WPIAL Softball Playoff Recaps for Monday, May 21st

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 | 12:24 AM

Five Quarterfinals games were played on Friday, so the other eleven second round games in Class AAA, Class AA and Class A had to wait until Monday afternoon to determine which teams would qualify for the Final Four in their respective classifications. Here are the recaps from all eleven of those WPIAL Softball Playoff games as heard here on the MSA Sports Network.

A special thanks to Mark Schaas, Josh Rowntree, Bob Orkwis, Steve Nagler, Bobby Fox and Jason Tennant for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL SOFTBALL CLASS AAA QUARTERFINALS:

Elizabeth Forward Warriors 7 – Ambridge Bridgers 4
For the first three plus innings, it looked like the top seeded Bridgers would cruise to a win at North Allegheny, but something happened on the way to the semifinals for Ambridge, the bats of the Vikings exploded for a six run fourth inning and the upset. Both teams scored a run in the first, Nikee George singled home a run for the Bridgers, McKenna Kern doubled home Jen Keefer to tie the game. Ambridge took back the lead in the third, Hannah Krokonko tripled, then freshman Kelly Haslett singled her home, Haslett scored on George's triple down the right field line and a 3-1 Bridger lead. Jaymee Humbert added to that in the fourth with a solo homer to right center field on the first pitch of the inning. Trailing 4-1, head coach Harry Rutherford told his girls to go for base hits, not home runs and that strategy paid off. Caitlyn Arico doubled to lead off the inning, then after one out, three straight singles from Ashley Baker, Jen Welsh and Portia McBride, cut the lead to 4-3. Courtney Hrabosky tied the game at four when she lined a ball to left, but Cassie Bucka was able to force out Welsh at third for the second out as Welsh had to hold up to see if the ball would be caught.
With two outs, Rutherford made a move, sending Katie Shinavski to bat for Keefer, thinking the pinch-hitter was more of a line drive hitter and not a slap hitter. Shinavski worked the count full and lined a single to right to score a run and keep the inning alive. Kern followed with a two run single to blow the inning wide open.
Staked to a three run lead, junior pitcher Portia McBride was up to the task, notching a key strikeout of George in the fifth and getting Hannah Smith to line into a double play in the sixth. Ambridge would send the tying run to the plate in the seventh with two outs, but George fouled out to catcher Virginia Roche to end the game and the season for Ambridge. The Warriors (16-6), one of the teams in the MSA Sports Hometown Softball Program, will now face Greensburg-Salem in the semifinals Wednesday. E-F pounded out 12 hits, Kern was the offensive star, going 2 for 3 with 3 rbi's. Arico and Ashley Baker also went 2 for 3. McBride picked up the win, she allowed six hits, but walked two and hit two more batters. George was 2 for 4 for Ambridge (17-3), Smith took the loss in the circle for the Bridgers.

Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions 5 – Mars Fighting Planets 2
"The team that commits the fewest errors will win the game." Unfortunately for 5th-seeded Mars, they found out this cliche the hard way Monday, losing 5-2 to 4th-seeded Greensburg Salem in the WPIAL AAA Quarterfinals at Woodland Hills High School. Mars committed three errors in the game, resulting in three Golden Lions runs, the difference in the game. Mars would strike first, as Haley Jones would single and be driven in on a Kieran Salada RBI-single, making the lead 1-0 Mars in the 2nd. Greensburg Salem would answer right back, putting up three runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Kelly Hutchinson would single. Alex Garsteck would reach on an error and Melissa Wagner would single, loading the bases. Sydney Bacha would the reach on an error, scoring Hutchinson and tying the game at 1-1. Garsteck would then come in to score on an RBI-single by Sara Stiffey, pushing the Salem lead to 2-1. The Golden Lions would extend the lead to 3-1 when Clair Oberdorf would drive in Wagner. Mars' Alyse Ciafre would hit a solo home run in the top of the 3rd, cutting the Salem lead to 3-2. That would be it for Mars though, as Jayne Oberdorf would shut the door the rest of the way in the circle for Salem. Taylor Mehan would answer back with a solo home run of her own in the bottom of the third, extending the lead to 4-2. Another run would be added for insurance in the 4th, as Bacha would score on an error, pushing the lead to 5-2. Oberdorf would pitch all seven innings, striking out nine and giving up just six hits. Greensburg Salem moves to 15-2 on the season and have now won 13-straight games. They will take on 9th-seeded Elizabeth Forward on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.  Mars sees their season end at 12-7.

