Agape Freedom Sports LLC

WRITTEN BY: JERIC YURKANIN

Dunmore PA—- As the playoffs get closer, some teams are still trying to find themselves.

Trying to find that identity.

Trying to settle in.

Trying to make sure every T is crossed and every I is dotted before the games start carrying a little more weight.

This is the time of year when teams want to clean things up. Do the little things better than they did a few weeks ago. Play sharper than they did at the beginning of the season. Find that consistency every coach talks about, because when the postseason arrives, consistency matters.

You need defense.

You need timely hitting.

You need confidence.

And most importantly, you need to know who is going to lead you in the circle.

Because in playoff softball, pitching can change everything.

A good pitcher does not just throw strikes. She sets the tone. She gives the defense confidence. She gives the dugout belief. She makes everyone around her feel like the game is under control.

And in my opinion, Dunmore may have found that leader in senior Rachel Walsh.

Walsh has been steady all season, sitting at 6-3 in the circle with 61 strikeouts. She has allowed just 2.67 runs per game, giving up 34 total runs, with only 22 of them earned. That tells you something. She competes. She limits damage. She gives Dunmore a chance.

But she is not just doing it with her arm.

She is also producing at the plate, batting .472 with a .541 on-base percentage. That is the kind of senior presence every team needs this time of year — someone who can lead in the circle, step in the box, and impact the game in more than one way.

And Walsh is not doing it alone.

Dunmore has a good defense behind her and an offense that can hit and score runs quickly. This is still a younger team, but you can see the pieces starting to come together. Freshman shortstop Aubrey Mizenko is one of those pieces. She has been impressive, batting .358 on the season with three home runs. That is a big number for a freshman, especially when some of the top hitters and upperclassmen around District 2 only finish with four to seven home runs in a season.

That kind of power from a young player changes a lineup.

That kind of confidence gives a team something to build around.

And that is why Dunmore is going to be a team to watch in the District 2 Class AA playoffs.

They are young.

They are dangerous.

And they are starting to figure it out at the right time.

Tuesday afternoon felt like another step in that direction. Against a very good Riverside team, Dunmore came out and made a statement with a 15-2 win. The bats were alive. The energy was there. The confidence started building inning by inning.

It felt like one of those games where a team does not just win.

They discover a little more about who they are.

And for Dunmore, with Rachel Walsh leading the way, Aubrey Mizenko continuing to grow, and a lineup finding rhythm, the Lady Bucks looked like a team getting ready for the moment.

The postseason is almost here.

And Dunmore looks like they are starting to arrive with it.

Here is how the game went down:

Top 1st inning- Riverside Batting-

Emily Chilek grounds out to third baseman McGowan. One out. Raigan Monahan strikes out swinging, Two outs. Kate Reynolds singles on a ground ball to center fielder Farr. Mikayla Smith lines out to center fielder Farr. Three outs.

Bottom 1st- Dunmore Batting:

Aubrey Mizenko walks, Emily McGowan singles on a bunt to catcher Reynolds. McGowan advances to 2nd on the throw. Mizenko advances to 3rd on the throw. Rachel Walsh grounds out to first baseman Keller. Mizenko scores. McGowan advances to 3rd. One out.

Dunmore 1 Riverside 0

Paige Ancherani grounds out, shortstop Merrifield to first baseman Keller. McGowan scores. Two outs.

Dunmore 2 Riverside 0

Ava Walsh grounds out, first baseman Keller to second baseman Beecham. Three outs.

Top 2nd: Riverside at Bat: Cassidy Merrifield strikes out swinging, one out. Mackenzie Keller strikes out looking, Two outs. Shelby Lewis grounds out, third baseman McGowan to first baseman Ancherani. Three outs.

Bottom 2nd- Dunmore at Bat:

Kylie Farr flies out to center fielder Chilek. One out. Nancy Mecca hits a hard ground ball and reaches on an error by shortstop Merrifield. Jackie Brown walks, Mecca advances to 2nd. #1 Peyton Ancherani flies out to pitcher S Lewis. N Mecca remains at 2nd. J Brown remains at 1st. Two outs. Mizenko flies out to center fielder Chilek. Three outs.

