(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from March 27, 2006).

By Lou Rusnock

lrusnock@tnonline.com

With no seniors in the starting lineup, it was no surprise it took the Northwestern bats some time to get going in its first game of the season.

Unfortunately for Tamaqua, that time was a mere three innings.

The Tigers exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the fourth and scored in each of their next two at bats to post a six-inning 11-1 victory.

“I think it was those pregame jitters where you’re a little overanxious,” Northwestern coach Jen Horner said. “They just relaxed. I told them to go out there and have fun and don’t try to make the earth move in one at bat.”

But leading off the fourth, Meredith Dickson did just that. The sophomore catcher laced an 0-1 pitch down the right field line for a triple. Justine Bennecoff followed that with a single to left and the floodgates were open.

“Meredith was one of our big hitters last year,” Horner said. “She batted .349 for the season and we’re expecting that of her.”

The Tigers (1-0) sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth inning and six collected hits. Another four reached on errors. By the time Dickson came back to the plate, the bases were loaded and Northwestern held a 4-1 lead.

As she did to start the inning, Dickson delivered another big blast down the right-field line scoring two more runs with a double. She could have gotten more, but young fans deep in right interfered with the ball. Dickson would score her second run of the inning, along with Katelyn Boyd, when Bennecoff followed with another single to left, giving her three RBIs in the frame.

Bennecoff would later be thrown out at home by Tamaqua center fielder Bernadette Guy to end the inning. She was one of three Tiger runners gunned down at the plate, two coming on assists by Guy.

Guy was also one of the three Raider players to get a hit, as she looped a first-inning single to right. Jess Bensinger scored the only run for Tamaqua (1-1) in the top of the fourth, when she led off with a triple to left.

Bensinger scored when Tamara Veronsky hit a fielder’s choice to first baseman Nikki Hermany. Miranda Bonetsky had the other Raider hit in the sixth.

Tamaqua, also a young team, committed seven errors in the game. They are slowing adjusting to life without Jen Bensinger, who set numerous school pitching records over the past several seasons.

“We don’t have the dominant pitcher that we did in the past, where we could count on 10-12 outs from our pitcher,” Tamaqua coach Jim Connely said. “Our defense has to work, but we’re young and we’re going to learn. Hopefully we’ll take our mistakes and get more positive as the year goes on and grow from it.”

The Tigers are also expecting to grow and have a good base to start from. Five players collected multiple hit games, including Amber Johnson, who was 2-for-4 with three runs, and Jess White, who went 3-for-5 scoring twice. Also having big days were Hermany (2-for-3), Dickson (2-for-3, two runs scored, two RBIs) and Bennecoff (3-for-3, three RBIs).

“I’ve been very anxious about these girls,” Horner said. “There’s sometimes sleepless nights where I’m excited about what the potential is with this group. They hit well and they’re a fast team on the bases as well. I expect that they’re going to do a lot of good things.”

Tamaqua 000 100 - 1 3 7

Northwestern 000 821 - 11 16 0

Salem and Bensinger; Boyd and Dickson. W - Boyd. L - Salem.

NOTE: Northwestern’s team posted a 15-5 regular season record, and then defeated Pen Argyl and Southern Lehigh to capture the Colonial League championship.