CURWENSVILLE – Revenge can be sweet. For the Lady Tide, it unquestionably was Monday night as Curwensville picked up an 8-2 win over Moniteau to keep their season alive. The win avenges a loss to the Lady Warriors that ended their 2021 campaign.
Joslynne Freyer, in her normal place in the circle, struck out 12 to pick up win number 12 of the season. She kept the visitors in check all game long, while also helping the offense by collecting two of the eight hits in the playoff victory.
“She was really spot on,” said Curwensville Head Softball Coach Allen Leigey about Freyer’s performance Monday. “Her screwball was really on. Her fastball was really on. Her curveball was so good. We threw minimum changeups here and there with a slow curve because when we had hitters looking fastball, we went to the hard curve and it tied them up enough that they weren’t really getting a lot of bat on the ball and she was getting a lot of K’s.”
After a scoreless three-and-a-half innings, Curwensville broke open the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth with the first three runs of the ballgame. Back-to-back singles from Taylor Luzier and Freyer put two runners on with nobody out. Shyanne Rudy then hit into a fielder’s choice which saw Moniteau get the lead runner Luzier out at third. Still, Kaylie Shaw, the courtesy runner for Freyer, and Rudy were on first and second with only one down.
Mackenzie Wall came through for the home team with a single to left that scored Shaw to make it a 1-0 lead. The throw home allowed Rudy to move to third, with Wall moving up to second.
Teagan Harzinski had what Leigey called “the biggest hit of the game” in the next at-bat as Harzinski showed off her power with a two-run double to center to extend the lead to 3-0.
“She hit a rope into the left center-fielder gap. That was such a huge hit at the time. That hit was a really big moment for Teagan. There was a little bit of redemption there,” said Leigey.
Hanging on to a 3-0 lead after five full innings, Moniteau got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. A two-run single off the bat of Brynne Barger was the biggest of Moniteau’s seven hits in the game. The base-knock scored Addy Williams and Destiny Travis to close the gap to just one run.
It took a perfectly executed and timed pitch-out to hold the score at 3-2 as Addison Butler faked a throw down to second to a charging Shyanne Rudy who threw it back to Butler at the plate to tag out Ashley Huffman who was trying to score from third on a steal of home. The timed double steal of second and home was predicted by Leigey and company, helping to end the rally the Lady Warriors were continuing to build in the top of the sixth.
The third-out in the top of the sixth at the plate was the play of the game, and the Lady Tide left no doubt they were going to win this ballgame. The home faithful erupted with five runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead to 8-2.
Taking advantage of some walks and errors, the Lady Tide made sure that every base runner counted in this half inning. A single from Rudy, a walk by Wall, and a walk by Harzinski quickly loaded the bases for the home team. After the first out of the inning, Curwensville pushed across their fourth run of the game.
Addison Butler came through with a base-hit to center to score Rudy to make it 4-2. Another out for Curwensville followed, but it did not stop some two-out lightning from helping the Lady Tide score four more before the sixth concluded.
Rylee Wiggins reached on an error that allowed Wall to score to make it a three-run lead at 5-2 for the Lady Tide. With Luzier and the top of the order now up again, Luzier came through with a two-RBI single to center field that plated Harzinski and Addison Butler to make it a 7-2 advantage for Curwensville. Freyer supported her own cause next with a base-hit to right that scored Shaw, who pinch ran for Wiggins to make it a 6-run lead for the home squad at 8-2.
Despite a few base-runners in the top of the seventh, it was not nearly enough to stage a comeback as Freyer shut the door to help Curwensville onto the District 9 AA semifinals on Wednesday. The Lady Tide will take on top seeded Johnsonburg at a time and location to be announced. The game will be played at a neutral site.
“It’s going to be a good clash,” said Leigey about the upcoming game with the Lady Rams slated for Wednesday evening. “I think we will give Johnsonburg all they can handle.”
MONITEAU – 2
Mariska Shunk (CF) 3000, Brianna Rottmaqn (LF) 4020, Emma Covert (P) 3010, Grace Haley (P) 1000, Megan Wise (RF) 2000, Destiny Travis (RF) 1000, Grace Thurner (C) 3010, Brynne Barger (2B) 3012, Taylor Thomas (3B) 3000, Emily Staab (SS) 3010, Autumn Stewart (1B) 3000, Addy Williams (PR) 0100, Ashley Huffman (PR) 0000. TOTALS 29 2 7 2.
Batting
TB: Emily Staab, Destiny Travis, Grace Thurner, Brynne Barger, Emma Covert, Brianna Rottman 2
RBI: Brynne Barger 2
ROE: Emily Staab, Grace Thurner
FC: Emma Covert
SB: Emily Staab, Brynne Barger
CS: Ashley Huffman
Fielding
E: Taylor Thomas
CURWENSVILLE – 8
Taylor Luzier (CF) 4022, Joslynne Freyer (P) 4021, Shyanne Rudy (2B) 4210, Mackenzie Wall (3B) 2211, Teagan Harzinski (1B) 2112, Maddie Butler (RF) 2000, Addison Butler (C) 3111, Natalie Wischuck (SS) 3000, Rylee Wiggins (LF) 3000, Kaylie Shaw (PR) 0200, Ava Olsosky (DP) 0000. TOTALS 27 8 8 7.
Batting
2B: Teagan Harzinski
TB: Addison Butler, Joslynne Freyer 2, Teagan Harzinski 2, Taylor Luzier 2, Shyanne Rudy, MacKenzie Wall
RBI: Addison Butler, Joslynne Freyer, Teagan Harzinski 2, Taylor Luzier 2, MacKenzie Wall
ROE: Rylee Wiggins
FC: Shyanne Rudy
Fielding
E: Maddison Butler, Rylee Wiggins
Score by Inning
Moniteau 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Curwensville 0 0 0 3 0 5 x.
Pitching
Moniteau
Gracey Haley 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Emma Covert 2.1 3 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
Curwensville
Joslynne Freyer 7 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K.
W – Joslynne Freyer (12-9) L – Grace Haley.