Early riser: Monessen knocks off defending champion
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MONESSEN – It’s early, but Monessen made a statement in softball action Monday, when it downed defending WPIAL Class AA champion Frazier, 4-3.
“It is good to be out here (on the field for a game) for the first time and to be 1-0, especially after facing defending WPIAL champs,” said Monessen coach Bo Teets. “They are a quality team and they have everybody back.
“I thought it could have gone either way and it is a good win to start the season against a team that I expect to be there again at the end of the season.”
The Greyhounds, who were the WPIAL Class A runner-up last year, got on the board in the second inning on an RBI single by Destiny Habeck.
Carlee Evans scored on the play after entering the game as a courtesy runner for catcher Carly Rock.
Monessen’s 1-0 lead held into the fourth inning, when Rock and Cara Wheeler opened the inning with walks and Gabby Simpson singled in Evans.
Habeck drove in Wheeler on a groundout and Dana Vatakis singled in Simpson to give Monessen a 4-0 lead.
Vatakis, a Robert Morris commit, used five different pitches to keep Frazier off balance and it wasn’t until the seventh inning that Frazier scored.
Lauren Mastowski and Kara Mastowski each singled to lead off the seventh, and both runners advanced on a passed ball.
Two outs later, Kat Barch singled them in to make the score 4-2.
Barch advanced to second on the throw home and was awarded third on an obstruction call.
She scored when Hartman grounded to third and reached base on a throwing error to make the score 4-3.
Logan Hartman tried to steal second but was thrown out by Rock to end the game, and Hartman was the second Frazier runner Rock threw out trying to steal second base.
Vatakis finished with three singles to go with her dominant performance in the pitching circle. Vatakis struck out 9 and did not walk a batter.
“I was so excited (to play) and it went well,” she said. “It is the first time we have beaten Frazier with Coach Teets as the coach.
“Hopefully, this helps us continue to build up our confidence and this was a nice win.”