PIAA Class AA softball championship notebook: Deer Lakes' 2nd loss similar to 1st one
UNIVERSITY PARK — Deer Lakes coach Craig Taliani said his players were “lights out by 11” the night before the PIAA Class AA softball championship. The Lancers' season went out like a light in Friday's 10-5 loss to Holy Redeemer at Nittany Lion Softball Park.
The Lancers (24-2) weren't making any excuses, but Taliani offered an observation: “We're not a morning team.”
The team's second loss was eerily similar to its first one. When Deer Lakes lost to Peters Township, 9-4, during a spring-training trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Lancers committed seven errors. And that game started at 9 a.m.
Friday's game began at 10 a.m. Deer Lakes had five errors against Holy Redeemer.
“It's strange for sure,” Taliani said. “Those games are a lot alike. When you make errors you have to be able to make the next play.”
On the record
The combined runs scored in the Class AA game approached a record set last season.
Deer Lakes and Holy Redeemer combined for 15 runs. The record was 18 runs scored in the 2014 Class AA title game where Central Columbia defeated Bald Eagle, 13-5.
That's a far cry from the seven 1-0 state finals between 2009-14.
The game was also lengthy, lasting 2 hours and 6 minutes. That's quite a contrast with the 1995 PIAA Class AA game where Leechburg defeated Annville-Cleona in a game that was reeled off in 57 minutes.
Holy who?
Holy Redeemer hasn't been around long. The Wilkes-Barre school opened in 2007 by way of a merger between four Catholic high schools in Luzerne County — Bishop Hoban, Bishop Hafey, Bishop O'Reilly and Seton Catholic.
Nice catch
Outfielders Maureen Hutchinson and Maria Taliani made highlight-reel catches for the Lancers. Hutchison dove to take away a low liner by Royals' power-hitting first baseman Kaya Swanek to end the second inning. Taliani made a sliding grab to take away a hit from Morgan Bienkowski in the sixth.
Diploma time
Deer Lakes didn't bring home a state title, but its two senior stars, Tiffany Edwards and Katie Gozzard, had to make it home from Penn State for Friday night's graduation.
Both were four-year starters and all-timers in the program.
“I don't think I want to go,” Edwards said.
Extra bases
Deer Lakes had a 23-game winning streak stopped against Class AA teams. … Deer Lakes was trying to become the first A-K Valley team to win a state softball title since Valley in 2011. … Deer Lakes has not won a state title in a female sport since the girls basketball team in 1985. … Holy Redeemer's other three state playoff wins all came on walk-off hits. … Deer Lakes and Holy Redeemer each had only two seniors in their starting nine.
Freelance writer George Guido contributed. Bill Beckner Jr. is the local sports editor of the Valley News Dispatch. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com .
