Hubbers’ Walk-off Homer Flattens Lady Tide 1-0

SMETHPORT – The only hit that hurt the Curwensville Area High School softball team in Wednesday’s District IX quarterfinal game was one that no one could play.  The Lady Tide’s season came to an end on a walk-off home run by Smethport’s Lynn Spittler for the 1-0 victory.

“We were trying to get a strike,” Tide coach Allen Leigey said of the homer.  “With the 2-0 count, we needed to get more of the plate, and she hit a pretty good pitch a long way.”

The Lady Hubber’s remain undefeated at 14-0 on the season, but found themselves in a defensive struggle with Curwensville.  Only 10 total base-runners were allowed in the contest as both pitchers relied on the gloves of teammates behind them.  Smethport managed five hits in the game including the home run while Curwensville scattered four hits for the afternoon.

“We played about as well as we could defensively.  It was a good team effort,” Leigey pointed out.  “Cheyenne (Pentz) kept us in the game early, Madi (Peterman) made a couple good plays, Hannah (Bressler) stopped a threat with a good catch in right, and Molly (Demchak) was solid at third.”

Three of those Lady Tide hits came off the bat of shortstop Pentz, who posted a 3-for-3 day at the plate. The only other player to have a multiple-hit game was the Hubber’s first baseman Shannon Hughes with two singles.

Scoring opportunities were scarce for both teams, and before the home run ended the game, both teams could manage only two real threats each.

Smethport found the first opportunity in the opening frame as Courtney Schuler singled with one out and then stole second.  Hughes then singled to put runners at the corners with one out.  However, freshman pitcher Tierra Shope recorded her second strikeout and got a fly out to left to end the inning.

“They had a runner at third in the first inning and tried a suicide squeeze with the clean-up hitter,” noted Leigey.  “Luckily the bunt went foul and we got her out or they would have had an early run.”

The Lady Tide’s first threat came in the fifth inning with Pentz’s lead-off single.  Sarah Wriglesworth followed with a sacrifice bunt to put Pentz on second.  Katie Wriglesworth came up swinging as she drove a hard liner toward the hole to right that would have scored pinch-runner Abby Dugo.  However, the rope was tracked down by second baseman Brooke Toggart, who easily converted the catch into a double play at second.

Kate Mead was hit by a pitch after one out in the Hubbers’ half of the fifth.  She stole second and moved to third on a ground out to Taylor Goodman at second.  Mead was left stranded on a strong throw to first from Demchak for the third out that preserved the 0-0 deadlock.

Curwensville’s final threat came in the top of the seventh as Demchak and Pentz posted back-to-back singles with two outs.  The hope was ended, however, on a soft pop out to third that set up the dramatic ending for the hosts.

Perhaps it was the momentum of stopping that last threat that lifted the Hubbers to victory.  It was Spittler who caught that pop out to third and then ended the game as the first batter of the bottom of the seventh.

“I told the girls that this is playoff softball, and one mistake can make all the difference,” Leigey offered.  “The fact that they were hurt by the loss makes me happy to know that they really cared and will get better because of it.

“We’re only losing Katie Wriglesworth, and we’ll miss her.  Katie is an exceptional senior who worked hard to become the first baseman that we needed her to be.  She’ll go out and do well with her plans to become an elementary teacher.”

Neither pitcher walked a batter in the game, and the hit batsman and the homer were the only blemishes on Shope’s day.  Shope struck out three batters while scattering five hits.  Smethport senior Logan Akers struck out seven in her four-hit effort.

“Tierra has gotten better every game this season,” Leigey said of his pitcher.  “The exciting thing is that she has three more years, and the sky’s the limit for her.”

Curwensville bows out of the season with a final record of 12-8. 

CURWENSVILLE – 0

Taylor Goodman 2b 3000, Madison Peterman lf  3000, Tiffany Carter c 3000, Molly Demchak 3b 3010, Melanie Milliron pr 0000, Cheyenne Pentz ss 3030, Abby Dugo pr 0000, Sarah Wriglesworth 2000, Katie Wriglesworth 1b 2000, Hannah Bressler rf 2000, Abby Johnson dp 2000, Tierra Shope flex/p 0000. TOTALS – 24 AB 0 R 4 H 0 RBI.

Smethport – 1

Tori Johnson dp 2000, Tori Transue cf 1000, Courtney Schuler c 3010, Shannon Hughes 3020, Megan Zylinski rf 3000, Stacey Herzog ss 3010, Lynn Spittler 3b 3111, Brooke Toggart 2b 2000, Kate Mead lf 1000, Amanda Vassler cf 0000, Abby Wilpon dp 2000, Logan Akers flex/p,  Totals 23 AB 1 R 5 H 1 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS –  R H E

Curwensville – 000 00 0 – 0 4 0

Smethport – 000 000 1 – 1 5 0

ERRORS – none.  LOB – Curwensville 3; Smethport 5.  HR -Spittler. 3B – none.  2B – Herzog. DP – Smethport. SB – Schuler, Mead.  SAC – S. Wriglesworth. HBP – Mead.  PB – none.  WP – none.

PITCHING 

Curwensville – Shope 6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 3 K 1 HB

Smethport – Schlimm 7 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 7 K 0 HB

W – Akers (14-0). L – Shope (12-8).

Lady Tide’s 2011 Scoreboard: