Not long after Dave Patrisso awakened from a sound sleep Wednesday morning, his wife Nicole reminded him of an important fact: it was his 28th birthday.

Honesdale’s young softball coach yawned, stretched and made a wish.

“I told Nicky all I wanted for my birthday was a nice, solid win over Paupack,” Coach Patrisso told TWI Sports. “That’s it. That’s all I wanted. Thankfully, we got a couple of big hits and jumped out to an early lead. This win was the perfect present.”

But not the only present.

After the Lady Hornets recorded the final out in a 17-2 rout, they surrounded their coach and serenaded him with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.” The girls then broke out the goodies, of which Dave was allowed just a few bites. After all, he was being treated to a birthday dinner of hot wings at a local restaurant.

“This has been a great year so far,” he said with a smile. “Hopefully, a big win like this will help build momentum for the play-offs. This is an awesome group of girls and I love coaching them.”

While Dave Patrisso and the Lady Hornets were celebrating on the upper diamond, Mike Modrovsky’s baseball squad was busy trying to hold the Buckhorns in check. Honesdale’s skipper had watched his lads dig themselves an early 3-0 hole, then rally to within a single run at 3-2.

Alas for Maple City hardball fans, that’s as close as the Hornets would get. Paupack tacked on two runs in the sixth and held on for an eventual 5-2 decision. The win moved the Bucks back into a first place tie with West Scranton atop the Division One standings.

“We spotted them a couple of early runs and you can’t do that against a team as good as Wallenpaupack,” said Coach Modrovsky. “Sooner or later, they’re going to make you pay. I give our kids credit for fighting back the way they did, but we’ve got to cut out the mental mistakes and the errors.”

Paupack is now 7-2 in league action, while Honesdale fell to 2-7. Both teams will be back in action this afternoon. The Bucks open a three game homestand against DV. The Hornets hit the road for an encounter with Scranton Prep. Both of these Division One ballgames are slated for a 4:30 p.m. start.

Dynamic Duo
Any discussion about Honesdale’s 17-2 win over Paupack on Wednesday must begin with the Lady Hornets’ third and fourth place hitters. Jenn Edsall and Maeghan Almy form one of the most fearsome 1-2 punches in the entire Lackawanna League.

When Edsall isn’t dominating opposing batters on the mound, she’s terrorizing enemy pitchers in the box...and this day was no exception. Jenn was the starter and winner on the hill, working two perfect innings and striking out two. She handed the ball off to reliever Becky Scull in the third and focused in on her hitting...much to Paupack’s chagrin.

Edsall enjoyed a monster day at the dish, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. The highlight of Jenn’s outing was a titanic three-run homer that clear-ed the fence in left center by about 30 feet.

This missile shot drew a roar from the big Maple City crowd, but it’s the kind of blast Coach Patrisso expects from his star.

“Jenn is about as strong a girl as there is in our league,” he said. “She’s a threat to hit the longball at any time. That was a huge homer, but it doesn’t surprise me because Jenn can really drive the ball.”

Almy was nearly as impressive on this day. Honesdale’s junior catcher went 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in two runs. Maeghan ripped singles in each of the first, second and fourth innings.

“The girls at the top of our order do whatever they can to get on base, then Jenn and Maeghan come up and drive them in,” said Coach Patrisso. “Maeghan looks very comfortable at the plate right now. You can see it as soon as she steps into the batter’s box. She’s swinging the bat really well and hitting the ball hard.”

Becky Scull and Korilynn Grady also played major parts in Honesdale’s win.

Scull came on in relief of Edsall and finished out the game. Becky pitched two innings, allowing two hits and a pair of unearned runs. She walked two and fanned four. At the plate, Scull went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Grady is one of the hottest hitters in all of Division One. Korilynn, a senior DP, cracked three hits in three trips including a double. She also scored twice and drove in three runs.

Leslie Smith continues to be a revelation in centerfield. A senior who’s been flying under the radar this spring, Smith collected three hits from her #8 spot in the order. Leslie tallied once and accounted for three RBIs.

For Paupack, Annie Vega blasted a triple, while Eileen Johnson doubled and Olivia Hessling chipped in with a single.

Karisa Daniels earned the starting nod and absorbed the loss. She was relieved by hard-throwing southpaw Carley Gustin in the second.

Score by Innings...
WAL   0  0  2  0 -  2
HON   5  8  2  2 - 17

Back on Top
Bob McGinnis is famous for soft-pedaling his team's accomplishments during the regular season. At some point in his post game post mortem with the media, he'll inevitably say: “We were lucky to get out of here today with a win.”

Well, Coach McGinnis did indeed say that after Wednesday's encounter. This time, though, his assessment was right on the money. Paupack fought off a scrappy Hornet squad on an unseasonably cold evening, escaping with a 5-2 victory.

“This is such a wide open league this year,” Coach McGinnis said. “I really mean it: just about anyone can beat anybody else on a given day. Honesdale is a solid ballclub and they always play us tough. Today was no exception.”

On this particular afternoon, Paupack rode yet another solid performance from ace hurler Ryan Loughran to a 5-2 victory. The senior lefty labored five innings and allowed just one earned run in picking up the decision.

Timmy Silsby and Nick DeFebo each worked an inning of relief to preserve Loughran’s win.

Offensively, the Bucks were paced by Jeff DeSane and Kevin Hendrickson. DeSane clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to give the visitors breathing room. Hendrickson enjoyed a perfect 2-for-2 day and reached safely three times in three plate appearances.

Third baseman Corey Linden and shortstop Corey Capone chipped in with two hits apiece.

Mead Sandercock was Honesdale’s lone two-time hitter. Jake Schilling doubled and scored a run, while Bobby Kinsman added a clutch RBI single. Kinsman was the starter and hard-luck loser.

Score by Innings...
WAL   0  0  1  1  1  2  0 - 5
HON   0  0  0  0  2  0  0 - 2