Agape Freedom Sports LLC

WRITTEN BY: JERIC YURKANIN

There’s something about playing by the water.

Maybe it’s the way the wind moves different… how it cuts across the field like it’s carrying something with it. Maybe it’s the silence between pitches that somehow feels louder here. Or maybe… it’s the history.

Because this isn’t just any backdrop.

This is Lake Wallenpaupack.

A lake that wasn’t always a lake. A place where a valley once stood… where roads were walked, families lived, and life moved at its own pace before it was all submerged beneath something bigger.

And in a way… that’s what this game is about too.

Softball has a way of asking you to let something go. Yesterday’s loss. Last inning’s mistake. The doubt. The noise. The pressure.

You either carry it…

Or you let it sink.

Thursday afternoon, with the lake sitting quietly in the background and a chill still hanging in the air, the Lady Buckhorns stepped onto their field with a choice.

Not just to play.

But to respond.

Because after Tuesday… after a tough opening loss… this wasn’t about stats, standings, or rankings.

This was about identity.

Who are you… when things don’t go your way?

And as the first pitch cut through the air, you could feel it immediately—

This wasn’t going to be quiet.

Not today.

After opening the season Tuesday with a 7–1 loss to a tough Mid Valley squad, Wallenpaupack came back Thursday with something to prove.

With an undefeated Dunmore team rolling into town — and both squads sitting inside our Top 10 Countdown — this one carried a little extra weight. Yes, it was early in the season, but it didn’t feel like just another game on the schedule.

Dunmore made the trip up to Lake Wallenpaupack… but this was the Lady Buckhorns’ field, their atmosphere, their moment.

And the Lake showed up at the Lake.

Wallenpaupack came out with urgency — the kind you can feel from the first pitch. The dugout had energy. The defense looked sharp. The bats had life. This wasn’t a team letting Tuesday’s loss linger.

This was a team responding.

And then… it became a show.

A Grace Lake show.

Fitting, right? By the Lake… Grace Lake.

She turned in the kind of performance that felt bigger than the box score — crushing two home runs and flipping the energy of the game every time she stepped into the batter’s box. A difference-maker. A tone-setter. The kind of night players remember.

We’ll get back to her — because you have to — but first, let’s take you through how this one unfolded.

Wallenpaupack wasted no time setting the tone.

The Lady Buckhorn defense came out locked in, holding Dunmore hitless in the opening frame. Then the offense got rolling.

Lucy Babyak worked a walk to start things off. Gabrielle Hieber followed with a shot into the gap for a double, bringing Babyak all the way around to score for a 1-0 lead.

Moments later, Reagan Anderson laced a double to left, scoring Hieber and making it 2-0.

The pressure kept building.

A dropped third strike allowed Sarah Decker to reach, and Lilly Mancino followed with a single to left that brought Anderson home. By the end of the inning, Wallenpaupack had stormed out to a 4-0 lead — and you could feel the crowd getting louder with every run.

“In the first inning, it’s always anyone’s game, but coming out and scoring four runs like we did definitely gives your team a whole new momentum, not only in the field the next inning but also the next at-bat you get. It gives a whole boost of confidence to yourself and your teammates,” said Wallenpaupack third baseman Reagan Anderson.

But Dunmore did not fold.

Peyton Ancheranti reached on an error and moved into scoring position. Jackie Brown followed with a single, helped by another defensive miscue, and suddenly Dunmore had life.

Ava Walsh added a hit, and Kyli Farr lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home another run.

Just like that, it was 4-2.

Game on.

After a quiet second inning, Dunmore kept chipping away in the third.

Emily McGowan reached after being hit by a pitch. Rachel Walsh came through with a big double to center, putting pressure right back on the Buckhorn defense.

Nancy Mecca grounded out to first, but it was enough to bring home a run. Then another ball put in play by Ancheranti led to more trouble — and suddenly, we were tied.

4-4.

You could feel the momentum shift in real time.

But Wallenpaupack answered immediately.

Gabrielle Hieber stepped in and hammered a triple, instantly flipping the field again. Reagan Anderson followed with a single, and pressure on the defense led to an error that allowed Hieber to score.

Just like that — 5-4.

Buckhorns back on top.

From there… the game started to tilt.

