Home runs power Jefferson-Morgan past Frazier
Jefferson-Morgan’s Camryn Dugan points upward while rounding the bases after a homerun during the game against Frazier.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Morgan Gamble arrives at home plate after hitting a home run. Gamble had two home runs during the game against Frazier.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Morgan Simkovic catches the ball to get Frazier’s Monica Joseph out at second during the game on Wednesday, May 20.
CALIFORNIA – Now that’s a power surge.
Jefferson-Morgan High School’s softball team entered Wednesday afternoon’s playoff game with four home runs on the season.
In an awesome display, the Rockets more than doubled that total, launching five home runs in an 8-1 victory over Frazier in a WPIAL Class A semifinal game at California University’s Lilley Field.
The win put the Rockets in the Class A finals against either Chartiers-Houston or Bishop Canevin. The Bucs and Crusaders play at 2 p.m. today in the other semifinal game at Lilley Field. It is the first time the Jefferson-Morgan softball team has advanced to the WPIAL finals.
The win also assures the Rockets (14-2), winners of 10 straight, a spot in the PIAA Championships.
“I coached a long time and I was the head wrestling coach in the ’80s, and coached softball in the ’80s, and I’ve only been in the finals one time and that was with the wrestling team,” said J-M head coach Tony Barbetta. “This is good, really good. I’ve been really nervous and worried about practice and getting the kids ready. It’s a new thing for us to play after Memorial Day.”
The Rockets got that chance, thanks to the barrage of home runs, including two by No. 9 hitter Morgan Gamble. She hit a two-run blast over the left-field fence to make it 4-0 in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth inning to make it 7-1.
“I’ve hit one but never hit two,” said Gamble, who has three home runs this season. “It was an awesome feeling because we knew we were doing this for Dugan.”
Gamble was referring to Jefferson-Morgan assistant coach Chris Dugan, who died of cancer last Friday. Fans donned T-shirts with the words “Team Dugan” on them. The Rockets have dedicated this season to him.
Dugan’s daughter, Camryn, had another strong game, hitting a solo home run to lead off the third inning to give the Rockets a 5-0 lead. The second baseman also singled and scored in the first and was hit by a pitch in the fourth.
“I had something in me that made me feel like this was going to be my shot,” said Dugan. “I felt my dad’s presence with that at-bat. As soon as I hit the ball, I knew it was going to go over.”
Shortstop Morgan Simkovic started the home run derby when she sent a fastball from Frazier starter Paige Hotz over the fence in center field to give the Rockets a 2-0 lead just three batters into the game.
“We had 11 (home runs) two years ago, 13 last year and this year, I think because we didn’t see the pitching … it was hard to get the bats in the groove,” Barbetta said.
Left-fielder Madison Dupont hit a solo home run in the third, two batters after Dugan hit hers.
That was all starting pitcher Maddie Ludrosky needed. The right-hander struck out 15 batters, including six out of eight over the first three innings.
“I’ve always said (Maddie) doesn’t know how good she can be,” Barbetta said. “She is awesome. I haven’t seen a Class A pitcher as good as her. Lately, she’s been really great. She has the team together. We weren’t all getting along early in the year. We were sitting in the dugout and she said, ‘Look how far we’ve come.’ We’ve have come together.”
Interestingly, Barbetta and assistant coach Rich Rush were discussing whether this might be the day the Rockets show their home run power.
“Rich and I talked on the way here,” Barbetta said. “We were saying, ‘What if everyone who is capable of hitting a home run would hit one today?’ It was the kind of pitching that we thought we could. We drilled them and drilled them and drilled them. We said we are not swinging at any low pitches and I don’t think we did. We pretty much stayed off of them. Even the outs were hard.”
Frazier (14-2) plays the loser of the game between Chartiers-Houston and Bishop Canevin for the third, and final, berth to the state playoffs out of the WPIAL.
Frazier head coach Paul Harvey said he will be pulling for the Rockets.
“Today was their day and hopefully next Thursday will be their day,” he said. “They have been through a lot and I’m pulling for them. If a team was going to beat us, I wanted it to be that team.”