CURWENSVILLE – It might be early in the 2009 high school softball season, but Curwensville\’s Holly Lansberry already is in mid-season form.
After firing one-hitters in the Lady Tide\’s first three games, the senior right-hander authored a brilliant five-inning no-hitter against DuBois Central Catholic at Riverside Stadium Wednesday afternoon.
A second-inning walk to Lauresa Gulvas cost her a perfect game.
Lansberry only needed batterymate Ashley Demchak to join her in the field on the bitterly cold day.
The other Curwensville players could have remained in the dugout, for Lansberry played pitch-and-catch just 68 times with Demchak in racking up 15 strikeouts.
\”Their coach and the umpire were saying Holly is throwing harder than last year,\” Curwensville coach Allen Leigey said. \”She was mowing \’em down. She didn\’t go to many 3-2 counts.
\”Each game, she seems to be getting a little bit stronger.\”
Future opponents won\’t want to hear that.
Her statistics after four shutout wins over District 9 Northern Allegany League Small School Division Southern Tier opponents are mind-boggling.
In 22 innings, Lansberry has given up only three hits and three walks while whiffing 51 batters.
Further evidence of her domination is the fact only one opposing runner has reached second base.
Gulvas represented the tying run when she walked on one of Lansberry\’s four 3-2 counts with one out, but the Lady Cardinal never got into scoring position.
Lansberry, who joined the career 600-Strikeout Club Monday at Johnsonburg, mesmerized the Lady Cardinals on just 68 pitches.
Meanwhile, Demchak continued her torrid hitting with two singles and a double for a 12-for-13 start to her senior season.
She was on deck and one hit shy of 100 for her career when Shannon McDonald cracked a two-run double up the right center alley to bring the Mercy Rule into play.
Stacey Johnson also had three hits, two of them doubles, and matched Demchak\’s two runs batted in for the Lady Tide.
McDonald, who had three RBIs, also got the Curwensville offense in gear with a two-out triple in the first inning. Demchak singled her home.
Johnson doubled, stole third and scored on Jenae Stiles\’ groundout in the second.
Doubles by Demchak and Johnson made it 3-0 in the third.
Curwensville erupted for five runs on four hits in the fourth. Tess Bloom, Demchak and Johnson had run-scoring singles, and McDonald added a sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, two walks and Bloom\’s second single set the stage for McDonald\’s game-ending hit.
Curwensville begins defense of its Moshannon Valley League title Thursday against Harmony in a game that was originally scheduled to be played at Westover.
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC — 0
Sarah Flick 3b 2000, Christine Begley cf 2000, Meagan Thomas 2b 2000, Bekka Stoughton p 2000, Lauresa Gulvas ss 1000, Tricia Varacallo 1b 2000, Sarah Esposito lf 1000, Taylor Thomas lf 1000, Kim Cadori rf 1000, Kaitlyn Yebernetsky rf 0000, Juliana Ingham c 1000. TOTALS: 15 0 0 0.
CURWENSVILLE — 10
Holly Lansberry p 2210, Tess Bloom cf 4121, Shannon McDonald ss 3223, Ashley Demchak c 3232, Jenessa Stiles 3b 3000, Stacey Johnson 1b 3132, Sara Clark lf 2000, Jenae Stiles 2b 1001, Morgan Peterman 2b 2000, Erin Bressler rf 2210. TOTALS: 26 10 12 9.
Score by Innings
DuBois Central Catholic 000 00 – 0 0 2
Curwensville 111 52 – 10 12 0
Errors – Gulvas, Cadori. PB – Ingham 3. LOB – DuBois Central Catholic 1, Curwensville 5. 2B – McDonald, Demchak, Johnson 2. 3B – McDonald. SF – McDonald. SB – Johnson.
Pitching
DuBois Central Catholic – Stoughton 4+ IP (faced 4 batters in 5th) 12 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 2 K.
Curwensville – Lansberry 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 15 K.
W – Lansberry (4-0). L – Stoughton (0-2).