Top 3 – Riverside at Bat:

Caitie Beecham walks , Tierra Schiavo sacrifices to pitcher Walsh. Schiavo out advancing to 1st. Beecham advances to 2nd. One out. Chilek singles on a ground ball to second baseman Ancherani. Beecham advances to 3rd. Monahan strikes out swinging, Walsh pitching. Beecham remains at 3rd. Chilek remains at 2nd. Two outs. Reynolds grounds out, second baseman Ancherani to first baseman Ancherani. Three outs.

Bottom 3: Dunmore at bat-

McGowan doubles on a fly ball to left fielder Schiavo. Walsh singles on a hard ground ball to center fielder Chilek. McGowan scores on the throw.

Dunmore 3 Riverside 0

Ancherani walks, Haley Chapman advances to 2nd. Walsh singles on a bunt to catcher Reynolds. Chapman advances to 3rd. Ancherani advances to 2nd. Farr singles on a fly ball to left fielder Schiavo. Chapman scores. Ancherani advances to 3rd. Walsh advances to 2nd.

Dunmore 4 Riverside 0

Mecca singles on a ground ball to left fielder Schiavo.Ancherani scores. Walsh advances to 3rd. Farr advances to 2nd.

Dunmore 5 Riverside 0

Brown hits a fly ball and reaches on an error by shortstop Merrifield. Walsh scores. Farr advances to 3rd. Mecca advances to 2nd.

Dunmore 6 Riverside 0

Ancherani singles on a ground ball to center fielder Chilek. Farr scores. Burrell scores on the throw. Brown advances to 2nd.

Dunmore 8 Riverside 0

Mizenko homers on a fly ball to center field. Brown scores. Ancherani scores. walks,

“I was really looking for something outside. I wanted to focus on the outside of the plate because she pitched me outside the last game she played me, so that’s what I did. And for my home run, I’m just really glad I put a good swing on it,” said Dunmore freshman Aubrey Mizenko.

She added: “That home run was very important. The momentum just kept moving, and I think we did a good job keeping it going through the whole game.”

Aubrey’s coach is speaking well of her freshman and proud.

“Aubrey is just a freshman and has done everything we’ve asked of her this year. We’ve been making tweaks to our lineup, and she seems to be comfortable batting leadoff at this point in the season. It was great to see her hit that homer there. She’s been waiting for that one all year.

“Rachel is solid doing everything we’ve asked her this year: at the mound, at first, and at the plate. She’s a true senior leader. She had great control of the zone today and executed well,” said Dunmore first-year head coach Sarah Cantarella.

Dunmore 11 Riverside 0

McGowan flies out to left fielder Schiavo. One out. Walsh flies out to center fielder Chilek. Two outs.

Kierstyn Yanonne walks, Walsh walks, K Farr flies out to center fielder Chilek. Three outs.

Top 4: Riverside at Bat-

Smith homers on a fly ball to center field.

Riverside 1 Dunmore 11

Merrifield singles on a hard ground ball to center fielder

Farr. Keller doubles on a line drive to center fielder Farr. Merrifield advances to 3rd. Lewis grounds out, third baseman McGowan to first baseman Ancherani. Merrifield scores. Keller advances to 3rd. One out.

Riverside 2 Dunmore 11

Beecham grounds into fielder’s choice, pitcher Walsh to third baseman McGowan. Keller out advancing to home. Two outs. Schiavo strikes out swinging. Three outs.

Bottom 4: Dunmore at bat:

Mecca walks, Brown singles on a bunt to pitcher, Ancherani bunts out, third baseman Smith to first baseman Keller. Angelita Cantarella advances to 3rd. Brown advances to 2nd. Ancherani bunts out, third baseman Smith to first baseman M Keller. #21 advances to 3rd. J Brown advances to 2nd. One out. Mizenko doubles on a fly ball to right fielder R Monahan.

Cantarella scores. Brown held up at 3rd.

Dunmore 12 Riverside 2

McGowan homers on a fly ball to left field. Brown scores. Mizenko scores.

Dunmore 15 Riverside 2

Walsh singles on a ground ball to center fielder E Chilek. Ancherani flies out to shortstop Merrifield. Two outs. Brenna Burrell remains at 2nd. Haley Chapman strikes out swinging, three outs.

