CURWENSVILLE – It was a tale of two nights for the Curwensville Area High School Softball Team as the Lady Tide bats pounded Sheffield on Monday and went cold against Kane on Tuesday. The Lady Wolves knocked the hosts from the ranks of the unbeaten Tuesday night with a 2-1 victory at Riverside Stadium.
Curwensville managed just four hits against Kane hurler Natalie Kossack. Kossack’s performance had the Tide hitters off balance all evening as she struck out five and walked only three and hit one batter to earn the win.
On the other side of the diamond, Stacey Johnson recorded her third no-hitter in two days. Johnson worked the Wolves for no hits and a season high 13 strikeouts, while walking five and hitting two batters. Unfortunately for Johnson and the Tide, three walks and both hit batsmen came in the third inning which allowed the Wolves all the offense it needed for the win.
“Stacey had just one poor inning,” said Head Coach Allan Leigey. “She threw 37 pitches in the third inning and was in single digits most of the rest of the game. We gave up our usual two runs in the game but couldn’t find a way to score three.”
It looked like the Golden Tide would get on the board early by loading the bases in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Tess Bloom singled to right, Johnson was hit by a pitch and Molly Demchak drew a free pass to load the bases. However, Kossack posted two strike outs to end the threat.
“We had our chances to score a couple of times,” Leigey said. “We just didn’t get the big hit tonight. We didn’t get it done.”
Johnson was in control of the game through the first two innings with five K’s and a ground ball out allowing only one batter on via a walk. Then came the third inning with Amanda Swanson sent to first after being hit by a pitch. Johnson erased Swanson on a come-backer she sent to second for the first out. Kate Bizzak moved to second on a passed ball and third on a second out grounder back to Johnson again. Bizzak, however was able to scamper home on a passed ball for the 1-0 lead. After the run, Emily Carlson walked, Kossack was hit by a pitch, Kalie Walter walked and Kayla Jamerson walked to push Carlson home. Johnson then struck out the next batter to end the third at 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, Curwensville got a run back as Johnson doubled with one out. One out later Rachel Holland drew a free pass, and Lindsay Barrett beat out an infield hit. Johnson scored on the hit, but when the hurried throw got by first, Holland pushed her luck and was thrown out at the plate for a 2-1 score that stood up the rest of the way.
Neither team mounted much of a threat the rest of the game as Kane only saw 15 batters in the final four innings and the host sent just 13 batters to the plate over the same four innings.
“Losing is never fun,” Leigey said, “but we didn’t deserve to win this game. If we had outplayed them and lost, then we could be disappointed, but we didn’t out-play anybody.”
Curwensville falls to 6-1 on the season and will have to regroup quickly as they travel to Moshannon Valley League foe Glendale on Thursday.
KANE – 2
Anna Wismar rf 3000, Emily Carlson c 3100, Natalie Kossack p 3000, Kalie Walter 3b 1000, Kayla Jamerson ss 2001, Serena Slugo lf 2000, Sam Ferranto dp 3000, Amanda Swanson cf 1000, Gear ph 1000, Kate Bizzak 2b 3100, Kelley Chilson flex/3b 0000. Totals 22 2 0 1.
CURWENSVILLE – 1
Sara Clark ss 4000, Tess Bloom cf 3010, Stacey Johnson p 2110, Molly Demchak 3b 2000, Rachel Holland lf 2000, Lindsay Barrett 1b 3011, Macy Palmer c 2010, Katie Wriglesworth dp 3000, Madi Peterma rf 2000, Hannah Bressler ph 1000, Cheyenne Pentz flex/2b 0000. TOTALS – 24 1 4 1
ERRORS – Wismar, Jamerson, Chilsom; Clark, Palmer LOB – Kane 7, Curwensville 6 2B – Johnson WP – Johnson PB – Carlson; Palmer 3 SAC – Sluga HBP – Kossack, Swanson (by Johnson); Johnson (by Kossack).
SCORE BY INNINGS – R H E
Kane 002 000 0 – 2 0 3
Curwensville 001 000 0 – 1 4 2
PITCHING
Kane – Kossack – 7 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 5 K 1 HB
Curwensville – Johnson 7 IP 0 H 2 R 2 ER 5 BB 13 K 2 HB