Montour Spartans 12 – Yough Cougars 2
The Yough Cougars came into the quarterfinals as the defending Class AAA WPIAL Champions. The Spartans and a large bout of wildness made sure there would be a new title holder this season, as Montour used an eight run bottom of the fifth to invoke the ten-run rule against the Cougars. Montour scored an unearned run in the second inning and added 3 more in the third, two coming across on a two-run homerun by senior third baseman Allison Hryadil. Yough scored their runs in the top of the fifth inning on a leadoff double by junior pitcher Kelsie Marconi, a RBI triple by catcher Ashlyn Hoak and a run scoring ground out by Karlie Tomich. The Spartans would send 11 batters to the plate in their half of the fifth. Tori Roman reached on an error, Stephanie Seibert followed with a single and sophomore leftfielder Olivia Dixon drove home a run with a double. That hit ended the afternoon for Marconi. Senior Shyanne Sanders came on in relief but could not stop the onslaught. A walk, a wild pitch, a single and a sacrifice fly by senior Stacey Capp would make the score 9-2. Capp finished the game with two hits and a pair of RBI for Montour. After Megan Vacco walked, senior pitcher Kaitlyn Kutchman crushed a 3-run homerun to left center field to put the Spartans up 11-2. Hyradil singled and Roman walked. Seibert then stroked a double to left center field.  Roman was nailed at the plate after a strong relay, but when Hoak’s throw to third scooted into left field, Roman would score the 12th and final run for the Spartans. Kutchman allowed two earned runs and five hits while striking out 7 to improve to (15-5) for the season. Marconi, who walked six and threw three wild pitches, took the loss for Yough. All told, Marconi and Sanders walked 9 Spartans for the game and also threw four wild pitches. The10th seeded Cougars end the 2012 campaign at (10-10). Montour improved to (15-5) with the win and the Spartans will return to California University on Wednesday for a semifinal contest against Belle Vernon. The semifinal appearance marks the third straight trip for the Spartans under 4th year head coach Bill Wills. The win over Yough avenged last year’s semifinal loss to the Cougars for Montour, who captured the WPIAL Class AAA softball championship in 2010.

Belle Vernon Leopards 1 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 0
The Leopards scratched home a run in the bottom of the first inning and senior Haley Bashada made it stand up in this quarterfinal matchup at California University. After one out in the opening inning, Courtney Seman drew a walk against the Jaguars Alyssa Frankenfield and the senior second baseman took second on a wild pitch. With two outs Basahda reached on an infield single which moved Seman to third. Junior catcher Molly Gauden, whose run scoring single knocked in the winning run in Belle Vernon’s 5-4 first round win over Valley, drove in Seman with a base hit to left center field. Bashada (17-5) would scatter six TJ singles through seven innings to earn the win. The Cal U bound Bashada struck out only four Jaguars but did not walk any Thomas Jefferson hitters and no TJ base runner reached third base.  Frankenfield saw her high school career end with the tough luck loss, as the senior allowed only four hits and struck out ten Belle Vernon batters. TJ and Belle Vernon split two games in section 3-AAA during the regular season. The eleventh seeded Jaguars season ends at (11-7). Belle Vernon improves to (17-5) with the victory and the Leopards return to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals for the first time since 2009. Belle Vernon, seeded third in the tournament, will face #2 Montour on Wednesday when the Leopards and the Spartans square off at Lilly Field at California University.

WPIAL SOFTBALL CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS:

Deer Lakes Lancers 6 – Mohawk Warriors 5 in 10 Innings
For most of the game, it looked like the Mohawk Warriors were going to upset a second team in the Class AA bracket but some late inning heroics allowed Deer Lakes to rally and ultimately defeat the scrappy Warriors by a run in 10 innings.  After Deer Lakes scored a run in their half of the first inning, the Warriors would score four runs on five hits in the top of the 2nd inning.  Lucia Fee doubled home Taylor Yarletts after a leadoff single and RBI singles from Devon Giancola, Jaki Bender and Shelby Brown gave Mohawk a three-run lead.  They were able to extend the lead to 5-1 in the top of the 3rd inning after an infield error allowed Mohawk’s Rachelle Miller to score.  Deer Lakes would get two runs back in the bottom of the 3rd inning with a 2-run double off of the bat of Tiffany Edwards.  However, they trailed by that same 5-3 score into the bottom of the 7th but they were able to tie the score after a lead-off single from Hannah Blinn, who was 5-5 in the game and is 9-9 so far at the plate in the post-season, and a walk to Tiffany Edwards.  That set up Haliey Moretti’s 2-run triple to tie the score at 5-5 at the end of seven innings.  Both teams couldn’t score in the 8th and 9th but the Lancers were able to win the game in the bottom of the 10th inning as Sierra Sarver singled with the bases loaded and two outs.  The win gives Deer Lakes (17-1) entry into the Class AA semi-finals.  They will face top-seeded and defending Class A champion Neshannock.  With the loss, the Mohawk Warriors season ends with a record of 13-8.

Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 5 – Seton-LaSalle Rebels 0
Anna Marie Gatti was only pitching in her seventh game this season. This was, without question, her most impressive win. Gatti, who missed the majority of the season with a deep bone bruise in her foot, threw a no hitter for 7th-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic, knocking off 2nd-seeded Seton-LaSalle 5-0 on Monday at Woodland Hills High School in the WPIAL AA Quarterfinals. Seton-LaSalle, who came in sporting one of the top offenses in the WPIAL, struck out eleven times and managed only three baserunners, two of which reached by error and another reaching on a fielders choice. GCC struck early, as Karly Mellinger would double and score on a Nikki Adisey RBI single, making it 1-0 in the 1st. The Centurions would push the lead to 2-0 in the 5th as Melinger would drive in Sierra Mathis. Mathis would score again in the 7th on an RBI double by Mellinger. Mellinger and Adisey would score on a 2-RBI double by Julia Lang, pushing the GCC lead to 5-0. Gatti handled the rest, striking out the first two batters in the bottom of the 7th and inducing a groundout to end the game. Mellinger finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Lang was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. SLS Freshman Lauren Zola struck out six Centurions in the loss. GCC improves to 13-6 on the year and will play 6th-seeded Riverside on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. SLS is eliminated at 15-2 and in the Quarterfinals by GCC for the second-consecutive season. The future is bright for the Rebels though, as they will only three seniors.

Riverside Panthers 3 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 0
The Panthers completed the baseball-softball daily double with the win at North Allegheny to advance to the semifinals. Kirsten Wilson tossed another playoff gem, allowing only one hit and four base runners, while fanning 13. Wilson was second in the WPIAL in strikeouts with 204 in the regular season, she has fanned 31 so far in the post-season. Riverside took the lead in the bottom of the second, back to back singles by Raven Boots and Catelyn Wass staked the Panthers and Wilson to a 2-0 advantage. The Panthers added a run in the fifth when Brooke Barker scored on a wild pitch.
Wilson was unhittable thruout the day, retiring seven straight hitters in the first thru fourth innings, after allowing a lead off walk to Whitney Thompson, she shut down eight in a row. Mt. Pleasant's best chance to score came in the sixth, after two outs, Thompson walked for the second time in the game, Shayla Landman singled, sending Thompson to third, but Jocelyn Gula struck out to end the threat. Wilson struck out the side in the seventh to end the game.
Riverside is now 17-2 overall, the Panthers are one of two teams from Section 5 to advance to the semifinals, top seeded Neshannock is the other, the Lancers handed the Panthers their only losses of the season. Catcher Nicole Mansfield led the way for Riverside at the plate, going 2 for 3. The Vikings end their season at 16-6, Thompson and Landman were the only players to reach base for the Vikings, Thompson walked twice and Landman reached on a dropped third strike and had the only hit. Riverside will meet Greensburg Central Catholic in the semifinals on Wednesday, site and time to be determined.

WPIAL SOFTBALL CLASS A QUARTERFINALS:

Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 10 – Jefferson-Morgan Rockets 0
For a second-straight game, Chartiers-Houston needed less than seven innings to dispatch an opponent in the 2012 WPIAL Class A softball playoffs on Monday as the Buccaneers shut out Jefferson-Morgan 10-0 in five innings at California University’s (Pa.) Lilley Field. After going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first, the Bucs exploded for eight runs on seven hits and six J-M errors in the bottom of the third inning to go up 9-0. Shortstop Rachel Tucker singled in catcher Colby Miller for the final run of the game with no outs on the board. It was one of four hits for Tucker, who went four-for-four with a run scored and a game-high four RBI. Right fielder Kassie Kesneck drove in two runs on a two-for-three day, while Miller scored a pair of runs while going two-for-four at the dish. Starting pitcher Kayla Briggs also went two-for-four at the plate while tossing five shutout innings for the win. She allowed three hits and walked two, while also striking out five Rocket hitters. Nine different Buccaneers scored a least one run on the day. Catcher Reagan Rush collected two of Jefferson-Morgan’s three hits as the team’s lead-off hitter, but it wasn’t enough for starting pitcher Kaitlyn Coles, who took the loss after giving up 10 runs, six of which were earned, on 13 hits and no walks. The senior struck out three Bucs on the day. C-H went for 10 runs on 13 hits and didn’t commit an error, while J-M managed three hits and committed nine total errors.

