Offense struggles for Belle Vernon in loss against EF
MONONGAHELA – Belle Vernon Area softball coach Tom Rodriguez knew before the season that the Leopards would have to find a way to replace four senior hitters from last year’s WPIAL Class AAA championship team.
That need was magnified Thursday afternoon as Belle Vernon lost a key Section 3-AAA game, 1-0, to Elizabeth Forward at Washington Township Park.
“When you lose four good hitters, that is tough to replace but we will not make excuses,” he said. “I am struggling which way to go next.”
Rodriguez expected the score to be close.
“I thought it would be 3-2 or 2-1,” he said. “But not 1-0 again.”
The loss put the Leopards (4-2, 7-4) two games behind Elizabeth Forward (3-0, 6-1) and Thomas Jefferson in the section standings, and Rodriguez was quick to point out that all four of BVA’s losses have been 1-0.
“All we do is hit in the cages and I’m telling you that is all we do,” he said. “We have two cages and everyone probably gets 100 swings each practice.”
Elizabeth Forward scored the lone run of the game in the second inning.
Senior Ashley Hoak led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a hit down the right-field line by senior Sarah Turek.
Sophomore Cassidy Kern laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and sophomore Kaylee Ludwick drove in Hoak with a single for the run.
Belle Vernon sophomore pitcher Bailey Parshall, a Penn State recruit, limited Elizabeth Forward to four hits while striking out six batters and walking two.
Turek outdueled Parshall, limiting BVA to a pair of singles with four strikeouts and no walks.
Despite the loss, Rodriguez said the season is still young.
“We have to keep at it because there is a lot of ball to play,” he said.