began establishing her presence early.

Lyons worked efficiently through the bottom of the first inning, attacking the strike zone and setting the tone defensively. It was the type of calm, steady start a team appreciates when it is looking to regain confidence.

The turning point arrived quickly in the second inning.

And like many big rallies, it began with pressure on the basepaths.

Isabella Benitez worked a walk to open the frame and immediately began creating chaos. She stole second base and then advanced again, forcing the Immaculata defense to stay alert with every pitch.

Moments later, West Scranton Graduate, Freshmen, Bianca Markovitch drew another walk.

Suddenly Keystone had runners moving and the defense scrambling to keep up.

The Giants’ dugout began to stir.

Jordan Chabrech struck out, but the inning continued to build momentum when Aimee Lyons reached base on an error. Markovitch raced home on the play, giving Keystone its first run of the morning.

It was a modest lead, but it felt important.

The Giants had broken through.

Shalimar Lopez Ramirez stepped up next and worked a walk, placing more runners on base and extending the pressure on the defense.

Then came Briana Aponte.

Aponte lined a single into center field, loading the bases and bringing the Keystone bench to life. The moment was building.

Emily Schultz stepped into the batter’s box and delivered another key hit, driving a ball into left field that allowed another run to score.

The Giants had doubled their lead.

But the rally was only beginning.

When Krista Cortazar approached the plate, the moment felt familiar to anyone who had watched her play at Mid Valley. During her high school career, Cortazar had built a reputation for delivering in situations just like this one.

Runners on base.

Momentum building.

A chance to change the game.

The freshman never looked overwhelmed by the moment or by the level of competition.

Instead, she did what she had done many times before.

Cortazar drove a pitch into right field, bringing two runners across the plate and sending the Keystone dugout into celebration. The swing was smooth, confident, and perfectly timed, pushing the Giants’ lead even further.

“My approach was to just do what I know I can do and have the confidence that I can hit the ball. I did exactly that and was able to hit the runners in.” Said Keystones Freshman Krista Cortazar.

She continued: “A lot of my teammates have made me realize that I got put here for a reason. If I did not show up everyday and put that work in, I wouldn’t be able to play like I do now. The biggest adjustment has just been balancing all my classes for college and juggling two sports. Other than that I still have the same confidence and love for the sport.”

But the inning was far from finished.

Moments later another familiar name from the NEPA softball community stepped into the spotlight.

Clara Sandly.

The Riverside graduate who had terrorized opposing pitchers during her high school career approached the batter’s box with the same calm focus she had shown for years. Sandly built a reputation as a hitter who thrives in clutch situations, and with runners on base the opportunity was there again.

She delivered.

Sandly sent a swing into the outfield that drove in two more runs and pushed Keystone’s advantage even further.

What began as a modest rally had turned into a full offensive explosion.

By the time the inning ended, Keystone had scored eight runs.

Eight runs on five hits, combined with aggressive base running and defensive mistakes by Immaculata, had completely shifted the game.

The Giants’ dugout was alive.

Players fed off one another’s energy as the momentum continued to grow.

For Sandly and Cortazar, the moment felt like a continuation of the type of softball they played throughout their high school careers.

Big moments.

Big hits.

Big contributions.

While the offense grabbed the headlines, Keystone’s success would not have been complete without the steady performance of Aimee Lyons in the circle.

Lyons pitched with confidence throughout the game, mixing pitches and keeping Immaculata hitters off balance. She attacked the strike zone and trusted her defense, striking out six batters over five innings while allowing just one hit.

It was the kind of outing that gives an offense freedom to stay aggressive.

The Giants added to their lead in the fourth inning, and once again the rally featured the names Sandly and Cortazar.

Emily Schultz reached base to begin the inning, followed by another hit that moved runners into scoring position. Cortazar continued her strong performance with another base hit, keeping the lineup moving and setting the stage for another key moment.

When Sandly stepped to the plate again, the opportunity was there.

She delivered once more.

Sandly drove a ball deep into the outfield gap for a two-run double. The ball rolled toward the fence as runners circled the bases, and Sandly slid safely into second with a smile that reflected the momentum Keystone had built.

For Sandly, the game became a showcase of her ability to produce runs.

She finished with two hits and four RBIs, numbers that highlighted just how impactful her performance had been. Cortazar added two hits and two RBIs of her own, proving that Keystone’s lineup had quickly found production from its freshman class.

Together, the two Northeastern Pennsylvania products combined for four hits and six RBIs.

“Honestly, I was just trying to stay calm and stick to what I’ve been working on in practice. My first game I was antsy at the plate and kept popping the ball up, so I focused on slowing things down and being better with my pitch selection. Once I settled in and saw the ball better, I was able to barrel it up and just do my job with runners on.” Said Keystone College, Clara Sandly.

She continued:” You could really feel the energy shift in the dugout once we started stringing hits together. Everyone was feeding off each other’s at-bats, and it felt like the momentum just kept building.”

Immaculata managed to push across a run in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a walk and aggressive base running that eventually led to a run scoring on an error. But the Giants never lost control.

Lyons regrouped.

The defense handled the final plays cleanly.

Keystone closed out the game with confidence.

When the final out settled into a glove, the scoreboard told the story.

Keystone 10.

Immaculata 1.

But for fans watching from back home in Lackawanna County, the game carried deeper meaning.

Two familiar players who built their reputations on local high school fields had taken another step forward in their softball journeys.

Riverside’s Clara Sandly and Mid Valley’s Krista Cortazar showed that their success was not limited to District 2.

Their talent had traveled with them to Keystone College.

“The upperclassmen have helped a lot with staying composed and trusting the process. Their experience and softball IQ really lead the team, and they remind us to trust our preparation and just play the game we’ve been playing our whole lives, Said Sandly.

Monday morning’s victory in Myrtle Beach may be just one game in a long season, but it offered something memorable.

It showed how quickly a team can respond after a loss.

It highlighted the impact of young players who refuse to wait for their moment.

And it reminded everyone watching that sometimes the most exciting stories in sports begin with familiar names and new opportunities.

Clara Sandly and Krista Cortazar began their Keystone careers the same way they finished their high school ones — producing runs, delivering hits, and helping their team win.

For Keystone, it was exactly the response the Giants needed.

And for fans back home in Riverside and Mid Valley, it was another reminder that two local athletes are just getting started on the next chapter of their softball journeys.

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