NEW BETHLEHEM – While the Curwensville Area High School softball team never trailed in Monday’s Distrrict IX Class AA quarterfinal game, it was the late-inning hit parade that put the game on ice. The Lady Tide ousted Redbank Valley from the playoffs for the second straight year with a 13-3 final.
Curwensville (10-10) has pounded the ball for 35 hits in their last two games. In the final regular season outing, the Tide finished with 17 hits, and against the Bulldogs in the opening round of districts, they were good for 18 knocks.
“Our hitting tonight was huge,” said head coach Allen Leigey. “We weathered the storm in the fifth inning when Redbank scored a few runs, and I told the girls it was time to take care of business; they came through big.”
After five innings, the visitors held a 4-3 lead over the Bulldogs before the floodgates opened.
In the first inning with one out, Tide pitcher Tierra Shope started the offense with a single to center. Catcher Alaina Stiles doubled to left-center to put runners on second and third for first baseman Nikki Harker. Harker promptly doubled to plate both runners for the 2-0 lead. Two additional runs came in for the Lady Tide in the fifth with Stiles ripping a one-out double down the left field line. Harker singled to put runners at the corners, and when Harker moved to second, Redbank threw the ball away at third and home to allow Stiles to score and Harker to pull into third. Megan McCartney brought in the second run with an RBI single for the 4-0 lead.
“The first inning scores were exactly what we were looking for,” Leigey pointed out. “We stranded 159 runners in the regular season, and we were focused on getting runners home if they got on base. It was great to see the hitters picking up the runs.”
However, Redbank Valley had a rally of its own in the fifth inning. The Bulldogs opened with a single, a walk and a triple by Tessa Toup to quickly put the score at 4-2. Troup came home on a fielder’s choice that was late to the plate, but on the play, Stiles was able to throw out the runner at second for the first out. With no other runs scoring, Curwensville was able to ‘weather the storm’ and take control the rest of the game.
“We always seem to have a bad inning to get through,” concluded Leigey. “The first out at second helped put a cap on things. Alaina is the heart and soul of this team, and if she has a chance to gun someone out, we win that dual 90 percent of the time.”
As it was, when the Tide took control of the “weather,” it was the hosts who began to sink. Curwensville scored nine runs in the final two innings on nine hits among 16 batters and stranded just one runner.
Stiles and Harker paced the bats with three hits each while eight batters in the starting line-up hit safely. Abby Dugo, Shope, McCartney, and Melanie Milliron all had multiple hit games. Shope and Harker drove in three runs each with Stiles and McCartney collecting two RBI each.
In the circle, Shope scattered eight hits while striking out three and walking just one for her seventh win of the season. Correcting the stats that were misprinted in the playoff preview, Monday’s victory held several milestones for the Tide senior hurler. Shope collected win number 50 in her high school career while tallying 100 strikeouts this season and 400 K’s in her four years as a starter.
Curwensville will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Moniteau to take on the top seeded Lady Warriors.
“The effort of this season was to get a shot at Moniteau,” admitted Leigey. “We really wanted to get to Moniteau. No one probably thinks we have a chance against them, but the only way we don’t have a chance to win is if we’re not there. We’ll be there!”
The Lady Warriors are 17-0 in 2014. Curwensville defeated Moniteau in last year’s playoff 12-0 to move into the title game. The defending district champions hope the road to that game travels through West Sunbury once again. The other semifinal contest will take place in Karns City against Cranberry. Both games start at 4:30.
CURWENSVILLE — 13
Abby Dugo ss 4220, Tierra Shope p 5223, Alaina Stiles c 5332, Nikki Harker 1b 5133, Marissa Kuntz pr 0000, Megan McCartney lf 5022, Kealy Wassil DP 4130, Riley Young 2b 3100, Bethany Carns 3b 4011, Kaylee Harnett pr 0100, Melanie Milliron rf 3221, Hannah Dixon Flex/cf/pr/ph 1100, TOTALS – 39 AB 13 R 18 H 11 RBI.
REBANK VALLEY — 3
Kimberly Shick ss 4011, Megan Nolf cf 4020, Kara Hicks DP 4010, Megan Bain ph 0000, Emma Kennemuth 1b 4010, Lauren Rearick lf 3000, Darian Gruver 3b 3010, Sarah Oliver pr 0000, Jess Walter c 3110, Carliegh Gruver cr 0000, Mackenzie Pence 2b/pr 1100, Macy Shumaker ph 0000, Tessa Troup rf 3112, Alyssa Burkett Flex/p 0000, TOTALS – 29 AB 3 R 8 H 3 RBI.
SCORES BY INNINGS – R H E
Curwensville 200 022 7 – 13 18 1
Redbank Valley 000 030 0 – 3 8 3
ERRORS – Carns, D. Grover, Shick, Nolf. LOB – Curwensville 8; Redbank Valley 7. 2B – Dugo, Stiles 2, Harker; D. Grover. 3B – Troup. WP – Shope. HB – Young (Burkett).
PITCHING
Curwensville – Shope 7 IP 8 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 3 K 0 HB
Rebank Valley – Burkett 7 IP 18 H 13 R 11 ER 2 BB 4 K 1 HB
WP – Shope (7-9). LP -Burkett
Lady Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/24 | @ Johnsonburg | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/26 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 3/31 | BROOKVILLE | 9 – 8 | 1 – 0 |
| 4/02 | @ Sheffield (DH) | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/04 | HARMONY | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/07 | KANE | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 4/09 | @ Elk County Catholic | 6 – 7 (8 inn) | 1 – 1 |
| 4/11 | @ West Branch | ppd. | 1 – 1 |
| 4/14 | BROCKWAY | susp. | 1 – 1 |
| 4/15 | @ Johnsonburg | ppd. | 1 – 1 |
| 4/16 | @ West Branch | 2 – 7 | 1 – 2 |
| 4/17 | @ Harmony | 11 – 1 | 2 – 2 |
| 4/21 | @ Mo Valley | 5 – 6 | 2 – 3 |
| 4/23 | JOHNSONBURG | 8 – 7 | 3 – 3 |
| 4/24 | @ Sheffield (DH) | 13 – 1 | 4 – 3 |
| 4/24 | @ Sheffield | 10 – 1 | 5 – 3 |
| 4/28 | @ DuBois Central | 1 – 9 | 5 – 4 |
| 4/29 | @ Johnsonburg | ppd. | 5 – 4 |
| 4/30 | CLARION-LIMESTONE | ppd. | 5 – 4 |
| 5/01 | GLENDALE | ppd. | 5 – 4 |
| 5/03 | REDBANK VALLEY | cancelled | 5 – 4 |
| 5/03 | GLENDALE | 4 – 1 | 6 – 4 |
| 5/05 | @ Kane | 10 – 0 | 7 – 4 |
| 5/05 | @ Kane | 11 – 1 | 8 – 4 |
| 5/06 | @ Johnsonburg | 3 – 4 | 8 – 5 |
| 5/07 | ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC | 5 – 10 | 8 – 6 |
| 5/08 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | 3 – 9 | 8 – 7 |
| 5/12 | @ Brockway | 2 – 8 | 8 – 8 |
| 5/13 | @ Brockway | 3 – 7 | 8 – 9 |
| 5/14 | @ Clarion-Limestone (DH) | 3 – 5 | 8 – 10 |
| 5/14 | @ Clarion-Limestone | 13 – 1 | 9 – 10 |
| District 9 AA Playoffs | |||
| 5/19 | @ Redbank Valley | 13 – 3 | 10 – 10 |
| 5/21 | @ Moniteau |