The Lady Buckhorn defense tightened up. Clean innings. Quick outs. No breathing room.

And the bats kept coming.

Bottom of the fourth — Alexa Laing worked a walk. Babyak moved her over. Then Madison Haynes delivered with a shot to center that brought Laing home.

6-4.

“Our approach at the plate was just to stay short to the ball. We had a few rallies during the game, so our main focus was to poke it through and keep moving runners,” said Wallenpaupack outfielder Madison Haynes.

Hieber later drew a walk, and Anderson added a sacrifice fly.

7-4.

You could feel Dunmore starting to press.

By the middle innings, Wallenpaupack had taken control.

Dunmore’s offense stalled. Opportunities faded. The Lady Buckhorn defense made sure of it — shutting the door and refusing to give anything easy.

Then came another jolt.

Bottom of the fifth.

Grace Lake stepped in… and launched one.

Gone.

8-4.

The crowd erupted. The dugout exploded. And the energy? It shifted for good.

“Grace is an absolute ball of fire. We love her enthusiasm and energy, and we’re all very proud of her and how she supported our team tonight. Hoping she can bring that same energy to the game on Saturday against West Scranton,” said Wallenpaupack shortstop Lucy Babyak.

And then came the exclamation point.

Bottom of the sixth.

Gabrielle Hieber — again — this time sending one over the fence in left.

Reagan Anderson followed with a double. Lilly Mancino added a sacrifice fly.

10-4.

And then…

Grace Lake stepped in.

And did it again.

“Grace is an absolutely amazing teammate. She could be having a horrible day or the best day, and you will hear her cheering and supporting her team no matter what. She is so quick to encourage and hype you up, whether that is pregame or after a bad inning. She gives you a new confidence every game,” shared Reagan Anderson.

Another blast. Another moment. Another roar from the crowd.

She cleared the fence and brought two more runs home — and at that point, there was no coming back.

“Grace’s energy in the dugout is so infectious in the best way possible. I would consider her to be one of the most vocal players on the team, and hearing her cheer for us never fails to hype the rest of us up as well. She definitely has a big impact on the energy levels in the dugout,” Haynes added.

No answers.

No stopping it.

“The beginning of the game didn’t start off great for me at the plate, but I knew I just had to keep my head in the game and try my best to provide for the team in those situations. Honestly, I think we were all seeing a lot of different pitches in different spots, so I was just focusing on zoning in on my pitch and coming through for my girls,” said Grace Lake.

She continued: “The energy today was absolutely top tier. Every single girl in that dugout was here to win tonight. As a very enthusiastic and loud athlete, I love to see and hear when my girls are behind each other, always talking it up and cheering for one another.”

Wallenpaupack didn’t just bounce back Thursday night.

They made a statement.

Final score: 13-6. Lady Buckhorns.

“Having a positive mindset and communicating with the girls helps us all focus on the next play. I like supporting everyone and helping the team stay locked in,” stated Lucy Babyak.

“Our offense truly works off of each other. If someone strikes out, the next batter is there to pick them up. I think being a team that is always focused on the next pitch and the next play is what makes our team so special. Always being there to pick up each other is what really shows in our offense,” said Reagan Anderson.

“I would say our team chemistry is based on the fact that we are all working toward a common goal. We all knew exactly what we wanted to do coming into the game and worked together to do what was best for the team to help us win,” said Madison Haynes.

And on a night where everything clicked — defense, timely hitting, momentum swings, and big-time power at the plate — it was only fitting that by the Lake…

Because in the end… that’s what it always comes back to.

Moments.

Not the schedule. Not the rankings. Not what it looked like on paper before the first pitch was ever thrown.

Just moments.

Moments where a team decides they’re not done.

Moments where energy turns into belief… and belief turns into something bigger.

Moments where one swing, one play, one voice in the dugout can change everything.

And on this field… by this lake… where history itself was reshaped and rewritten…

It felt fitting.

Because just like the valley that once stood here — this game had its own transformation.

What started as just another early-season matchup…

Turned into a statement.

A reminder.

That teams aren’t defined by how they start.

They’re defined by how they respond.

And on this day… by the Lake…

Wallenpaupack didn’t just play a game.

They wrote one.

…it became a Grace Lake show.

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