Hometown Softball Program Game Recap – Baldwin – 04/24/2012

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 | 7:48 PM

Defending Class AAAA Section 4 champion Baldwin began the second half of section play Tuesday at home with a big time scare as Mount Lebanon nearly pulled off a big upset before the Highlanders came back and prevailed with a run in the bottom of the 7th inning to win 6-5.

The Blue Devils scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning when Sarah Ragan scored on an RBI single by Kaitlin Klinchock, then Lizzie Remark scored on a throwing error by Highlanders catcher Mel Paterni.

Baldwin answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first when Paterni made up for her miscue with a two run double to right center field that scored both Amber Weimer and Laura Hall.

The score stayed tied through 2 1/2 innings thanks to a seldom seen 5-4-6-7-8 double play by the Highlanders defense. With Ragan at first and no out for Mount Lebanon, Remark bunted down the third base line. Baldwin third baseman Mara Bandi fielded it an threw to second baseman Karly Higgins covering first for the out on Remark. Higgins then alertly turned and fired to shortstop Amber Weimer as Ragan took a wide turn at second base. Ragan ran toward third base where left fielder Bre Meyer was alertly covering and took the throw from Weimer. Meyer ran Ragan back toward second base before tossing the ball to center fielder Laura Hall who just as alertly was covering second. Hall ran down Ragan and applied the tag for the rarest of double plays.

The Highlanders seemed to take control in the bottom of the third inning on solo home runs by Abby Suhoski, her fourth of the season and pitcher Anna Lauterbach, her fourth of the year.

Mount Lebanon fought back like they were in the hunt for the section title. after two hit batters and a single, the Blue Devils scored three runs on three wild pitches to the back stop, scoring Klinchock, Lexi Geiger and Kelcey Harris to make it 5-4 Lebo.

Baldwin scored in the bottom of the 5th inning on Bandi’s Bloop single to center, scoring courtesy runner Danielle Wolfson, who was running for Lauterbach.

That set the stage for the dramatic finish in the bottom of the 7th inning. With one out against Blue Devils sophomore pitcher Maura Stoehr, Lauterbach reached on an error and courtesy runner Wolfson once again laid down a perfect sac bunt to put the winning run at second with two out. To the plate came Bandi who once again delivered with a line shot to the fence in left center field, scoring Wolfson and keeping the Highlanders tied for the top spot in Class AAAA Section 4.

The Highlanders improved to 5-1 and 10-3, facing big showdown games with Peters Township and Canon-McMillan later this week. “I’d like to think we weren’t looking ahead,” said Baldwin coach Sam Hovanec, but our play today showed we just might have been doing that.”

A great effort by the young Blue Devils dropped them to 0-6 in the section and 2-9 overall.

Baldwin will host Bethel Park next Tuesday, May 1st at 3:45pm and broadcast here on the MSA Sports Network.

Tags: Baldwin