Lady Tide Split with Brockway in Playoff-Like Action

BROCKWAY – Because of the bad weather in the early spring sports season, games have been stacked tight to get them all played.  This busy schedule can take a toll or help keep a hot team rolling.  Both scenarios may have formed for the Curwensville Area High School softball team in a twin bill against Brockway on Thursday.

The Lady Tide continued hitting the ball well with 24 hits in the doubleheader.  However, they dropped the first game 4-3 and captured the night  cap 7-6 in what head coach Allen Leigey called, “Playoff caliber games.”

The visitors grabbed the early lead in the first game with a run in the second inning.  Katie Wriglesworth forced the action in the second frame with a one-out triple.  The lone senior on the Curwensville squad then trotted home two pitches later on Hannah Bressler’s single.

Brockway pushed two runners across home plate in the bottom half of the second.  The hosts managed just one hit in the frame but took advantage of a free pass and an error to take the 2-1 lead.

The lead was short-lived as Madi Peterman doubled to lead off the third.  Tiffany Carter sized up the very next pitch and drove it well over the 225 ft. mark for a home run and a 3-2 advantage.

“Tiffany crushed the ball,” Leigey said.  “Not many balls leave Brockway’s big field, but she got it all.  She really has a sweet swing right now.”

The game knotted in the bottom half of the inning as Jaline Sabatose singled with one out.  After the second out, Juli Vokes ripped a triple to put the score at 3-3.

The final run of the game came in the bottom of the fifth.  Sabatose and Savannah Brosky smacked out hits after one out.  Vokes then walked to load the bases.  Ann Moyer followed with a pop-up to the pitcher.  As Tide hurler Tierra Shope caught the fly, second-baseman Taylor Goodman collided with her trying to make the play as well.  The collision toppled Shope, and a play at the plate was too late to get Sabatose.

“We had a little bit of everything in these games,” Leigey said.  “It would have been nice to find a way to win that first game, but we left too many runners on base and missed one that could have been won.”

Carter was 3-for-4 with the homer and two RBIs in game one.  Curwensville outhit the Rovers 8-to-6, but just couldn’t mount a threat in the late goings.

In game two when it would have been easy to pack it in and go home, Curwensville went right after Brockway.

The Tide was considered the home team in the second game, and the Rovers took the opportunity to get on the board first. 

In the bottom of the second, Molly Demchak singled as the first batter.  Melanie Milliron came on to run for Demchak, and singles by Cheyenne Pentz and Sarah Wriglesworth loaded the bases.  Ground outs from Katie Wriglesworth and Bressler gave Curwensville a 2-1 lead.

Brockway chipped in runs in each of the next three innings for a 5-2 advantage.  However, the Lady Tide continued to battle.  Katie Wriglesworth opened the home half of the fifth with a hit.  Abby Johnson’s single advanced the runner and a Taylor Goodman double closed the gap to 5-3.

After allowing a sixth run in the sixth, the Curwensville team was down to its last bats to overcome a 6-3 margin.  The Tide responded as Goodman singled with one out.  Peterman followed with a hit and Carter promptly doubled home two runs.  Demchak walked to keep the inning open and set herself up as the winning score.

Pentz then singled for the fourth time in the game to drive Carter home which set up Katie Wriglesworth to slap out the game winner to left to chase Demchak home for the 7-6 walk-off win.

“Katie has turned into a huge asset for our team,” Leigey noted.  “She ended the game with her bat, but she kept us in it with some great defense at first.  Katie was digging the ball out of the dirt to help keep runners off the bases.”

Wriglesworth’s game winner was part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate in game two.  Pentz pounded out four hits for the game with Demchak adding three hits, and Goodman and Peterman contributing a pair of hits as well.

Shope scattered 18 hits on the night, walked five and struck out just two.  Shope and the Tide are now 10-5 on the season.

Curwensville will be at home on Monday against Moshannon Valley for a 4:15 start.

GAME 1

CURWENSVILLE – 3

Taylor Goodman 2b 4000, Madison Peterman lf  2110, Tiffany Carter c 4132, Molly Demchak 3b 4010, Melanie Milliron pr 0000, Cheyenne Pentz ss 4000,  Sarah Wriglesworth cf 3010, Katie Wriglesworth 1b 3110, Hannah Bressler 3011, Abby Johnson dp 3000, Tierra Shope flex/p 0000. TOTALS – 30 AB 3 R 8 H 3 RBI.

BROCKWAY – 4

Alex Wright p 4001, Zoe Hawkins lf 4000, Jalina Sabatose 2b 3220, Savannah Brosky c 3020, Juli Vokes 2011, Brittany Johnson ph 0000, Ann Moyer cf 1101, Jackie Brosky 3b 2000, S. Anderson pr 0000, Hailey Adams dp 3001, Crawford pr 0100, Sara Guilyard ss 2010, LeeAnn Crawford flex/rf 0000.  Totals 24 AB 4 R 6 H 4 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS –  R H E

Curwensville – 012 000 0 – 3 8 2

Brockway – 021 010 x – 4 6 1

ERRORS –  Bressler, Carter; Wright. LOB – Curwensville 8; Brockway 7.  HR – Carter. 3B –K. Wriglesworth, Peterman; Vokes.  2B – none.  DP – none. SB –K. Wriglesworth. SAC –Moyer. HBP – none. PB – Carter.  WP – Wright.

PITCHING 

Curwensville –Shope 6 IP 6 H 4 R 2 ER 4 BB 3 K 0 HB

Brockway – Wright 7 IP 8 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 3 K 0 HB

W  –Wright.  L. Shope

GAME 2

BROCKWAY – 6

Alex Wright p 4121, Zoe Hawkins lf 3120, Jalina Sabatose 2b 3020, Savannah Brosky c 3111, Juli Vokes 4110, Ann Moyer cf 3011, Jackie Brosky 3b 1000, Gabby Bart pr 0100, Hailey Adams dp 3001, Crawford ph 1000,  B. Carlson ph 1000, Sara Guilyard ss 4110, LeeAnn Crawford flex/rf 0000.  Totals 26 AB 6 R 10 H 3 RBI.

CURWENSVILLE – 7

Taylor Goodman 2b 4121, Madison Peterman lf  4120, Tiffany Carter c 4112, Molly Demchak 3b 3130, Melanie Milliron pr o100, Cheyenne Pentz ss 4141, Sarah Wriglesworth cf 4010, Katie Wriglesworth 1b 4122, Hanah Bressler rf 2000, Abby Johnson dp 3010, Tierra Shopeflex/p 0000. TOTALS – 32 AB 7 R 16 H 6 RBI.

SCORES BY INNINGS –  R H E

Brockway – 011 211 0 – 6 10 0

Curwensville – 020 010 4 – 7 16 2

ERRORS –  Carter 2.  LOB – Brockway 9; Curwensville 8.  HR – None. 3B –None. 2B – Moyer; Goodman, Carter.  DP – None. TP – Brockway. SB – none. SAC –S. Brosky, J. Brosky; Bressler.  HBP -Moyer, Hawkins.  PB – S. Brosky; Carter.  WP – none.

PITCHING 

Brockway – Wright 6.2 IP 16 H 7 R 7 ER 1 BB 2 K 0 HB

Curwensville – Shope 7 IP 10 H 6 R 3 ER 3 BB 3 K 2 HB

W  – Shope.  L. Wright.