CURWENSVILLE – All eyes in the District IX Allegany League Small School Division Southern Tier, and perhaps a few others, were focused on Riverside Stadium last evening for the showdown against the Curwensville Area High School Softball Team and visiting Elk County Catholic. The Lady Crusaders came into the game at 9-0 on the season while the hosts had posted a 7-1 record to date.
While steady rains had postponed this contest from Monday, the intensity of the two teams certainly wasn’t dampened, especially in the early going. Unfortunately for the home team, miscues and untimely free passes allowed Elk County to go home unscathed with a 7-1 victory over Curwensville.
“We played a tough game, but we self inflicted a lot of those runs,” said Allen Leigey, Curwensville Head Coach. “We have to fight through to them (the Lady Tide players) that you have to make the plays every time to win the tight games.”
The game started with a pitching battle between Curwensville’s Stacy Johnson and Lauren Evers of Elk County. Evers struck out five through the first three innings allowing just one base runner – a hit batsmen in the second. She faced just nine batters, however as that runner was thrown out on an attempted steal.
“We have to be in more of an attack mode at the plate,” Said Leigey. “We watched a lot of first pitch strikes. She’s (Evers) a good pitcher. If you give her the advantage of early strikes, she’s got you.”
Johnson struck out two over the same period facing 12 batters. Two walks and a single were the only blemishes for the senior right-hander as she also held her opponents scoreless.
Elk County mounted its first scoring threat in the fourth inning as Evers led off the inning with a hard single up the middle. It looked like the inning would end, but a throwing error allowed Jenny Cappiello to reach safely and bring in the first run. Torie Gadizzi and Dani Cassels both followed with RBI singles to put the score at 3-0.
The Lady Tide threatened in the fourth with Sara Clark leading off with a single and Tess Bloom followed with a walk. After two outs, Rachel Holland ripped a single up the middle, but a perfect throw from center fielder Hannah McGowan nailed Clark at the plate to end the inning.
Niether team was able to mount offensive attacks in the fifth inning, but Lindsay Trumbull led off the Elk County sixth by being hit with a Johnson pitch. Cappiello then reached on an infield error before the next two batters recorded outs. Cassels, the only player to get two hits on the evening, found a hole on the left side for an RBI. Johnson walked the next three ECC batters for two additional runs and a 6-0 lead.
“The bottom of there order did us in,” Leigey said. “They (ECC) made the plays in the field when we thought they wouldn’t.”
In the seventh inning, Tumbull and Cappiello again reached on a walk and a single respectively. A one out ground out by Gradizzi scored Trumbull to give the Crusaders a 7-0 advantage.
The Lady Tide found life in the bottom of the seventh with a Lindsay Barrett double after two outs. Macy Palmer singled up the middle, and Barrett scored under the second McGowan attempt at the plate. However, that was all the scoring the hosts could manage in the 7-1 final.
We’ll learn from it (the loss),” said Leigey. “They took round one. We’ll see what happens in round two, and, hopefully, there’ll be a round three in the playoffs. We told the girls to forget about it, get a good night’s sleep and go play better against Brockway.”
Elk County moved its record to 10-0 with the win while Curwensville slips to 7-2. The Lady Tide will be in action Wednesday afternoon at Brockway before hosting West Branch on Friday.
In junior varsity action ECC bested the Lady Tide 16-3.
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC – 7
Hannah McGowan cf 3010, Laura Mohney ss 4001, Anna Hawkins rf 3001, Lauren Evers p 4110, Lyndsey Trumbull 2b 2200, Jenny Cappiello dp 3010, Taylor Schlimm 1b 4100, Torie Gradizzi c 3012, Dani Cassels lf 4122, Jessie McLaughlin flex/3b/pr 0100, Totals 30 7 6 6.
CURWENSVILLE – 1
Sara Clark ss 3010, Tess Bloom cf 2000, Stacey Johnson p 3000, Molly Demchak 3b 3000, Rachel Holland lf 3010, Lindsay Barrett 1b 2110, Macy Palmer c 3011, Katie Wriglesworth dp 2000, Sara Wriglesworth ph 1000, Hannah Bressler rf 2000, Madi Peterman rf 0000, Cheyenne Pentz flex/2b 0000, TOTALS – 24 1 4 1
SCORE BY INNINGS – R H E
Elk County – 000 303 1 – 7 6 1
Curwensville – 000 000 1 – 1 4 2
ERRORS – Clark, Demchak; Mohney. LOB – ECC 10; Curwensville 4. 2B – Barrett. SB – McGowan, Trumbull. PB – Palmer 2. HBP – Trumbull (by Johnson); Barrett (by Evers).
PITCHING
Elk County – Evers – 7 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 9 K 1 HB
Curwensville – HBJohnson – 7 IP 6 H 7 R 1 ER 7 BB 4 K 1 HB