CURWENSVILLE – Being able to win the close games early in the season was a big pre-season key for the Curwensville Area High School Softball Team, and Head Coach Allen Leigey has to be very happy with last night’s outcome against Brockway. The Golden Tide broke open a close game in the fifth inning to power past the Lady Rovers 9-2 at Riverside Stadium.
Senior pitcher Stacey Johnson notched the Tides second win of the season giving up just two unearned runs on one hit while issuing six free passes and posting eight strikeouts on the visitors. While Johnson had the game under control on the mound, her teammates took care of the hitting chores – eight different batters had hits in the game.
“Stacey came to me early in the game and said that she didn’t have her good stuff,” admitted Leigey after the game. “But even without her great stuff, the outfielders didn’t touch the ball. Other than (Michelle) Mancuso’s hard liner back to the mound, everything was pop-ups.”
Brockway put the pressure on the hosts in the top of the first as Sarah Anderson led off the game with the Lady Rovers’ lone hit – an infield single. Sara Guilyard followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner. Anderson moved to third on a wild pitch and scored when the throw back to the mound sailed into left field. The threat ended as Johnson recorded her first strikeout and defended herself from Mancuso’s bullet up the middle.
Curwensville battled back in its half of the first when Tess Bloom found the right field line to her liking after one out. Bloom’s liner skipped past a diving Julie Vokes and rolled to the fence. The speedy senior made that defensive attempt hurt as she touched all of the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Neither squad was able to mount an offensive attack for the next two-and-a-half innings. However, it was the Lady Tide who put together the next scoring oportunity in the fourth inning. Johnson led off the home half of the fourth and reached on an error to at third. Sophomore Molly Demchak set her sights on the next pitch from Alex Wrightand and cleared the left-field fence to post a 3-1 lead.
The top of the fifth inning found the Lady Rovers on the move again with Jordan Inzana drawing a walk as the lead-off hitter. Anderson bunted the runner up and a second out to the right side put Inzana on third with two outs. A passed ball on the next pitch allowed the run to score to close the score at 3-2.
“Brockway always has a tough team,” said Leigey. “They played us hard tonight and next time we play them, they’ll be better.”
While the big hitters started the scoring off for the Tide, it was the bottom of the order that set up the insurance runs. Katie Wriglesworth, as the number eight hitter, opened the fifth inning with full-count single to right – her second of the game. Maddie Peterman followed with a quick single of her own that opened the gates for a six- run fifth.
“Katie had a big game for us and earned a game ball,” Leigey said. “We’re going to see big things from Katie once she gets her confidence at the plate. She can drive that ball out of here.”
The fifth inning continued for the Lady Tide as Bloom slapped a one-out single to right to score two runs. Johnson worked a free pass, and both scored when Bloom tagged on a long fly ball out from Demchak and the throw was overthrown at third and rolled out of play. The scoring frenzy ended as Rachel Holland, Lindsay Barrett and Macy Palmer all singled in the frame. Palmer’s hit scored both runners in front of her for a 9-2 closing score.
Johnson and the hosts closed the door in the final two innings facing just eight batters with three strikeouts and solid fielding.
Curwensville moves to 2-0 on the season while Brockway falls to 0-3. The Lady Tide will host Johnsonburg this afternoon.
BROCKWAY – 2
Sarah Anderson 3b 3110, Sara Guilyard ss 2000, Ann Moyer cf 2000, Michelle Mancuso 3000, Savanah Brosky c 3000, Zoe Hawkins lf 3000, Jackie Brosky 2b 2ooo, Brittney Johnson pr/2b 0000, Alex Wright p 2000, Jordan Inzana dp 1100, Julie Vokes flex/rf 0000, TOTALS – 21 2 1 0
CURWENSVILLE – 9
Sara Clark ss 4011, Tess Bloom cf 4222, Stacey Johnson p 2200, Molly Demchak 3b 3112, Rachel Holland lf 3111, Lindsay Barrett 1b 3110, Macy Palmer c 3012, Katie Wriglesworth dp 3120, Maddie Peterman rf 3110, Cheyenne Pentz flex/2b 0000, TOTALS – 28 9 10 8
SCORES BY INNINGS R H E
BROCKWAY 1000100 – 2 1 2
CURWENSVILLE 100260x – 9 10 2
ERRORS – Anderson, Hawkins; Palmer, Pentz LOB – Brockway 6; Curwensville 4 HR – Bloom (1 run inside-the-park 1st), Demchak (2 run 4th) DP – Brockway HBP Moyer (by Johnson)
PITCHING
BROCKWAY
Wright 6 IP 9 H 9 R 2 ER 4 BB 0 K 0 HB
CURWENSVILLE
Johnson 7 IP 1 H 2 R 0 ER 6 BB 8 K 1 HB