Top 5: Riverside at Bat–

Chilek strikes out swinging, one out.

Blasi grounds out, shortstop Mizenko to first baseman Ancherani. Two outs. Reynolds singles on a ground ball to right fielder Cantarella. Smith grounds out, second baseman Ancherani to first baseman Ancherani. Three outs.

End of game:

Dunmore 15 Riverside 2

“Our offense is very dangerous. We have no easy outs, and having a good 1-9 is amazing to have. We are all friends and have made the best relationships so far this season. I think that helps make us all click as well. Even though we won, I think Riverside did an amazing job not getting down. Their energy in the dugout never stopped,” said Aubrey Mizenko.

“Our girls have worked really well all season. We’ve been looking for a clean defensive sheet, and I’m proud of them for doing that today. We also emphasize our plan at the plate. They did a great job embracing that and going after pitches that make them successful. They put the work in daily and really want to succeed,” said Dunmore head coach Sarah Cantarella.

Dunmore’s offense exploded for 15 runs on 12 hits in a dominant five-inning victory over Riverside on Tuesday night. Aubrey Mizenko led the charge with a huge performance at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, a three-run home run, four RBIs, three runs scored, and a walk. Emily McGowan also had a monster game, going 3-for-4 with a double, a three-run homer, and three RBIs while scoring three times. Rachel Walsh added two hits and two RBIs, while Kylie Farr, Nancy Mecca, Jackie Brown, and Peyton Ancherani all contributed key hits during Dunmore’s explosive third and fourth innings.

“At practice we really focus on consistency and the basics so we can make the easy plays and not give our pitchers any additional stress. said Dunmore’s Jackie Brown.

She added: “Our dugout is always super loud and cheering on our teammates no matter what is going on during the game. We are a team, and we always have confidence in each other and celebrate the little and big things. It’s amazing to be a part of the energy during a game like that,”

The Lady Bucks scored nine runs in the third inning alone and added four more in the fourth to put the game out of reach.

“We asked the girls to look for drivable pitches, and it clicked in the third. They executed our offensive plan excellently,” said head coach Sarah Cantarella.

Inside the circle, Rachel Walsh tossed all five innings for Dunmore, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out six and walking one. Riverside was led offensively by Mikayla Smith, who blasted a solo home run to center field in the fourth inning and finished with an RBI.

“Today my changeup was working very well, and I really was hitting my spots. We really work hard at both components of the game at practice,” said Dunmore senior pitcher Rachel Walsh.

She added: “We knew coming in Riverside was a great team. We just had to stay up, support each other, and focus on the win. Quinn King’s cheering in the dugout really kept us up and motivated!”

“Rachel is solid doing everything we’ve asked her this year: at the mound, at first, and at the plate. She’s a true senior leader. She had great control of the zone today and executed well,” said her coach Sarah Cantarella.

Kate Reynolds continued her strong season with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, while Cassidy Merrifield and Mackenzie Keller each added hits, with Keller ripping a double. Riverside finished with six hits as a team, while Dunmore controlled the game from start to finish defensively and offensively, finishing error-free in the field and holding Riverside scoreless in four of the five innings played.

“Riverside’s pitcher, Shelby Lewis, was very good, but after using our film from last game we all adjusted at the plate to hit her outside pitches,” said Dunmore’s Jackie Brown.

And as the final out settled into the glove Tuesday afternoon, you could feel something building around the Dunmore dugout.

Not just excitement.

Belief.

The kind of belief that starts growing this time of year when a younger team begins realizing they may be arriving faster than expected. The dugout stayed loud. Smiles spread across the field. The confidence looked real. And inning by inning, hit by hit, Dunmore looked more and more like a team nobody is going to want to deal with come playoff time.

Because playoff softball is not always about who has the biggest names or the best regular-season record.

Sometimes it is about timing.

About chemistry.

About momentum showing up at exactly the right moment.

And right now, under the leadership of Rachel Walsh, the power of Aubrey Mizenko, and a lineup that seems to be getting more dangerous every game, Dunmore feels like a team beginning to catch fire at the perfect time.

The District 2 AA playoffs are getting closer.

And the Lady Bucks are starting to look like a problem.