Jun 4, 2015 4 min read

FOX CHAPEL – The number of people who dislike the international tiebreaker rule in scholastic softball rose by a few hundred Thursday, most from the Jefferson area.

The rule, which starts the 10th inning – and each one after – of a tied game with a runner on second base, ruined a pitching battle between Maddie Ludrosky, the fireballer from Jefferson-Morgan, and Katy Dunn, a crafty senior from Cochranton.

Mackenzie Freyermuth, one of seven freshmen on Cochranton, but the only one who starts, laced a single to left field from her No. 9 spot that scored Julie McBryar for a 1-0 victory over Jefferson-Morgan in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class A playoffs at Fox Chapel.

The loss finished a remarkable and emotional season for the Rockets (16-4), who won their first WPIAL championship and first state playoff game. All this was accomplished following the death of assistant coach Chris Dugan to cancer three weeks ago.

Cochranton will play Elk County Catholic, a winner over West Branch yesterday, in the state semifinals Monday.

“It was the greatest season ever at Jefferson,” said J-M head coach Tony Barbetta. “I thought we had as good a chance as anyone to win the state title this year. I haven’t seen anyone throw as good as Maddie yet.”

Jefferson-Morgan has gone to the international tiebreaker twice and is 1-1. The Rockets beat Bentworth in a regular season game a few years ago.

“I’ve never liked it, win or lose,” said Barbetta. “I think you have to earn it. Usually, when you put a runner on second, you expect her to score. If I had a real fast baserunner, I would have thought squeeze.”

Cochranton has won twice in this postseason using the international tiebreaker. The Cardinals (18-2) defeated Iroquois in the District 10 finals, 6-5, last week. McBryar, because she made the last out in the previous inning, was placed on second to open the 10th for Cochranton. She was sacrificed to third and came home on Freyermuth’s single.

“We’ve been in it a couple times but not a lot,” said Cochranton head coach Mark McGuire. “We’ve won every one of them. I told my assistant coach after we walked out of the huddle following the game that I was feeling all day that if we could put ourselves in that position in the 10th, we’d find a way. I kept thinking one run was going to win this game.”

McGuire was right.

In the top of the 10th, Madison Dupont was positioned on second and was sacrificed to third by Jessica Taylor. But Brooke Diamond popped up to short and Autumn Tedrow fouled out to third to end the game.

Dunn kept the Rockets off the board by depending on the Cardinals’ defense. She walked one and struck out two. The closest the Rockets came to scoring was when Morgan Gamble sent a drive that landed at the base of the fence in left field for a two-out double. Reagan Rush lined out to left to end the inning.

“We just needed a clutch hit,” said Barbetta. “We didn’t get a hit out of our top three batters. Reagan’s knee was hurting her.”

The top six hitters in Jefferson-Morgan’s batting order went a combined 0-for-26. Two got on base on throwing errors by Cochranton shortstop Mackenzie Hawley. Dunn retired the last 10 in row.

“She moved the ball in and out, and changed speeds all the time, not just when it was (an obvious situation),” said Barbetta. “She was sort of like Chartiers-Houston’s pitcher (Kaitlyn Dittrich), going side to side and squeezing a fastball on the inside.”

Meanwhile, Ludrosky was giving another outstanding performance, striking out 14 and walking only one. Her strikeout of McBryar to begin the seventh inning was the 500th of her career and ninth of the game.

“She never went 10 before,” Barbetta said. “She would have gone at least 11. As long as their girl was out there, Maddie would be out there.”

Before the 10th, the Rockets got only one runner into scoring position on Dunn. Diamond had a one-out single and was run for by Nikki Venick. Tedrow sacrificed Venick to second but Gamble popped out to shortstop to end the inning.

“It’s hard to hold the tears back (after a loss),” Barbetta said. “It was a tough season. We had so many things we had to overcome. We’re still one of the top eight in the state. That isn’t bad.”