1 week Ago By Tom Fox
WRIGHT TWP. — There’s something about the wilderness that brings out Jorja Snyder’s passion. The Crestwood senior loves the outdoors, and is an avid hunter and fisher.
Ask her about it, and you can hear the passion beam from her voice. “I think it’s just being outside. I like the peaceful aspect of it, and it’s kind of neat to do something that a lot of people aren’t doing,” she said.
Maybe it’s the lessons from that patience and passion in the outdoors that drives Snyder on the softball diamond as the catcher is in the midst of a tremendous season in Wright Twp. The Comets are off to a 4-4 start, are two wins away from matching their total from last year and eye their first winning season since 2022. “Hitting-wise, we are doing amazing,” she said.
“We are getting like 15 hits a game, and our lineup is pretty hot right now. I feel like this is the closest the team has ever been. We have a good group of seniors, and we just want to give it our all for our last year here.
Everyone else has really matched that mentality.” Snyder got into hunting at a young age, joining her dad, Scott, for any kind of activity in the woods. “My dad didn’t have any boys, so he just took me with him,” she laughed.
“I can’t think of any better memories than the ones with my dad when we were fishing or hunting. Even sitting out in the freezing cold with him, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Hunting since about eight years old, Snyder will track down any type of game — from deer to turkey to fowl.
One look through some of her photos, and it’s evident she’s quite the outdoorswoman with some of her recent marks. “It’s a rush like no other,” she said. “Of course, you are extremely grateful for the animal, but also, the experience and time you put into it, it makes you humble.
It takes a long time to get good at it, and you put a lot of time in. I shoot a compound bow, which is pretty difficult, but I like the challenge of it. It’s the same thing with softball.
I like to be challenged, try new things and be outside.” Similar to the success she has in the hunt, Snyder also rips up the dirt on the softball diamond. Heading into the weekend, the senior catcher is batting .
567 through eight games, going 17 for 30 at the plate with 10 RBIs from the two hole. Nine of her 17 hits are for extra bases. Her biggest game came on the last day of March where she had two doubles, two home runs and RBIs in a win over Hanover Area.
She’s hit safely in seven of the Comets’ eight games, and has two hits in all but one game. “I’ve been hitting real well,” Snyder said. “A lot of it has to do with the travel team that I joined over the summer, and my coaches have really helped me with the hitting.
They had me focus more on the mechanics and the stuff I needed to work on. I did change my swing a little bit, and it’s been working for me.” It was her batterymate Brooke Lenahan who suggested Snyder look at the Lackawanna Lightning when she searched for a summer ball spot.
“I was looking for a team to play with throughout the summer so I could play in some of the showcases and help with my recruiting,” Snyder said. “Brooke told me to join with her, and really emphasized how good the coaches were. Brandon (Peck) and Wally (Peck) are amazing.
The girls there are definitely next-level players who already committed to college. They were really kind and helped me to fit in and find my place on that team.” It worked for Snyder, who will attend Penn State-DuBois in the fall to continue her academic and athletic career.
Her major? Wildlife and Fisheries Science; the perfect fit for an outdoorswoman like herself. “I liked the school, and it wasn’t too far from home. The coach came to see me a few times, and once I took a tour of the campus, I was sold.
I felt like it was the right spot for me,” she said. That’s in August. Now, it’s about maintaining that average, getting the Comets to that winning season and just enjoying the rest of her senior year.
Streaks grow As the area approaches the midway point of the season, there are several girls who are still riding long hitting streaks. Currently, the longest streak is nine as two Mid Valley Spartanettes, Audrey Hasenzahl and MacKenzie Adolfson, have a hit in all of the team’s games. Right behind them are a pair of North Pocono Trojans as Alyssa Lynch and Amelia Bell hit safely in eight games.
Valley View’s Kalli Karwowski, and Holy Cross’ Mia Galella, Jules Galella and Ava Schmidt have six-game streaks. Penn State commit Kirsten Finarelli of Lake-Lehman leads the Wyoming Valley Conference with seven. Holy Redeemer’s Zoe Pecuch, Lauren Hayden and Mary Lombardi have five-game streaks.
Week’s best There were some impressive performances throughout the week in District 2. Gabby Hieber’s two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth lifted Wallenpaupack to an extra-inning victory over North Pocono. Pecuch became the first Wyoming Valley Conference girl to hit for the cycle this season, going 4 for 4 from the leadoff spot in the Royals’ win over Hanover Area.
Tunkhannock’s Addisyn Waterman stole five bases in a win over Pittston Area, swiping second twice, third twice and home once. In the circle, North Pocono freshman Ariella Bell tossed a five-inning perfect game with nine strikeouts in a victory over West Scranton in Lackawanna League Division I play. Conference shakedown It looks like Lackawanna League Division I will be the one where the most shakeup can occur from week to week.
This week, the edge goes to Wallenpaupack, which picked up a big win over North Pocono in extra innings. It was North Pocono that handed Valley View its lone loss. Subsequently, it was Valley View that handed Abington Heights its lone loss.
Delaware Valley is 3-0 in the league, but hasn’t played any of the big four to date. While the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 and Lackawanna League Division II look like two-team races with Redeemer and Lehman in the WVC, and Holy Cross and Mid Valley in the Lackawanna League. Tunkhannock looks like the clear favorite in the WVC Division 1 with wins over Pittston Area and Crestwood.
Hazleton Area is also undefeated in the league and won’t play the Tigers until April 30 and May 5. Two to watch Crestwood at Hazleton Area, Monday: This could turn into a slugfest in Hazle Twp. Both teams hit the ball extremely well.
Crestwood is tricky, giving Tunkhannock a battle earlier in the season. If pitcher Brooke Lenahan could slow the Cougars, the Comets have the offense to put up crooked numbers. Holy Cross at Mid Valley, Monday: The two undefeated teams lock horns Monday night in Throop.
It should be a good test for both to see where each is at this point of the season. The Spartanettes and pitcher Ava Hazelton only allowed eight runs all season, six of them against Western Wayne. She’ll face two potent offenses this week, with Holy Cross on Monday and Tunkhannock over the weekend.
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