Curwensville Fourth Inning Rally Enough To Hold Off West Branch 4-3

CURWENSVILLE – No local rivalry has been any more intense during recent years than that of the Curwensville and West Branch Area High School’s girls’ softball teams.  Neither team disappointed the fans in Friday’s renewal for the 2013 season.  In the end, the Lady Tide used an offensive outburst in the fourth inning to hold off the Warriors for a 4-3 victory.

“We opened that fourth inning with three straight hits from the big three (seniors Taylor Goodman, Cheyenne Pentz and Tiffany Carter),” described Curwensville head coach Allen Leigey.  “They gave us one, and then Abby Dugo finished it off.”

Leigey’s squad entered the pivotal inning trailing the visitors 1-0 on the strength of two hits in the second inning by Gabby Redmond and Missy Croyle.  Croyle’s RBI came with two outs in the inning on a two-strike count.

Before the bottom of the fourth inning, the hosts allowed only two base-runners on free passes, as freshman hurler Rachel Myers held the Lady Tide hitless.  However, Goodman welcomed her to high school ball with a sharp smash through the hole to right.  Pentz’ single set the table for Carter to tie the score as Goodman scored easily on the hit up the middle.  Abby Johnson followed to load the bases on a free pass before Pentz came home safely when Alaina Stiles’ grounder to short was dropped on a play at the plate.  With the bases still loaded, Dugo found the hole between first and second to plate both Carter and Johnson for the eventual game-winning hit.

“The girls came up with the big hits when we needed them,” Leigey praised his offense.  “I have to give Cheyenne and Abby (Dugo) credit – they were in the batting cage after the double header last night, and Cheyenne came in before school this (Friday) morning.  It goes to show how hard work really pays off.”

West Branch (1-2) did threaten the Tide several times and kept the game interesting to the last out.

In the third inning the Warriors loaded the bases with two outs, only to have the Tide’s junior hurler Tierra Shope close the inning with a strike out.  The top of the fifth inning opened with Maddie McCracken drawing a walk and Melesha Ahlberg ripping a double to the gap in left to put two on with no outs.  However, Pentz threw a dart to Carter at home for the first out.  Taylor Hall did drive Ahlberg home on a ground out to Pentz for a 4-2 difference, but Shope again ended any further threat with another strike out.

The final threat from the visitors came in the seventh as Ahlberg doubled again with one out.  A walk to Morgan Rackish put the tying run at first. Shope recorded her sixth K of the game before Gabby Redmond singled to plate Ahlberg for the 4-3 margin as Myers stepped in to try to help her cause with her bat.  Myers drilled an 0-2 pitch that looked like it was going to get loose in right field.  However, Goodman moved quickly to her left and timed her leap to cut off the shot and end the game.

“Shope pitched another solid game,” Leigey said.  “It seems like she doesn’t get going until runners are on base, then she throws strikes when we need them.  Clutch pitching and good defense got us out of some innings.

“Carter caught a good game and blocked the plate well to keep runners out of scoring position.  We had a little left in the tank at the end, and Goodman had enough air to end things in style.  Every day with this team has been fun.”

Dugo and Pentz paced the Lady Tide offense with two hits each while Ahlberg with a pair of doubles and Redmond’s two hits pushed the West Branch offense.  Shope finished the game with six strike outs, six walks and scattering as many hits.  Myers fanned five and walked four and gave up six hits as well in the loss.

Curwensville (3-0) will be back in action on Monday with a slight alteration to the schedule.  Kane has opted to flip the dates of the team’s games so that the Lady Tide will continue their early season home stand.  The Lady Wolves’ ball field is unfit to play on at this time and Curwensville will travel to Kane when the two teams are scheduled to meet on May 2.

WEST BRANCH- 3

Janene Couteret cf 3000, Maddie McCracken 3b 3010, Melesha Ahlberg ss 3220, Morgan Rackish 1b 2000, Taylor Hall lf 4001, Gabby Redmond 2b 3121, Rachel Myers p 3000, Tosha Hahn ph 1000, Leanna Prinkey dh 3000, Missy Croyle rf 3011, Stasia Laterzo flex/c 0000,  TOTALS – 28 AB 3 R 6 H 3 RBI.

CURWENSVILLE – 4

Sarah Wriglesworth cf 4000, Taylor Goodman 2b 3110, Cheyenne Pentz ss 3120, Tiffany Carter c 3111, Abby Johnson lf 1100, Alaina Stiles rf 2000, Abby Dugo 3b 3022, Nikki Harker 1b 3000, Tricia Laird dp 0000, Melanie Milliron ph 1000, Tierra Shope flex/p 0000, TOTALS – 23 AB 4 R 6 H 3 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS – R H E

West Branch   010 010 1 – 3 6 1

Curwensville  000 400 x – 4 6 1

ERRORS – Laterzo; Goodman.  LOB – West Branch 10; Curwensville 6.  2B – Ahlberg 2.  SAC – Myers; Stiles. DP- West Branch. PB – Carter. WP -Myers.

PITCHING

West Branch –   Myers 6 IP 6 H 4 R 3 ER 4 BB 5 K 0 HB

Curwensville –  Shope 7 IP 6 H 3 R 3 ER 6 BB 6 K 0 HB

WP – Shope (3-0).  LP -Myers (1-2).

Umpires – Koppenhaver, Basile.

Lady Tide Scoreboard: