Johnson’s Extra Bat Work Helps Charge Lady Tide Past DCC 7-1

DUBOIS – Sophomore designated player Abby Johnson played a part in every scoring inning for the Curwensville Area High School softball team in Friday’s 7-1 victory over DuBois Central Catholic.  The Lady Tide defense turned away the hosts early and the offense exploded in the sixth inning to secure the win.

Johnson finished the game 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs, including two doubles and a sacrifice bunt.  Johnson caused the Lady Cardinals headaches from the number nine spot in the line-up.

“Abby Johnson had a really good day,” said Tide skipper Allen Leigey.  “She helped us manufacture a run in the third and came up with two big hits later on.  She was struggling at the plate and has worked really hard lately – taking extra batting after practice and it paid off for her.”

Curwensville’s bats were kept quiet in the first two innings by DCC’s Taylor Thomas – only six batters came to the plate in those innings.  However, it was the defense that kept the visitors in the game early.

In the first inning, DCC’s Lauresa Gulvas and Kylee Schaffer opened with back-to-back hits.  After a strike-out and a fly-out to center,  Curwensville’s Tierra Shope walked Thomas to load the bases.  The damage was stopped as shortstop Cheyenne Pentz gobbled up a grounder to record the out at first.  After that inning, Shope and her defense allowed just two runners to get past second the rest of the game, and two errors in the seventh inning accounted for the only Cardinal score.

“Giving them nothing in that first inning was huge for us,” said Leigey.  “Sarah (Wriglesworth) and Tiffany (Carter) made great plays in the field to deny them and Shope just pitched well.  I was very pleased.”

The Lady Tide picked up their first run in the third inning as Katie Wriglesworth drilled a single through the infield.  A wild pitch moved her to second, and after one out, Johnson sacrificed her to third.  Taylor Goodman came through with the two-out single to plate the run.

Wriglesworth opened the top of the fifth with a second hard-hit single.  Hannah Bressler sacrificed her to second before Johnson bounced a double off the top of the centerfield fence to put runners at second and third.  Goodman singled in Wriglesworth for a second time and a 2-0 lead.  

The visitors put the game away in the sixth as Pentz singled with one out.  Sarah Wriglesworth followed with a hit and a wild pitch put runners at second and third.  Katie Wriglesworth drew an intentional walk to load the bases, and Bressler earned an RBI via a free pass.  Johnson followed with her second double that scored two more, and after the second out Madi Peterman capped the scoring for the visitors with a two-run double of her own.

“We seem to have become an all-or-nothing team at the plate,” said Leigey.  “We don’t usually get a run here and there.  It’s like the weather – when it rains, it pours.”

Leading 7-0, the lone run in the bottom of the seventh only hurt the Tide in the stats.   The two errors that aided the unearned run seemed to be the only flaws in an otherwise solid outing.

The win pushed the Lady Tide’s record to 11-6 on the season while DCC slips to 6-5.  Both squads will play their final games of the regular season Saturday afternoon.  Curwensville travels to Elk County Catholic and the Lady Cardinals battle Johnsonburg.  DCC defeated the Lady Crusaders on Thursday by a 3-1 score, and the Lady Tide will look to use their momentum to hand ECC another loss. 

District 9 will announce playoff match ups soon as the rgular season ends with Saturday’s games.

CURWENSVILLE – 7

Taylor Goodman 2b 4022, Madison Peterman lf 4012, Tiffany Carter c 4000, Molly Demchak 3b 4010, Abby Dugo pr 0000, Cheyenne Pentz ss 4010, Melanie Milliron pr 0100, Sarah Wriglesworth cf 4120, Katie Wriglesworth 1b 2320, Hannah Bressler rf 1101, Abby Johnson dp 2122, Tierra Shope flex/p 0000, TOTALS –  29 AB 7 R 11 H 7 RBI.

DUBOIS CENTRAL – 1

Lauresa Gulvas ss 3010, Kylee Schaffer cf 4020, Tricia Varacallo 2b/p 4000, Katlyn Yabernetsky lf 3000, Taylor Thomas p/3b 2000, Alyssa Marchioni 1b 2000, Juliana Ingham c 2000, Megan Hassan rf 3100, Kayla Bittner 3b/2b 3011,  TOTALS: 26 AB 1 R 4 H 1 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS –  R H E

Curwensville – 001 015 0 – 7 11 2

Dubois Central – 000 000 1 – 1 4 0

ERRORS –  Carter, Bressler.  LOB – Curwensville 6; DCC 7.  2B – Peterman, Johnson 2.  DP – none. SB – none.  SAC – Bressler, Johnson. HBP – none.  PB – none.   WP – Shope 2; Thomas 3.

PITCHING 

Curwensville – Shope 7 IP 4 H 1 R 0 ER 3 BB 3 K 0 HB

Dubois Central – Thomas  6 IP 11 H 7 R 7 ER  2 BB 4 K 0 HB

                                   Varacallo 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 0 HB

W – Shope (11-6). L – Thomas.