Latrobe’s Myers, Tallman combine to no-hit Fox Chapel

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 | 11:42 PM

Kiley Myers' season of dominance just keeps on rolling.

Myers, a junior pitcher at Latrobe, struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced and teamed up with freshman Jordan Tallman to no-hit Fox Chapel in a 6-0 win in Section 2-6A action Tuesday.

A Marist recruit who entered the game with a 0.24 ERA, Myers struck out the first seven batters she faced and recorded two putouts in the field. Despite losing the perfect game by loading the bases in the seventh inning on two walks and an error, Tallman struck out five more and finished off the no-hitter.

But pulling a pitcher in the midst of a perfect game is certainly not something commonly seen, particularly in softball, where arm fatigue is not as much of a concern.

“We have a few more games this week and want to keep her sharp and ready to go,” Latrobe coach Rick Kozuska said of the early hook for Myers. “She's got a lot of those under her belt. We're looking at the bigger picture, with the team in mind.”

After failing to plate a run off Fox Chapel pitcher Krystyna Burdelski in the first two innings, Latrobe broke out in the third inning. The first five batters picked up hits, including a run-scoring triple by Mia Schweizer and RBI singles by Makayla Munchinski, Becca Tatone and Jordan Novak. Another run came in on a wild pitch.

An inning later, Schweizer capped the scoring by bringing in a run on a groundout.

Setting the table for the offense was senior Sarah Blair, who had three hits, including a pair of doubles, from the leadoff spot. In the field, the Wildcats' second baseman got to sit back and watch her pitchers deal.

“It was kind of hard,” she said. “We try to keep each other in the game and communicate after every out.”

The victory keeps Latrobe on pace with Hempfield, which is unbeaten in the section. The Spartans managed to score three runs in a win over Latrobe on April 23. The Wildcats (8-1, 7-1) have only allowed four runs all season. The two section frontrunners meet Thursday to determine the fate of the section and, perhaps, the top seed in the Class 6A playoffs.

“These are games we want to win,” Myers said. “They're good momentum builders, but we're still striving to win the section.”

Josh Rowntree is a TribLIVE High School Sports Network broadcaster.