5/16/19
RECAP >> Only twice in 22 games this season has the Emmaus offense been held off the scoreboard.
Both times by the same team and the same pitcher.
Northampton freshman Kaira Zamadics once again had her way with the Hornets lineup on Wednesday afternoon at Parkland High School as tossed her second consecutive shutout against Emmaus leading the K-Kids to a 2-0 win in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals.
Zamadics, who defeated the Hornets by the same 2-0 score back on April 29, gave up just a pair of hits while striking out 11 as third-seeded Northampton (18-4) advanced to tonight’s championship game to take on top-seeded Parkland, which routed fourth-seeded Freedom 9-1 in the other semifinal.
“She is doing a great job as a freshman and being thrown in halfway through the season and she’s holding herself very well and I give her some props,” said Emmaus second year head coach Brittany D’Agostino following the loss.
“But we should also being hitting the ball better. Nothing is being blown past us, It’s just that we are not being aggressive at the plate.”
Emmaus, which was looking to advance to the championship game for the second time in the last three years, saw its six-game win streak snapped as they fell to 15-7 on the season. The Hornets were outscored 11-4 in the three meetings versus the K-Kids.
They once again struggled on offense as junior left fielder Tatum Kresley and senior first baseman Jordyn Bruckler had the only two hits on the day.
“Our offense could have been more aggressive and that’s something we have to work on heading into the third part of the season now,” said D’Agostino.
Despite the struggles, Emmaus had their chances against Zamadics as they got a leadoff double to center field from Bruckler in the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 1-0, but couldn’t push across the game-tying run.
One inning later, however, it appeared that the Hornets had tied the game at 1-1 as Kresley, who had reached first on an error and advanced to the third on a sacrifice from freshman Peyton Sisonick, slid into home plate ahead of the throw from Northampton first baseman Madison Biechy to catcher Madison Fraley. But the home plate umpire ruled Kresley out keeping it a 1-0 K-Kids lead.
“I saw her foot get in,” said D’Agostino of the play. “He (the umpire) said she went head first but clearly it wasn’t head first. She went around the catcher and she got the back of her cleat on the tip of the plate.
“It’s part of the game. You can’t control the umpires or the other team. You just have to go out there and play. We should have hit more and that’s how you win games and we just didn’t do that today.”
Senior Hannah Palinkas pitched well in defeat for the Hornets as she went the distance, scattering five hits while striking out six and walking none. She dropped to 11-5 on the season, three of those losses coming to Northampton.
“Hannah is continuing to throw well and she did a great job again today,” said D’Agostino. “We just need to go into districts with both the offense and defense playing well. We have to have it all.”
Emmaus will be off until Tuesday, May 21 when they begin play in the District XI Class 6A Tournament. The Hornets are likely to be the No.4 seed and host fifth-seeded Freedom at Kiwanis Field.
Stay tuned here and follow @Emmaussports.com on twitter for continued updates.
Northampton – 000 100 1 – 2-5-1
Emmaus – 000 000 0 – 0-2-1
No – Kaira Zamedics (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K) and Madison Fraley
Em – Hannah Palinkas (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K) and Abby Bartels
Em – Kresley lf 1-3, P. Sisonick rf 0-2, M. Sisonick SS 0-3, Bartles C 0-3, Palinkas p 0-2, Bruckler 1b 1-3, Lenhart Dp 0-2, Trexler cf 0-2, Hark 2b 0-2