Weatherly rallies to beat Thorpe

As the winds howled and the trees swayed, the Jim Thorpe at Weatherly softball game on Monday afternoon felt a lot more like winter than spring.

There were cold rain droplets, slight traces of snow and sleet, and a gusting, biting wind. But through it all, the Wreckers and Olympians continued to play.

In the end, Weatherly found a way to overcome the elements and tag the Olympians a 20-10 loss in a non-league matchup.

In was a contest that saw brave and hardy fans blanketed from head-to-toe, and the home plate umpire in winter gear. What it boiled down to was the intestinal fortitude of the Wreckers, who erased deficits of 5-0 and 9-6, before taking control late and putting the final stamp on the victory.

“We dug ourselves a hole, but the bats came alive,” said Weatherly coach Will Bartel. “They hit the ball and we made some bone-head mistakes ... just mental errors. But we fought right back.”

Certainly, it helped that winning pitcher Haley Wenner settled down after getting beat up early.

“She was leaving the ball up – belt high,” Bartel said. “I don’t care if it’s the first or the ninth hitter, you leave the ball up in the zone, and they’re going to hit it.”

Thorpe hit it early and often, as it built an early lead thanks to one of the up-and-coming great athletes in the area in Skylar Searfoss, who went 4-for-4 and it for the cycle.

Searfoss also drove in two runs to go along with her single, double, triple and home run.

But despite Searfoss’ big day, the bottom line turned in favor of the Wreckers. Alexa Colecio, who doubled and drove in three runs, led the way. Her sister, Amanda Colecio, smoked a triple and drove in three runs as well. Wenner helped her own cause with two hits, one a double, and the other a triple for three RBIs, and Correa Chincoal added a pair of hits and drove in two runs.

“They just kept bouncing back, and had more answers than we did,” said Thorpe manager Lori Lienhard. “But it always seems that we have that one inning that takes us out.”

Actually, it were several big innings, starting with the second when Weatherly posted six runs on three hits to surge in front 6-5, led by Winner’s triple. Then a two-run rally in the third featured Amanda Colecio’s triple, Finally, in the fifth, the Wreckers scored eight more runs to seal the victory.

“It’s good to get a big win like this,” said Bartel. “We’ve got some big games coming up this week with Mahanoy Area and Nativity. So maybe we can carry this over to those games.”

BANGED UP … Thorpe lost starting centerfielder Victoria DeFazio with an injury to her finger in the first inning. DeFazio took a pitch off the hand while batting and was forced to leave the game.

HITTING AWAY … Besides Searfoss hitting for the cycle, Thorpe’s Trista Gehris and Kristen Pompa each had two hits.

SEE THE RAINBOW ... There were a few light showers that passed, and twice rainbows appeared. When the first one looped overhead, the home umpire called a five-second time out so all the players could “turn around and look at it.”

Jim Thorpe 234 01 - 10 12 2

Weatherly 062 48 - 20 12 2

Gehris, Solimon (3) and McLean, Solmon and McLean; Wenner and Al. Colecio. W - Wenner. L - Gehris.