Monessen gets warmed up, pulls away from Leechburg

By: Adam Brewer
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | 9:12 PM

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On a cold, spring day, there is only one way to stay warm on a softball field.

That is to hit and run the bases and then continue to do that the rest of the game.

Monessen did a lot of that Tuesday afternoon as the Greyhounds pounded out 12 hits and picked up their first win of the season with a 13-3 triumph in five innings over visiting Leechburg in Section 3-A softball.

“We had to put the ball in play and put that pressure on Leechburg’s defense,” Monessen coach Brandon Yorty said. “Out of 30 at-bats today, we had 12 hits and capitalized on some errors. The bats came alive late for us once we got through the order.”

After facing early 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, the Greyhounds (1-5, 1-2) exploded for 11 runs in the final three innings and took advantage of every miscue by the visitors’ defense late in the contest. Coming into the game, Monessen had been outscored by a 68-9 margin.

Joey Hurst was a critical piece to the win for Monessen, as the senior came on in relief for the final three innings to notch the victory after allowing no runs on just one hit with six strikeouts and two walks on 48 pitches (31 strikes).

“It was definitely cold out there,” Hurst said. “When I was at shortstop to begin the game, I definitely had several hand warmers in my pockets. But when it was my time to take the circle, I just use that as motivation and I wanted to be there for my teammates. We had to get this win today.”

The senior was also outstanding offensively with three hits, two doubles and four RBIs.

“Joey was huge for us at the plate,” Yorty said. “She put together some solid swings and kept her bat level in the zone. I am not going to lie, I think if it was warmer than 40 degrees today, those two doubles would have been two home runs. The ball does not carry as much in the cold weather.”

Grace Clingenpeel and Lillie Mackey smashed three hits apiece for Monessen, and leadoff hitter Mya Kelly scored four runs.

Leechburg coach Morgan Pierce was frustrated with her squad’s performance and pointed to several mistakes that turned the tide. The Blue Devils (0-4, 0-2) committed eight errors and could not take advantage of some early wildness from the home team’s pitcher to break open the game.

Brooke Cuffia was tagged with the loss, going 41⁄3 innings and allowing 13 runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts and a walk on 92 pitches (51 strikes).

The Blue Devils grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when McKenna Pierce drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Cuffia. Leechburg could not add to its lead in the opening frame as Monessen turned a 5-2-3 double play to end the threat.

The Greyhounds responded with a run in the bottom of the first as an RBI groundout by Clingenpeel scored Kelly.

After Leechburg countered with an unearned run in the top of the second, Monessen knotted things up at 2-2 when an RBI groundout by Aaryn Merricks scored Giana Horton.

The first three runners for the visitors reached in the top of the third, and that chased Monessen starter pitcher Bailey Koper from the game. After allowing a bases-loaded walk to Jaida Sqwirut, Hurst was able to escape the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a popout to third base.

The Greyhounds seized the momentum back with three runs in the bottom of the third, via a two-run single by Clingenpeel and a run-producing double by Hurst for a 5-3 advantage.

After Hurst retired the side in order in the top of the fourth, Monessen plated six runs in the bottom half of the frame. The key hits in the inning were a two-run single by Kelly, an RBI hit by Mackey and a two-run double by Hurst.

“I keep it simple at the plate,” Hurst said. “It is all about see ball, hit ball. I adjusted to her speed, and I was able to line some pitches to the outfield. I was excited to run the bases, and there was a couple of times I could not catch my breath, but we just came together and started to hit late in this game.”

The Blue Devils had their first two runners reach base in the top of the fifth, but Hurst rebounded with three consecutive strikeouts.

The Greyhounds closed out the victory with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to invoke the 10-run mercy rule as Mackey and Hurst gathered RBI singles in the frame.

“We are now 1-2 in the section, and realistically, I think we can compete with anyone in our section,” Yorty said. “We have to play clean defensively and put the ball in play. It is that simple. You are going to have errors. The key is to overcome those mistakes and to limit your strikeouts.”

Both squads will continue Section 3-A play against Jeannette as Monessen hosts the Jayhawks on Wednesday and Leechburg ventures to Jeannette on Thursday.

“We played with a lot of energy today, and once we got some hits, our dugout started to get louder and we were feeling it,” Hurst said. “We have to be selective with pitches and try not to rush things on offense. We have to play mistake-free on defense and keep our emotions in check during games.”

Tags: Leechburg, Monessen