MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport's Emma Vollman (15) is safe at third base on a passed pitch as Central Mountain third baseman Aubrey Miller (25) fields the ball in the first inning.

Williamsport held a voluntary practice two Saturdays ago. At that point, the Millionaires were the lone area which had not yet played a game. Practices had become rather monotonous simply because that is all Williamsport did.

Still, nearly every Millionaire was there for this optional workout. That said a lot about the team’s desire and passion.

And when Williamsport finally took the field last week, those qualities again shined through … along with talent and resilience. The Millionaires opened 2-0, defeating defending 2024 Class 5A state semifinalist Central Mountain, 16-13 and Danville, 16-9.

“They’re really practicing hard. They’re excited,” first-year Williamsport coach Scott Stugart said. “And that Saturday they were out here flying around, smacking the ball and having a good time. They know when to have fun and they know when to put work in and they play as they practice.”

That showed against previously undefeated Central Mountain and a five-win Danville team which was playing its eighth game. Picking up where they left off from down the stretch last year, the defending District 2-4 Class 6A champions scored 32 runs and pounded out 29 hits. Zaelana Minor, Brenna Beck and Bailey Livermore smashed home runs and every starter reached base at least twice against Central Mountain.

Williamsport kept thumping against Danville and collected 14 more hits. The defense cut down on the errors it made against Central Mountain and Livermore struck out eight for a second straight game. The dedicated practices are producing strong early results.

Equally important, Williamsport displayed its character against Central Mountain. The Millionaires erased two three-run deficits and repeatedly delivered key hits, pitches and/or plays in crucial situations, snapping a three-game losing streak against the two-time defending HAC-I champions. After Central Mountain scored five times in the top of the fourth, and went ahead, 9-6, the Millionaires immediately answered and scored six times in the bottom of the half. Livermore than produced a game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded.

“It’s interesting for me because being a new coach I’m still learning the personalities and haven’t really seen them in game action. I’ve seen them in practice but games are different and seeing how they react to rough times out there is important,” Stugart said. “One of the keys was when we went down 9-6 after taking a lead and they bounced back with a six run inning. That was huge. That showed me a lot as far as their fight.”

It also revealed a lot about the team’s explosiveness. Williamsport caught fire down the stretch last season and totaled a staggering 37 runs and 54 hits in two district playoff wins. That firepower throughout the lineup, including freshmen like Minor and Kinsley Cannode, has Williamsport believing that it can overcome any situation.

“We know each other well enough to keep coming,” Beck, a three-year starting shortstop said. “If someone strikes out they come back swinging the next time.”

“Knowing we can come back helps the confidence,” Livermore, another three-year starter said. “We know if someone is coming up and we need a hit, they can get that for us.”

Williamsport waited a long time, longer than any other area team, to play this season. It’s early but its performance is showing it was worth the wait.

“They’ve put a lot of work in and it shows,” Stugart said. “It’s fun to see them go out there and keep battling and have success.”

SURGING SPARTANS

Hughesville is building off its torrid stretch late last season and enjoyed one of its best weeks in recent memory, going 3-0 and winning big games against Montoursville, Warrior Run and defending District 4 Class AAA champion Midd-West. The Spartans (5-1) have won five straight and erased three deficits, including a four-run spot, in an 8-7 walk-off win against Montoursville before Ella Breneisen and the defense stifled Warrior Run and Midd-West, allowing just two runs.

A season after winning a program-record 12 games, Hughesville seems eager to build on that success and has made monster strides since a blowout loss in its season opener against North Penn-Liberty. The offense is balanced, Breneisen and Maddie Smith are throwing well and Breneisen, Smith and Addy Knight all have home runs. Since falling behind Montoursville, 5-1, Hughesville outscored it, Warrior Run and Midd-West, 17-4.

“We struggled out of the gate in the first game against North Penn-Liberty and from there, we’ve made adjustments in each game and we continue to make adjustments,” Hughesville coach Dave Dimoff said following the Warrior Run win. “The girls are buying in and they’re staying calm. They’re pumped. They feel confident. They’re a great group of girls.”

UPSET ALERT

A day after losing at Hughesville, Warrior Run faced the difficult task of going to South Williamsport and facing last year’s District 4 Class AA finalist. And there, the Defenders revealed how dangerous they can be. Delivering in all facets, Warrior Run made a huge statement, rallying past South, 4-3 in eight innings.

The Defenders (3-3) erased a 3-1 fourth-inning deficit and Mackenzie Heyer threw a seven-hit gem, closing the game with five scoreless innings while allowing just three baserunners during that time. Left fielder Millie Gelnett put on a defensive clinic, making a home run saving catch as well as three grabs against the wall. Maura Woland hit a two-out, go-ahead single in the eighth which scored Skye Reigle and finished 3 for 5 with a double.

