A seven-run second inning lifted North Penn-Liberty over Wellsboro in both team’s season opener. Elyna Booth pitched five shutout innings and recorded 11 strikeouts and held Wellsboro to two hits and two walks.
After a quiet first inning in which Wellsboro’s Ady Frantz earned two strikeouts, Liberty loaded the bases with three straight walks. Frantz got Maddie McNamara to strikeout looking for the first out of the inning. But with three more walks, Frantz gave Liberty a 3-0 lead before Haley Litzelman stepped to the plate. Litzleman knocked a double into left field that brought in three runs as Abby Lehman, Maddy Smith and Julia Kaczynski crossed the plate. That put Liberty ahead 6-0. Booth brought in Litzelman a couple batters later with a single to center field for Liberty’s seventh run of the inning.
Booth kept Liberty on top with six strikeouts over the next two innings going three up and three down in the third and fourth innings.
Liberty tacked on three more runs in the fourth to pull ahead 10-0 and seal a season opening victories for the Lady Mounties. Litzelman was 1-1 with three RBIs and two walks. Booth had Liberty’s only other hit.
Wellsboro struggled to connect against Booth and wasn’t able to overcome a calamitous second inning.
Liberty returned to the diamond Wednesday, March 25 to host Towanda. Wellsboro had a day off before hitting the road to face Athens on Thursday, March 26. The scores from these games will be in next week’s paper.