WPIAL Softball Consolation Recaps

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 | 3:30 PM

Eight teams had to wait an extra 24 hours to see if their season would continue after the WPIAL postponed all four softball consolation games from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. For Hempfield, West Allegheny, Chartiers-Houston and Burgettstown, it was worth the wait as they picked up victories and now move on to the PIAA state softball playoffs while Peters Township, West Mifflin, Beaver and Frazier see their successful 2013 campaign come to an end.

WPIAL Class AAAA Consolation:  Hempfield Spartans 9 – Peters Township Indians 5
Hempfield sent 11 batters to the plate in the fourth inning, cashing in six unearned runs on the way to a 9-5 win over Peters Township.  The Spartans qualified for the PIAA softball tournament and will take on the WPIAL champion in the opening round on Monday.  Justyne Falbo hit a solo homerun in the Spartans' first inning.  Lindsay McKnight hit a two-run shot in the Indians' fourth, then Hempfield took advantage of six Peters Township errors in the bottom of the frame and never trailed again.   Michaela LeDonne reached on a booted grounder to short and stole second one out later.  Taylor Bartlow's liner to right was dropped, putting runners on the corners.  Pinch-hitter Kassie Kolick singled to score LeDonne.  Maddie Knizner's liner to center was dropped, and the throw to the infield went into the dugout, scoring Bartlow, putting runners at second and third.  Kelsie Hendrick's grounder to second was thrown away, scoring two.  Alaina Montgomery followed with an rbi single, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Falbo, put the Spartans up 7-2.  Hempfield added two more unearned runs in the fifth and had the potential game-ending run in the batters box and a fielders choice and a fly-out kept the game going.  Kellyn Perich singled home Hannah Berardino in the sixth, then Berardino drove in two with a single in the seventh, closing the scoring.  Hope Pehrson got the win for Hempfield (18-6), allowing 8 hits and five runs over seven innings while fanning seven. Falbo and Montgomery each drove in two for the Spartans.  Carly Konopka was charged with just one earned run (9 total) on seven hits and one walk.  Berardino and Abby Cunningham each had a single and a double, Berardino and McKnight had two rbi each for Peters Township (18-6).  Viktoria Heiser added a double for the Indians.

WPIAL Class AAA Consolation:  West Allegheny Indians 5 – West Mifflin Titans 1
Brianna Lach allowed just 4 hits in a complete game effort, sending No. 12 West Allegheny (13-7) to the PIAA Playoffs with a 5-1 AAA Consolation win over No. 7 West Mifflin (17-6) on Wednesday at North Allegheny. Lach, who allowed the first batter of the game to single and eventually score on a wild pitch, would not allow another runner to reach 3rd base, striking out two batters and walking just one. Amanda Leschak singled to lead off the ball game, would be sacrificed to 2nd, move to 3rd on an Alyssa Carins single and then score on a wild pitch, giving the Titans a 1-0 lead. West Mifflin would only put 3 more players on base the rest of the way, with just one advancing to 2nd base. The Indians would answer in the bottom of the 1st, as Brooke Bagnell would walk and then score on a RBI double by Emily Garvin. The game would remain tied until the 4th inning when, with 2 outs, McKenzie Johnsen would walk and Taylor James would single. They ball would go out of play, advancing the runners an extra base on a dead ball ruling. Bagnell would then drive home both runners with a 2-RBI single, giving West Allegheny a 3-1 lead. The Indians would tack on two more runs in the 5th, as West Mifflin starter Paige Flore would walk Brittany Zeigler and allow a double to Garvin. Flore would be pulled and replaced by Crystal Cook. Cook would get Piper McLaughlin to fly out, but be called for an illegal pitch that would allow Zeigler to score from 3rd base. McLaughlin, by rule, was allowed to continue her at bat and would double in Garvin, expanding the Indians' lead to 5-1. Lach would retire 12 of the final 13 batters she faced, with Carins generating the only hit for West Mifflin. Flore, who was tagged with the loss, went 4-plus innings and allowed 5 earned runs on 7 hits, while walking five batters. Garvin finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a RBI and a run scored, while Bagnell was 1-for-2 with 2 RBI and a run scored for the Indians. West Allegheny advances to the PIAA AAA Playoffs for the first time since 2009 and will meet the District 10 Champion Fort LeBoeuf (17-4) on Monday, June 3rd at a site and time to be determined. 

