Lady Tide’s Only Game of The Week Is a 7-1 Loss to Punxsutawney

PUNXSUTAWNEY – The schedule for the 2011 softball season has been a lot like the game itself – hit and miss.  And lately, the only one to be throwing shutouts has been Mother Nature.  However, after eight days, the Curwensville Area High School team squeezed in a game between the raindrops against Punxsutawney on Friday.  The Lady Tide fell to the Lady Chucks 7-1 in a game that Head coach Allen Leigey said was badly needed.

“Their crew did a really good job getting the field ready to play,” said Leigey.  “This season just feels like the movie Groundhog Day (no pun was intended).  Every day seems like the same – we get ready to play; then we get cancelled.

“It was important to play today.  The hardest part about this season has been trying to keep the girls excited about playing.  The team played well today – with intensity.”

That excitement was displayed as the Tide put the pressure on the unbeaten hosts from the start of the game.  With one out in the top of the first inning, Madi Petermanworked pitcher Shawna Crago for a free pass.  Taylor Goodman followed with a single, and Molly Demchak walked to load the bases.  After Crago struck out her second batter of the inning, Tiffany Carter delivered a base hit to plate Peterman for the 1-0 early lead.

“We’re never happy with a loss,” Leigey said, “but I was pleased that we competed today.  I schedule Punxsy every year as a measuring stick.  I tell the girls that if we can compete with Punxsutawney (a triple-A team), then we should really be able to compete with good single-A teams.” 

The Lady Chucks got on the board in the second as Crago opened the frame with a single and promptly stole second.  With one out, Tia Davis singled Crago home.  Megan Muth and Kristen Fedder followed with walks to load the bases before Ashley Couser lifted a Tierra Shope pitch to right field to plate Davis to give the hosts the lead.

Shope would harmlessly walk just one other batter and hit another in the game.  While striking out two hitters, her control remained solid for the second game in a row.  She scattered seven hits against a powerful hitting team while five of the seven runs were earned.

“We played well and pitched well, especially in the steady rain of the first two innings,” said Leigey.  “We hung in there against their best pitcher.  Even this loss should help build our confidence. 

“Our effort today was so much better than we had been bringing to practice.   If we bring this effort – a good team effort – into next week, we’ll be competitive in every game.”

Curwensville left eight base runners stranded in the game and, unfortunately couldn’t capitalize on two bases-loaded situations.  Five different Tide hitters collected singles in the game.  Crago issued four free passes, but struck out nine to hold off the Curwensville attack.

Punxsutawney added an unearned run in the third, and Crago helped her own cause with a three-run homer in the fifth.  Hannah Neal ended the scoring in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to left to plate Fedder.

Crago, who has pitched the Lady Chucks to a 6-0 start, went two-for-three at the plate with a home run and three RBI’s.  Taylor Powell’s double in the fifth was the only other extra-base hit in the game.  She scored on the Crago homer that inning.

The weather will play an important part in the post season outlook.  There are now 19 playing days for the Golden Tide to try to squeeze 14 remaining games (the game with Redbank Valley, which has been postponed twice, will not be rescheduled).  Most local teams are in the same kind of crunch.

Curwensville now stands at 3-2 on the season and will host Glendale on Monday afternoon.

CURWENSVILLE – 1

Sarah Wriglesworth cf 4000, Madison Peterman lf  3110, Taylor Goodman 2b 2010, Molly Demchak 3b 2000, Hannah Bressler rf 2000, Tiffany Carter c 3011, Cheyenne Pentz ss 3010, Katie Wriglesworth 1b 3010, Abby Johnson dp3000, Tierra Shope p 0000. TOTALS – 25 AB 1 R 5 H 1 RBI.

PUNXSUTAWNEY – 7

Ashley Barenchick ss 3110, Hannah Neal 2b 2101, Taylor Powell rf 3110, Shawna Crago p 3223, Allie Sheilds ph 1000, Jenna Reitz 3b 3000, Tia Davis cf 3111, MeganMuth lf 2010, Kristen Fedder 1b 2110, Ashley Couser dp 2000, Johnna Depp c/flex 0000. Totals 24 AB 7 R 7 H 5 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS –  R H E

Curwensville – 100 000 0 – 1 5 4

Punxsutawney – 021 031 x – 7 7 0

ERRORS – Demchak, Shope, Pentz 2.  LOB – Curwensville 8; Punxsutawney 7.  HR – Crago. 3B – none.  2B – Powell.    DP – Curwensville. SB – Muth. SAC – Neal 2. HBP – Rosetta; Bressler, Pentz.  PB – S. Kavalyak; Carter 2.  WP – Shope.

PITCHING 

Curwensville – Shope 7 IP 7 H 7 R 5 ER 3 BB 2 K 1 HB

Curwensville – Crago 6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 4 BB 9 K 0 HB

W Crago (6-0).  L – Shope (3-2).