RIDGWAY – The Curwensville Area High School softball team got off to a slow start in Thursday’s contest with Ridgway. However, the Lady Tide battled back twice before ultimately falling 11-10 in eight innings.
“When we were down 6-1 (in the fourth), I thought we were on our way out of there early,” said Allen Leigey, the Tide’s head coach. “Then we got ahead, and I thought we had it. We just couldn’t quite protect the lead.”
The Lady Elkers slapped out eight hits through the first four innings and took advantage of two free passes to plate their six runs. While most of the hits were singles, the hosts chipped away with timely rips to score one run in the first, second and fourth and added three in the third for the 6-1 lead.
The visiting Tide could manage just one run in the third inning by taking advantage of two free passes and an error. Earlier this season, Curwensville had beaten the Elkers by a 4-3 mark, but managed just one-hit off Ridgway pitcher Taylor Rosetta.
On Thursday, Rosetta had given up just one hit through the first four innings, but the Lady Tide wasn’t ready to warm up the bus just yet.
In the top of the fifth, Curwensville put three more runs on the board. Hannah Bressler set the inning in motion drawing a walk, and Abby Dugo bunted for a single to put two runners on. After the first out, Madi Peterman singled to load the bases, and Tiffany Carter lifted a sacrifice fly to left to plate Bressler. With two outs, clean-up hitter Molly Demchak singled for two RBIs and a 6-4 score.
The offense was right back at it in the sixth as Sarah Wriglesworth reached on an in-field error to open the frame. Following a wild pitch, Katie Wriglesworth drove her sister in with a double. Bressler then singled, Dugo bunted for her second hit which scored Wriglesworth and Taylor Goodman drove in two runs with the fourth straight hit of the inning. Goodman moved to third on a Carter single and scored on a ground out by Demchak to make the score 9-6 in the middle of the sixth. The Tide inning looked like it would add more runs until Ashley Vigilone made a diving catch to deny Cheyenne Pentz of a hit and a run batted in.
Ridgway bounced back in the bottom of the inning with hits by Rosetto, Jenni Thomas and Melissa Wehler. The big blow of the inning, however, belonged to Bri Stenta as she drove the first offering she saw over the fence for a grand slam and a 10-9 lead. Stenta finished the game 4-for-5 with five RBI’s – the last five RBI’s of the game.
Still the visitors didn’t roll over. Sarah Wriglesworth reached for a second time on an error and moved to second on a ground out. She moved to third on a wild pitch and scored the tying run as Bressler squeezed her home on a sacrifice bunt.
“We tied it back up in the seventh,” said Leigey, “and showed some real character in the game. Abby Dugo started things a couple of times in her first start and we battled to put ourselves into position to win after the poor start.”
The Lady Elkers went quietly in the bottom of the seventh to push the game into extra-innings.
However, the Tide’s effort faded in the eighth, and an error in the bottom of the frame opened the door for Stenta to end the game. The error allowed Wehler to reach first with one out, and after she stole second, Jenna Hoffman walked. Stenta again jumped on the first pitch and chased Wehler home for the game winner.
Curwensville drops to 6-3 on the season and will get right back on the diamond Friday at 4:30 against Moshannon Valley League rival West Branch at Allport.
CURWENSVILLE – 10
Taylor Goodman 2b 5112, Madison Peterman lf 5110, Tiffany Carter c 4011, Molly Demchak 3b 4013, Cheyenne Pentz ss 4000, Sarah Wriglesworth cf 4110, Kealy Wassil pr 0100, Katie Wriglesworth 1b 3110, Hannah Bressler rf 2211, Abby Dugo dp 3321, Tierra Shope flex/p 0000. TOTALS – 34 AB 10 R 9 H 8 RBI.
RIDGWAY– 11
Melissa Wehler lf 5330, Jenna Hoffman 2b 3100, Bri Stenta ss 5245, Ashley Vigilone rf 4111, Breezy Mazur dp 4001, Sydney Kavalyak c 4121, Taylor Rosetto p 3110, Jill Gaio rf 4000, Jenni Thomas 3b 4220, Morgan Herzing flex/1b 0000. Totals 36 AB 11 R 13 H 8 RBI.
SCORES BY INNINGS – R H E
Curwensville – 001 035 10 – 10 9 3
Ridgway – 113 104 01 – 11 13 3
ERRORS – Demchak, Goodman, S. Wriglesworth; Hoffman 3. LOB – Curwensville 5; Ridgway 6. HR – Stenta. 3B –None. 2B – K. Wriglesworth; Vigilone. DP – None. SB – Wehler. SAC –Bressler. HBP – None. PB – Carter 2. WP – Shope 2; Rosetto 6.
PITCHING
Curwensville – Shope 8 IP 13 H 11 R 7 ER 3 BB 6 K 0 HB
Ridgway – Rossetto 8 IP 9 H 10 R 7 ER 3 BB 6 K 0 HB
W – Rosetto; L – Shope (6-3).