WPIAL Class AA Consolation:  Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 2 – Beaver Bobcats 0
Toni Spossey went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, a RBI and allowed no runs and just 2 hits in the circle, lifting No. 2 Chartiers-Houston to a 2-0 AA Consolation win over No. 13 Beaver (12-8) on Wednesday at North Allegheny. Spossey, who started for the Bucs (19-1) instead of usual ace Kayla Briggs, struck out 7 batters and walked just 2 in the complete game effort. Chartiers-Houston would plate both of their runs in the top of the 3rd inning, as Kassie Kesneck would single, be sacrificed to 2nd and 3rd base and then score on an RBI triple by Piper McLaughlin. Spossey would then double home McLaughlin, giving the Bucs a 2-0 lead. Casey Farkasovsky was terrific in the circle for the Bobcats, scattering 7 hits over 7 innings, while striking out 5 batters and walking just one. The Freshman, who was one of six in the starting lineup for Beaver, also reached base in all three of her at bats. Briggs, whose 171 strikeouts is 4th best in the WPIAL, did not pitch and had a heavy wrap on her right elbow throughout the game. She finished 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and only recorded one defensive putout in Center Field. Chartiers-Houston advances to the PIAA AA Playoffs as the 3rd team out of District 7 and will meet District 6 Champion Philipsburg-Osceola (21-1) on Monday, June 3 at a site an time to be determined.

WPIAL Class A Consolation:  Burgettstown Blue Devils 9 – Frazier Commodores 4
Alyssa Torboli singled home two run to tie the game, then scored the go-ahead marker in the six as Burgettstown rallied to beat Frazier, 9-4.  The Blue Devils advance to the PIAA tournament and will face the District 6 champion Monday in the first round.  Winning pitcher Bre Lonick gave up two homeruns and a double in the first three innings, but settled down to allow just four singles the rest of the way.  She did not walk a batter and struck out three in the complete game.  Andrea Lash took the tough-luck loss, charged with 9 runs, just two of them earned but walked two in the pivotal sixth inning.  Lash opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, stroking the first pitch she saw, a waist-high fast ball, over the fence in center.  With two out in the second, Paige Hotz hit a letter-high heater out to left, putting the Commodores up 2-0.  Kelsey Holp opened the Frazier  fourth with a single, the gave way to a courtesy runner.  After a sacrifice, Hotz singled to drive in that run, then scored on an error to make it 4-0.  Frazier (18-4) mishandled several grounders in the Burgettstown third, an issue noted by Burgettstown (17-5).  The Blue Devils hit the ball well in the fourth but were retired in order.  One out into the fifth, Torboli doubled, moved to second on Shannon Briggs single and scored on Lizzie Strain's basehit.  Lonick was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Briggs scored on a wild pitch.  Then came the sixth.  Moe Ellek hit a ball booted at short, then reached base when Chey Winters grounder to second was thrown away.  A sacrifice moved the runners and Torboli's basehit tied the game, and she moved to second on the throw to the plate.  A groundout and a linedrive not caught scored Torboli and put Caley Ritts on first.  Strain single and Lonick walked, re-loading the bases.  Sami Scopel's single to center scored two more runs.  Following an Ellek single, Winters drew a walk, forcing in the sixth run in the inning.  Torboli scored in the seventh on Strain's grounder to third, closing the scoring.  Torboli, Briggs and Strain each had two hits, Torboli and Scopel had two rbi for Burgettstown.  Hotz had a homerun, a single and two rbi for Frazier.  Lash had a double in addition to her solo homerun.

Tags: Beaver, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, Frazier, Hempfield, West Allegheny, West Mifflin