Trinity Washed Away by Bethlehem Catholic in PIAA AAA Softball

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, June 13, 2015 | 11:10 AM

Bethanne Brandstetter and Angelys Cotto had RBI singles leading Bethlehem Catholic to a 2-0 win over Trinity Friday in the PIAA Class AAA Softball Championship.  The title is the first for the Golden Hawks (19-7) in the third trip to the finals.  Winning pitcher Elyse Cuttic held the Hillers (20-6) to five hits in the game, none with less than two outs.  Trinity was making a first-ever appearance in the championship game.

The teams were scoreless through three innings though each got a first-inning runner to third with two outs.  In the Becahi fourth, catcher Courtney Shupp doubled to right with one out and gave way to courtesy runner Bailey Deshler, who moved to third on a wild pitch.  Brandstetter waited on an off-speed pitch and softly singled up the middle to score the game’s first run.  The Golden Hawks got back-to-back two out hits in the fifth to push the lead to 2-0.  Jess Indelicato tripled to left-center and scored on Cotto flair single to right.

Trinity loaded the bases after two out in the bottom of the inning with singles from Madi Hornack and Olivia Gray plus a walk to Delaney Elling, but a strikeout ended the threat.  The Hillers got only one more base-runner the rest of the night.

Becahi, the District 11 champion, put runners on the corners with nobody out in the sixth but could not score.  Shupp reached on a two-base error.  Deshler ran for her and moved to third on Brandstetter’s second single of the game.  Cuttic grounded into the hole at short but Gray threw Deshler out at the plate, the third runner in two games Trinity erased trying to score.  A force-out at third and a pop-out ended the threat.

PIAA officials then cleared the field due to impending severe weather in the State College area.  The PSU ground crew quickly tarped the field as lightning began to flash and the rain started.  After a 96-minute delay, play was resumed, but Trinity had not solved Cuttic, the quick left-hander who battled through several illness issues this year to lead Bethlehem Catholic to back-to-back shutouts, a six-game win streak and PIAA Gold.  The Hillers got a two-out single in the sixth from Riley Riotto, her second hit of the game, but were retired in order in the seventh, ending the game and snapping Trinity’s four-game winning streak in the playoffs.

Cuttic allowed five hits and walked three, striking out half a dozen in the game.  She allowed only one leadoff batter to reach, Hornack with a walk in the first, then retired the first two batters in every successive inning.  Hornack moved to third in the first and fifth innings, the only Trinity runner to advance to within 60 feet of home plate.

Paige Galentine took the loss, charged with both runs, six hits.  The right-hander walked only one batter and struck out two.  Bethlehem Catholic were able to get back-to-back hits in the fourth and fifth, the innings they scored the two runs.

Line Score:

Bethlehem Catholic  :  0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 – 0 – 0  :  2-6-0-6
Trinity  :  0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0  :  0 – 5 – 2 – 8