Down a run in the top of the seventh inning and down to the last out, Northern Lebanon was hanging from a figurative cliff, fingers losing their grip.
The Vikings found a foothold, pulled themselves from the precipice and climbed to the safety of a 2-1 victory over Donegal on Wednesday afternoon at Mount Joy.
In the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three opener, the Vikings (1-0 L-L, 4-1) snatched victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat as Stephanie Palkovic and winning pitcher Addison Hollenbach hit back-to-back RBI singles to cap a Lazarus-like comeback.
“My heart stopped a few times,” Vikings coach Bob Bashore said. “Addison threw a good game, we played good defense behind her and we got the clutch hit when we needed it.”
Through five innings, Hollenbach was pitching a two-hit shutout. Her counterpart in the circle, Jordin Meyers, matched her zeros, allowing three hits.
Northern Lebanon softball Addison Kubica, left, Alyssa Shirey and Addison Hollenbach during Lancaster-Lebanon League Spring Media Day at Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster on Sunday March 8, 2026.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer
Heaven helps those who help themselves and Meyers helped herself in the bottom of the sixth, drilling a high fly ball over the fence in left-center field for a solo home run and a 1-0 lead. She finished with two of the Tribe’s four hits.
The Indians (0-1, 5-2) needed three outs and quickly got two.
Meyers struck out catcher Mykenna Johnson for her seventh K of the game and Adoree Gardner went all out to catch Makenzie West’s sinking liner to short left field.
Kiera Palski turned the Vikings’ lineup over, singling to left to extend the game, and Meyers went to work on leadoff batter Ryleigh Hopkins. Hopkins grounded a 2-0 pitch up the middle.
“I just had to get there,” said Palski of her destination, second base. “There’s not much you can do but just get there, fast, slide.”
The ball, Palski, shortstop Madison Coble and second baseman Mia Gehman all arrived at the second-base bag simultaneously. A game-ending force out?
The ball spun away from Coble as she went to secure it. Palski was safe and the Vikings were still alive.
“One of those weird spinners,” Donegal coach Wayne Emenheiser said. “I’d give her a hit.”
Palkovic singled down the third-base line to score Palski. Hollenbach then lifted a single over the head of Gehman and into right field, scoring Hopkins to give the Vikings the lead.
Could they hold it?
Donegal’s first two batters in the bottom half reached as Gardner walked and Gehman singled to center. Samyah Deleon was out on an infield fly, Gardner advancing to third as shortstop Sophia Roye dropped the ball.
Hollenbach got a strikeout as Gehman took second base, then retired Coble on a popup to end the game with two in scoring position.
“We had second and third there and didn’t get a run in,” Emenheiser said. “We had our opportunities.”
In all, the Indians left five runners on base, four at third, two with one out.
“You’ve got to take advantage of that,” Emenheiser said. “We didn’t.”
Credit Hollenbach, who seemed to make the right pitch at the right time.
“I knew I had to come in clutch for my team,” she said. “No matter if they were hitting me or not. I knew they had my back.”
Interesting pair of unintentional puns by the senior right-hander.
Just before the start of the bottom of the third, as Johnson was throwing down to second, her throw drilled Hollenbach right in the “6” on the back of her uniform.
“It sounded like it hurt,” said Bashore, who hurried out to take stock of his pitcher. “It took her breath away.”
But not her competitive drive.
“It scared me more than anything,” said Hollenbach, who took a moment to gather herself, then threw some warmup pitches just to make sure.
“We knew we had to just leave it all out there,” she said. “I feel like that’s what we did today.”
“This was a big one for us,” Bashore said. “We’ll meet again and it will be the same type of game.”
Circle April 20 on your calendar.
LNP | LancasterOnline hosted L-L League softball media day on March 8 at Penn Medicine Park,…
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