Elizabeth Forward scores 7 times in 5th inning to topple Yough in WPIAL semifinals

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 | 6:57 PM

He couldn't recall, but Harry Rutherford was pretty sure that Elizabeth Forward had not beaten Yough in softball for as long as he'd been coaching the Warriors.

On Wednesday, his players provided him with a delightful feeling in the rivalry between the WPIAL Section 2-4A schools, a 7-2 playoff victory over No. 2 Yough in the semifinals at Seton Hill.

No. 6 Elizabeth Forward erupted for seven runs in the fifth inning to score its second consecutive upset in the playoffs, following up a 4-1 victory in the quarterfinals over No. 3 Beaver on Monday.

“They've been our nemesis,” Rutherford said of Yough, which is two years removed from a PIAA championship victory.

The Cougars lost to Belle Vernon in the WPIAL title game a year ago.

“I guess I finally got that little thing off my back,” he said.

Elizabeth Forward (19-3) will play No. 4 Belle Vernon (20-3), a neighboring school district, in the championship game on May 30 or 31 at Seton Hill.

Yough will play No. 1 Mt. Pleasant (16-1) in the WPIAL consolation game with a PIAA tournament berth on the line.

Taylor Ludwick hit a two-run homer and Cassidy Kern doubled home two runs during Elizabeth Forward's uprising, which saw the Warriors send 11 batters to plate against Yough's Kierra Waywood.

“When Taylor hit that homer, I guess I finally could relax a little,” Rutherford said. “I'm so happy for her because she'd been struggling at the plate lately and that was a big hit that kind of put the icing on the cake.”

Ludwick's homer over the center-field fence gave Elizabeth Forward a 6-2 lead and drove in Kern, whose two-run double preceded it.

Elizabeth Forward freshman Kailey Larcinese, who pitched a four-inning no-hitter in a first-round victory over New Castle, survived a two-run Yough first, allowing an RBI triple by Nina Maroney and Waywood's RBI double, to blank the Cougars the rest of the way.

“You can't sit on a two-run lead,” Yough coach Dutch Harvey said. “The first inning we were hot, but then we cooled off. They came up with a good inning and really just outplayed us.”

Jordan Pinneri had two hits for Elizabeth Forward, which lost both regular-season Section 2 meetings with Yough (16-4).

As the teams walked through their postgame handshakes, Harvey embraced Rutherford and flashed a big smile.

“I have a lot of respect for Harry,” Harvey said. “We've coached together and against each other for a while now. I'm happy for him. If we're going to lose to someone, it might as well be Harry.”

Rutherford serves as president of the Elizabeth-based Renegades Softball Association, where he and Harvey coach two of its summer traveling teams.

“We've been old buddies for a long time, and we've gone head-to-head a number of times over the years,” Rutherford said. “He's developed a great program over there at Yough. It's been tough going up against him, but our kids caught a spark today.”

Elizabeth Forward never has won a WPIAL softball championship, though Rutherford and the Warriors have played for a title before.

“This is another opportunity to put that trophy in the showcase at school, “he said.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Yough