Ben Scoggin, Senior
Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all of the spring sports going on at Palisades, but the Pirates’ Pearl is here to help. Track and field, baseball, softball, and boys tennis are in full swing as we approach the end of April.
Boys tennis is off to a 10-6 start, picking up wins over Salisbury and Pennridge along the way. As of the 25th of April, they are sitting as the fourth seed in the district power rankings (out of 14 teams). Similarly, they are placed 4th in the league out of 10 teams. Senior team leader Michael Swope made it to the semifinals of the District XI singles tournament this past Wednesday. He had impressive wins over Dylan Alvarez (Allentown Central Catholic), Dylan Weber (Salisbury), and Nate Andress (Palmerton). Senior Gavin Kelly placed third (2nd Singles) in the Colonial League tennis championship. Senior Ethan Scott and junior Sean Johnson (1st doubles) also received third place in the league championship, and all of these athletes will be headed to the District XI tournament as well.
Baseball is currently 8-3 (7-2 in league). They are currently in fourth place in the Colonial League. The team had a huge win over Southern Lehigh at Limeport Stadium earlier in the month, prevailing with a score of 9-5. They have nine games remaining in the regular season, looking to boost their record before league and district playoffs. Seniors Kyle Oechsle (C), Jake Welsh (1B), Ethan Brader (SS, P), and Noah Marshall (2B) have been key players for the club. According to MaxPreps, Oechsle is batting .361 on the year with 11 RBIs on the season. Brader is also batting .361, with 5 RBIs and Welsh holds a .556 batting average with 14 RBIs, both team highs. Marshall (.310 batting average, 11 RBIs) and Brader have combined to anchor the middle infield all year and continue to be a key part of the postseason run. The team is looking to avenge their unfortunate loss against Bangor earlier in the season and are working hard to take down Northwestern Lehigh, currently in first place in the league. The baseball team has three players committed to play in college: Jake Welsh (Drew University), Kyle Oechsle (Penn State Brandywine), and pitcher David Platt (Indiana University).
Girls softball is coming off a big win over Northern Lehigh, their first of the season. They are currently 1-9, with senior leaders Ashley Wenskoski (OF), Becky Skibo (SS, C), Cheyenne Guinan (3B), and Lauren McDonald (P) looking to steer the team in the right direction for the second half of the season. In what is undoubtedly a transition year for the club with a fourth new head coach in as many season, underclassmen are looking to make their mark. Freshmen Allie Wenskoski (OF) and Aubrey Seagraves (OF) as well as sophomores Brooke Gerhardt (OF, MI) and Kyleigh Davis (1B) are striving to make a lasting impact for seasons to come in hopes of improving the program. Skibo is the only player committed to play next year at the collegiate level, at Moravian College.
Girls track and field is near the top of the league. They are looking to have multiple athletes compete in the Colonial League and District XI championship meets, held at Whitehall High School in May. On Thursday the 25th, the team sent Dorothy Curtin, Callie Fair, Ava Moser, and Amy Farese to compete in the 4x400 meter relay at the elite Penn Relays meet in Philadelphia. Lydia Bottelier, reigning Pennsylvania state high jump champion who will be competing for the University of Pittsburgh next fall, will be jumping at Penn Relays as well, looking to jump better than her PR 5’10. Sydney Odle and Trinity Williams have also been doing exceptional in sprinting events this year. Boys track and field is also doing well this year and figures to have a nice showing at Whitehall for the postseason events. Senior Josh Volak has been competing at a high level in the jumping events, with senior Ethan Miller and junior Gus Yocum anchoring the sprinters and putting out top times in the league. Senior Ben Lerch has been exceptional in the throwing events this season as well.
As the season winds down and postseason for all teams rapidly approaches, make sure to cheer on all of your classmates in their upcoming games/events. Let’s have a great showing of Palisades pride to help them all compete at their highest level!
Comments