Western Wayne’s varsity softball team traveled to the Pioneer City Wednesday afternoon for a non-league ballgame against St. Rose Academy.

Coach Bob Bunting decided to give some of his youngsters a shot in this one and the move paid off handsomely. The Lady ‘Cats took an early lead, weathered a pair of St. Rose rallies and hung on for an 11-10 triumph.

“This was a really nice win for us,” Coach Bunting told TWI Sports. “It was a total team effort. Every girl in the line-up contributed something positive. We have quite a few young players and we’ve taken our lumps a little bit this season; but, the future looks bright.”

The victory was Western Wayne’s third overall on the spring. The Lady ‘Cats are still in search of that elusive first win in Lackawanna League competition. To date, the local girls are 0-11 in Division Two action.
Next up for Western Wayne is a home game against Lakeland. Weather permitting, that contest will get underway this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in Varden.

Onward to Victory
Emily Komar drew the starting assignment for Western Wayne on this day. Komar is a freshman righty who should figure prominently in the Lady ‘Cat rotation next year.

Emily gave local fans a taste of what’s to come with a solid performance on Wednesday. Komar worked three innings and eventually earned the win. She fanned four and allowed three earned runs.

“Emily was a little bit shaky in the first inning, but then she settled right in,” said Coach Bunting. “She’s a good little pitcher. Emily is pretty much always around the plate. She works hard and throws strikes.”

Offensively, Western Wayne was paced by juniors Michelle Williamson and Sabrina Bates. Williamson launched a solo homer in the top of the third and Bates added a two-run shot in the fourth.

Another member of a talented freshman class, Emily Heffinger took over for Komar in the fourth and pitched the rest of the way. Heffinger recorded six strikeouts and survived a last-ditch St. Rose comeback attempt.

The home team trailed by one, but managed to put two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh. It was at this point that Williamson came to the rescue once again. Western Wayne’s leftfielder made a spectacular running catch in foul territory to end the game and preserve a Lady ‘Cat victory.

“Michelle’s been on the team for two years now and she’s always working hard in practice to improve,” said Coach Bunting. “She made a great play in the field and hit the ball hard, too. Michelle had been struggling, so it was nice to see her have such a good game.”