Allentown, PA - May 20, 2024: Nazareth High School defeated Pleasant Valley 10-0 in six innings Monday at Patriots Park to repeat as Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) Softball Champions. Nazareth pitcher Avery Kauffman threw a three-hitter while Pleasant Valley’s Kailyn Getz suffered the loss. Nazareth broke the game open in the bottom of the third inning after a scoreless first two innings in what seemed to be shaping up as a pitchers duel and a low scoring contest. In the third, Emma Infantino started it off with a walk but she was caught stealing at second. With one out, Nazareth loaded the bases with three hits in a row by Avery Kauffman, Gianna Perillo and Lily Moretti. Then, with two outs, Shauna McNamee hit a deep fly ball to right-center, which seemed like it was going to be caught by centerfielder Lydia Borger, but it went just over her glove. Three runs scored and Nazareth took the lead 3-0. Pleasant Valley threatened in the top of the fourth inning but Kauffman pitched her way out of the jam and stranded two base runners. Nazareth added a run in the bottom half of the fourth after Pleasant Valley committed a throwing error which led to a runner at second. Nazareth’s Emma Infantino then hit a double which scored a run, Nazareth 4-0 after four. Pleasant Valley threatened once again in the top of the fifth when they loaded the bases but Kauffman once again got her team out of the the jam by getting a strikeout for the third out, stranding three runners. On a few Pleasant Valley miscues, Nazareth added four runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to end the game early. Kauffman finished the game with ten strikeouts and she came up big when Pleasant Valley put the pressure on, including in the fifth when she struck out EPC All-Star Lydia Borger to end the inning with the bases loaded. Kauffman said after the game: “Everything was working tonight.”
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