Vincentian Academy Royals 4 – South Side Beaver Rams 3
Vincentian Academy scored four runs in the 3rd inning and then held on the rest of the way for a mild upset over the 4th seeded South Side Beaver Rams and gain one of the coveted semi-final spots in the Class A bracket.  They used a strong pitching performance by senior Bridget Melvin and got great defense, especially from SS Ashley Darby to get the win.  The pivotal Royal 3rd inning began with Rachel Balkovec drawing a walk.  After she was forced out at 2B by a Dani Schneider fielder’s choice, Ashley Darby singled.  An error on the hit by Darby by CF Carla Riggs allowed Schneider to take third base and Darby to take second.  Katie Yauch then singled home both Schneider and Darby to give Vincentian Academy a 2-0 lead.  Zonia Moore then singled allowing Yauch to go to third base.  Moore stole second and both Yauch and Moore came home on the single by Bridget Melvin to give the Royals all the runs they would need.  The Rams would score three runs of their own in the top of the 5th inning on an RBI ground out by Marla Thomas, an RBI single by Carla Riggs and an RBI 2B by Cheyenna Seik.  With two out in the top of the 7th inning, the Rams would get runners to second and third but Melvin got Seik to fly out to CF Zonia Moore to end the game.  With the win, the Royals run their record to 13-5 and have advanced to face top-seeded Chartiers-Houston in the semi-finals to be played on Wednesday.  South Side’s season ends with a record of 17-4.

Sto-Rox Vikings 8 – Frazier Commodores 1
A very clean game defensively through four innings, turned ugly in a hurry for Frazier in a nightmarish 5th inning that was clearly the deciding factor in a Sto-Rox 8-1 win.  Frazier threatened early in the game as in the bottom of the first inning, Monica Joseph led off with a single, and was moved to third by a passed ball and a sacrifice.  She tried to score on a high chopper to short, but was ruled tagged out at the plate and the threat was over.  After the first inning, Sto-Rox would put runners on base in every inning, but in back-to-back innings Frazier kept the Vikings off the board with inning-ending double plays.  The infield play that had been so good for the Commodores went south in a hurry in the fifth inning.  The first seven batters in the inning would all hit ground balls in the infield, all of which should've resulted in outs.  A throwing error on the pitcher put Josie Buckley on base with a bunt.  Shortstop Alexis Livingstone fielded the next one and flipped it to secondbaseman Brittany Strothers for the first out.  But then that routine play, turned out to be not-so-routine.  On the next two grounders, Strothers couldn't handle the throws, one from third and another from shortstop.  The nightmare for Strothers continued as she booted the next grounder off her glove.  Then it was Livingstone's turn to commit an error, as the next ground ball went right through her legs.  In all, Sto-Rox would score 4 runs, all unearned, on 0 hits and 5 errors.  Though Frazier threatened a comeback in their next two at bats, they stranded two runners after scoring a run in the fifth, and stranded second and third in the sixth.  The Vikings would really put it away with a 4-run seventh, this time on 4 hits and 1 error, and would go on to win, 8-1.  The winning pitcher was Talia Smarra, who struck out 7 and walked one.  Andrea Lash took the loss, with 1 strikeout and 2 walks.  Sto-Rox will now play Carmichaels in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 11 – Shenango Wildcats 4
Carmichaels scored five unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning and cruised to an 11-4 win over Shenango to clinch a spot in the Semifinals.  Shenango got on the board first as first baseman Kim Burdett, with authority, drove a homerun to straightaway centerfield to lead off the top of the second.  The Mikes would answer and take control in the next half inning.  Lindsey Osborne led off with a single and Sarah Hathaway followed with a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled by the third baseman.  Megan Bayles singled to load the bases and Amanda Brown walked to tie the game.  After a strikeout, the wheels came off for Shenango.  Caroline Cree hit a ground ball that was fielded by Jen Jopek, who then flipped it blindly to second base expecting the shortstop to be covering.  As the ball sailed into the outfield an extra run scored and the Mikes led, 3-0.  With two outs, Morgan Berardi was hit by a pitch and then Cameron Grimes cleared the bases with a 3-run single to blow the game open.  The Wildcats got another solo homerun, this time off the bat of Michelle Watson, in the fourth inning, but again Carmichaels answered with 3 more in the bottom of the fourth.  In the sixth inning, MIkes coach Dave Briggs pulled Grimes, the starting pitcher, in what appeared to be an attempt to give her some rest with a big lead.  Second baseman Erica Burns switched places with Grimes, but only for four batters.  Grimes was put back in after the Wildcats scored a couple runs as Burns recorded a strikeout, but walked 2 and gave up a double to Burdett.  Again, though Carmichaels would answer the score in the bottom of the sixth with two more of their own and go on to win 11-4.  Grimes got the win, striking out five and not allowing a walk.  She gave up only 5 hits.  Watson took the loss with four strikeouts and 2 walks.  The Mikes move on to play Sto-Rox on Wednesday.