May 23, 2016 3 min read

WEXFORD – Nothing was going to deter Chartiers-Houston’s softball team, not a 20-minute rain delay nor playing the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

This was going to be the Bucs’ day no matter where they played, how hard it rained or who the opponent was.

Chartiers-Houston took advantage of five Shenango errors, three of which came in a four-run fifth, lifting the Bucs to a 9-1 victory over the second-seeded Wildcats Monday in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs at North Allegheny High School.

The Bucs, coming in as the seventh seed, raised their record to 13-7 and put advanced to the semifinals against North Catholic, a 16-5 winner over Western Beaver Monday.

Shenango, which came into the game with a 15-3 record and as the Section 4 champion, was held to its lowest run total of the season.

“We’re very excited with this win,” said C-H head coach Tricia Alderson.”We knew Shenango is a great team with a potent offense. Kaitlyn (Dittrich) pitched a good game and we played really good defense.”

Chartiers-Houston dealt with the last-minute change of venues that affected other teams, but the game was stopped in the third inning by a 20-minute rain that soaked the field and fans.

Shenango was the team to apparently lose its confidence, giving up four runs in the fifth and committing three errors. Shortstop Elizabeth Quahliero had a particularly tough afternoon, committing four of the errors. Wildcats starter Macy Rubin allowed eight runs, seven of which were unearned.

“I know they are a strong defensive team,” said Alderson. “I’m glad we hit the ball hard and scored some runs.”

Shenango head coach Amy Delaney was just as surprised as Alderson but for different reasons.

“It was very uncharacteristic for us,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that for such an important game, we didn’t show up defensively. Having zero runs going into the seventh inning puts you at a disadvantage. This was our lowest production we had all season.”

Jaylese Lombardi, Chartiers-Houston’s leadoff hitter, sparked the offense by getting on base four times, scoring twice and knocking in a run. Third baseman Macie Kesneck went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. The top five hitters in the C-H batting order scored six runs, had six hits and three RBI. Dittrich went seven innings, allowed one unearned run and struck out three.

“This one of the best wins ever,” said Alderson. “We were a second-place team. I think everyone counted us out this year. We lost seven seniors from last year. I’m really proud of this team.”