EXTRA BASES

Muncy catcher Taylor Shannon now stands alone as the program’s all-time home run queen. The 2024 all-state selection walloped her 16th high school home run Thursday against Bucktail. A four-year starter, Shannon also is among the program’s all-time leaders in hits and RBIs … Bucktail erased a five-run deficit to defeat Muncy, 16-7 in that game. Makenna Stone went 3 for 3 with four runs and Carrie Ditty struck out a career-best 11 … Montgomery improved to 4-0 when it made a statement against two-time defending District 4 Class A champion Bucktail, defeating, 17-7. The Red Raiders defeated Bucktail for the first time since 2022 and collected nine hits with Madisyn Miller crushing a grand slam and driving in six runs. Ava Hartman struck out eight and Addi Muhl was 3 for 5 with two RBIs … Montoursville bounced back from the Hughesville game and defeated Southern Columbia, 10-3. Jill Stone roped a two-run home run and Jordan Chamberlain returned from injury to hit a two-run triple. Avery Stahl, Julie Friel and Laney Yonkin combined on a four-hitter … Ady Frantz had a big day for Wellsboro, leading it to a 14-4 win against Sullivan County. Frantz threw a five-hitter, struck out 12 and went 3 for 4 with a home run, double, three RBIs and three runs. Miley Dickinson was 2 for 2 with a double for Sullivan.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

1. North Penn-Liberty (6-0): North Penn-Liberty made it 46 straight regular season wins, Elyna Booth throwing a marvelous one-hit shutout in a 3-0 win against Cowanesque Valley. That game was a showdown between last year’s NTL-I and II champions and Booth improved to 5-0, upping her strikeout total to 72 in 37 2/3 innings. There is nothing flukish about this start either with the team’s last four wins coming against likely playoff teams. Haley Litzelman is among area leaders with 12 RBIs and Maddie Smith is hitting .500. The two-time defending league champions are perched atop the standings and are battling Mifflinburg for District 4 Class AAA’s top seed early this year.

2. Williamsport (2-0): The Millionaires will be quite busy later this week, playing four games in three nights. They head to Selinsgrove Thursday before participating in the eight-team Williamsport Tournament this weekend, opening Friday against New York’s Union-Endicott. Sophomore Katelyn Solomon excelled in her first offensive start against Danville, going 2 for 4 with two runs. Minor homered on the first varsity pitch she saw and is 5 for 7 with a double, three RBIs and three steals in her first two high school games.

3. Loyalsock (3-1): Loyalsock is trying to defend its Williamsport Tournament championship and opens up with possibly the first round’s marquee game when it faces fellow district title contender Mifflinburg. The Lancers made quick work of Southern Columbia and Bloomsburg last week, outscoring them, 37-3 in seven innings. A week after helping Loyalsock basketball capture a state championship, Addi Barowy and Maddie Wertz made their season debuts against Bloomsburg and both delivered two hits. Barowy drove in four runs and Wertz was 2 for 2 with a double and two RBIs. Lydia Kresock threw a three-hitter against Southern before freshmen Easton Waller and Kinsie Phillips combined on a three-inning three-hitter against Bloomsburg and struck out nine. Waller went 4 for 4 with a triple in the Southern win, while Shyla Fulp and Breeze Sauers each added two hits.

4. Hughesville (5-1): Its wins against Montoursville and Warrior Run vaulted Hughesville into a HAC-III first place tie with Loyalsock. Those rivals will play a doubleheader at Short Park on April 24. Barlett has made some terrific catches in center field, including a potential game-changer against Warrior Run which thwarted a potential third inning rally. Smith helped ignite the comeback against Montoursville, going 3 for 4, and Lyla Kinner hit a hard grounder to bring in the winning run. That win highlighted the team’s resilience after Montoursville led 5-1 in the fifth inning, 6-5 in the seventh and 7-6 in the eighth.

5. South Williamsport (5-2): Losing stinks, but sometimes it provides just the spark teams need. Just look at Loyalsock’s state champion girls’ basketball team being upset in the HAC Tournament championship before locking in and winning its next eight games en route to the state title. It’s not the losing which defines a team but how one responds, so South may learn a lot from Friday’s defeat which could make it a better team going forward. The Mounties showcased their explosiveness four days earlier when they erupted for 14 first inning runs in a 14-2 win against 6A Hazleton. Lily Reidy highlighted that inning with a three-run home run and added a triple against Warrior Run. Abby Lorson went 3 for 3 and every starter produced a hit, Reidy, Gianna Goodman and Alizabeth Schuler all going for two.

Players of the Week

Brenna Beck, Williamsport and Eva Sockman, Bucktail: It’s hard to open a season much better than Beck did. The junior shortstop went 8 for 9 and hit for the cycle over two games, while driving in eight runs. Beck wore out Danville pitching last Friday, going 5 for 5 with a home run, double and career-high six RBIs. And the only time she was retired in two games, Beck came within a few feet of hitting a grand slam. Sockman also nearly went perfect offensively. Another three-year starting junior, Sockman was 7 for 8 over two games, smashing four doubles, scoring five times and adding four RBIs. Sockman is a career .558 hitter who already has 77 hits and 80 RBIs in less than 2 ½ years.

Game of the Week

Williamsport Tournament: OK, this is cheating since it’s a lot of games, but this weekend’s tournament has Backyard Brawl flavoring again with Williamsport, South, Loyalsock and Montoursville all competing. South Williamsport faces Upper Dauphin and Loyalsock plays Mifflinburg in the day’s first two games on Fields 1 and 2. Williamsport plays Union-Endicott on Field 1 following the South game and Montoursville faces Delaware Valley following the Loyalsock contest. Loyalsock has won two of the last three championships and South took the 2023 title.