May 18, 2016 4 min read

WEXFORD – Sometimes it’s not the number of errors you have in a game that matter, it’s when they happen that have the biggest effect on a game.

That was certainly the case for the Trinity softball team Wednesday night against West Allegheny.

The stat line shows that the Hillers and Indians both committed three errors each in their WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game at North Allegheny High School.

But while the third-seeded Indians spread theirs out, it was a barrage of mistakes in the bottom of the sixth inning by the pesky Hillers that led to five unearned runs for West Allegheny in a 9-5 victory.

West Allegheny (17-1), which advances to face Beaver in the quarterfinals at a site, date and time to be determined, put the ball in play consistently against Trinity starter Addison Barr.

But the Hillers, who finish at 8-9, were up to the task in the first five innings, making several run-saving plays. Those included a fine running catch in left field by Cameron Meier to end the second inning with two runners on base, a sliding catch along the fence to end the third by Mary Fritz with two runners on and a fine backhanded play in the hole by shortstop Kim Dunst to open the fifth.

The fine defense had the Indians on the ropes heading into the bottom of the sixth after the Hillers had broken a 4-4 tie in the top of the inning on an RBI double off the fence by Helena Wolenski.

But Char-Leigh Bates opened the bottom of the inning with a single and then the Hillers, who had not committed an error to that point, had miscues on three consecutive batted balls, throwing wide of first on back-to-back plays and then dropping a popup.

By the time Taylor Cummings drove in three runs on a triple to the fence in center, the 5-4 lead had turned into a 9-5 deficit.

“I told our girls going into the sixth that it was about time we have an inning,” said West Allegheny coach Mindy McFate. “If I’d have known that’s what it took, I would have told them that in the first inning.”

Trinity coach Shawn Gray tried to stem the tide with a timeout and caught the final out of the inning when West Allegheny’s Taylor Goldstrohm ran into the dugout as her popup in foul territory was dropped – Gray appealed the play – but by that time the damage had been done.

“We had one bad inning with some costly errors that gave them the opportunities they got,” said Gray. “To their credit, they took advantage of them with timely hits, which is what every coach wants.

“But I’m proud of our girls. They battled. We just made some key mistakes.”

Egers then sat the Hillers down in order in the top of the seventh to finish off the win.

Prior to that, however, it had been a back-and-forth contest.

Trinity scored a run in the first on an RBI single by Santana King, but West Allegheny put three runs on the board in the bottom of the inning, two coming on a two-run homer by Mackenzie Partyka.

The Hillers jumped back ahead, 4-3 in the top of the third, scoring three runs when Payton Barr reached on a two-out error and Paige Galentine drove her and Delaney Elling with a two-run single. Dunst then scored Galentine with a two-out single.

But the lead was short-lived as Egers doubled to open the Indians’ half of the third and was driven in by a single by Ashley Seamon.

“It was a back-and-forth game,” said McFate. “Both teams came out hitting the ball.”

The Hillers just blinked at the end.

For a team that hadn’t expected to be in this situation a week ago – Trinity made the playoffs when Belle Vernon was forced to forfeit three wins because of a clerical error – Gray was playing with house money.

After reaching the WPIAL and PIAA championship games in 2015, the Hillers had something of a rebuilding year. Gray will need to replace eight seniors from his current roster, including Penn State recruit Delaney Elling, but the experience of another playoff game could pay dividends down the road.

“We have a good crew coming back next year,” Gray said. “We’ve injected a lot of the younger crew this season and into this game. We’re excited about what we have coming up. It’s going to make us be competitive.”