In A Marathon, Canon-Mac Wins First State Quad-A Softball Crown

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, June 14, 2013 | 8:22 PM

In the third longest game in PIAA softball championship history, the Canon McMillan Big Macs claimed their first Quad-A state title with a 4-3 win over the Neshaminy Redskins in 12 innings. Freshman  Linda Rush drove a 1-0 pitch over the center field fence for a two run homer to put the Big Macs up for good. It’s the longest game in Quad-A championship history, overall the longest game was a 14 inning win for Fleetwood over Riverside in the 2001 Class AA championship match up and a twelve inning 1-0 win for Williamsport over Baldwin in the 1989 AA title tilt.

The game was scoreless thru the first nine innings, Senior Alayna Astuto did not allow a Redskins hit until Jen Walker singled in the tenth. Senior Lauren Quense was just as good, scattering three hits over the first nine and had stretches of twelve and ten straight batters retired.

Neshaminy had a chance to win the game in the seventh, Walker was hit by a pitch, Astuto’s third hit batter of the game and stole second base, but Selina Alicea struck out to send the game to extra innings.

Canon Mac had their opportunity for victory in the ninth, Maddie Engel singled with one out and advanced to second on a ground out. Cleanup hitter Abby McCartney was intentionally walked and Olivia Lorusso fouled out to catcher Julie McGovern to end the inning.

The international tiebreaker rule started in the tenth, with each team placing a runner on second base to start the inning. Lorusso scored when Tara Fowler grounded out to deep short for the first run of the game. Erica Mohan started as the runner for Neshaminy, she advanced to third on the Walker single and scored on Alicea’s single. Anna Luff had a chance to win the game for the Redskins but grounded to Lorusso at third, she fired a perfect strike to Giogianna Zeremenko to tag out Walker. Mackensie Compton struck out, sending the game to the eleventh.

Taylor Bruno ran at second to begin the eleventh, Ally Bellaire laid down the bunt to move her to third. Yasmin Kotar’s fly ball to center scored the second run for the Big Macs. But Neshaminy bounced back to tie the game again, Quense’s double brought home Compton to knot the game at two.

Engle was on base in the 12th as Rush crushed the home run over the 220 foot mark, the deepest par t of Beard Field. Zeremenko singled with two outs but Fowler flew out to end the inning.

Up two runs, Astuto was able to strike out Sam Offenback for the first out of the inning. But her nemesis Walker wasn’t done, she just missed a game tying homer off the top of the left field wall, the double scored Sarah Snider-Leonhauser. But Astuto was up to the task, fanning Alicia and getting pinch-hitter Nikki Wild to pop out to Engel at first to end the game.

Astuto ended with  18 strikeouts, she threw 161 pitches, 120 for strikes, she allowed four hits, walked one and hit three batters. The homer for Rush was the eighth for the Big Macs in the playoff run, the shortstop ended the game 2 for 5 at the plate. Engel, Fowler and Zeremenko each had one hit. Canon Mac finishes 25-1, winning their final 23 games.

The District 1 runner-up Redskins finish 23-3. Walker finished 2 for 4 and was on base three times. Alicia had one hit. Quense tossed a five hitter, she fanned nine and had only the intentional walk. Neshaminy is now 1-2 in state title games, falling to North Allegheny in 2002 and returning the favor, beating the Tigers in nine innings in 2003.

Canon McMillan Big Macs 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 – 2 =  4 – 5 – 0
Neshaminy Redskins 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 –  1 – 1 – 1 = 3 – 4 – 0