RECAP >> A month ago when they met, Emmaus and Nazareth put on an offensive display as the two teams combined for 15 runs on 22 hits as the Hornets built an 8-0 lead before the Blue Eagles put together a furious rally with seven runs in their final bat before eventually falling short in a one-run 8-7 loss.
When the two teams met again for the second time this season on Saturday afternoon at windy Kiwanis Field, the offenses were held in check and a total of just three runs were scored thanks in large part to a heavyweight pitching duel between Nazareth’s Sam Gorkos and Emmaus’ Hannah Palinkas.
The two aces of their staffs each had outstanding days in the circle as they combined for 25 strikeouts, and in a game between two teams that were riding nine and seven game win streaks, respectively, it was the Blue Eagles getting revenge as they defeated the Hornets 2-1 in 10 innings in the international tiebreaker rule.
Nazareth’s senior third baseman Jalina Edwards, who was 3-for-4 on the day including the 100th hit of her career, proved to be the hero as she lined a two-out single to center field in the top of the 10th inning scoring classmate Madisen Straub from second base with the game-winning run as the Blue Eagles won their 10th straight to improve to 12-4 overall and 8-4 in the EPC.
Emmaus had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the inning with junior Tatum Kresley at third base with one out, but Gorkos got her counterpart Palinkas to fly out to short left field and trying to tag from third with the tying run, Kresley was tagged out at the plate to end the game.
The Hornets saw their seven-game win streak snapped as they fell to 10-4 overall and 8-3 in the league.
Palinkas was the hard-luck loser on the mound and dropped to 8-3 on the season. The hard-throwing right-hander scattered nine hits and struck out 11, moving her career total to 386.
Gorkos, meanwhile, allowed just four hits while striking out 14. She struck out the side in both the second and fourth innings and worked out of jams in the first three innings as Emmaus squandered opportunities leaving five on base.
Nazareth had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a RBI triple from senior catcher Daphney Adams scoring Gorkos who led off the inning with a single.
Emmaus was then able to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth on shortstop Marah Sisonick’s inside the park home run to left centerfield.
Kresley had half of our her team’s hits as she went 2-for-4 and reached base three times. She entered the game hitting an incredible .723 on the season with 34 hits.
The Hornets will look to bounce back on Monday at 4 p.m. with another tough contest at Northampton (9-3 EPC, 13-3 overall). The K-Kids won the earlier contest between the two teams 7-4 back on March 28.
Nazareth – 000 100 000 1 – 2-9-1
Emmaus – 000 001 000 0 – 1-4-0
Sam Gorkos and Daphney Adams; Hannah Palinkas and Abby Bartles.
HR – Emmaus: Marah Sisonick (solo, 6th)