Apr 17, 2017 3 min read

BELLE VERNON – South Fayette starting pitcher Claire Previte kept Belle Vernon’s hitters off balance for most of Monday’s Section 2-AAAA softball contest, but Leopards ace Bailey Parshall was even better.

In the third inning of a scoreless tie, Previte made her only mistake, a fastball that Belle Vernon sophomore Mekenzie Sokol hit for a two-out bases-loaded double that provide the Leopards with the only runs they would need in a 3-0 win.

On Sokol’s key hit, South Fayette center fielder Lexi Yates made a diving attempt while going to her right, but the ball grazed the top of her glove, which allowed Lexi Church, Lindsay Steeber and Kourtney Gavatorta to score the only runs of the game.

While Previte limited Belle Vernon to seven hits, including six singles, Parshall, a Penn State recruit struck out 12 batters and held South Fayette to a pair of singles. Parshall has 115 strikeouts on the season.

“We left the bases loaded in the first and I really feel that we should have had more runs,” Belle Vernon coach Tom Rodriguez admitted. “We hit the ball, but Yates made two nice plays in center and their shortstop (Sara Jubas) is a dynamo. She is a stud, but we have to just hit a little bit better.”

Belle Vernon bounced back from its lone loss of the season, at Yough Thursday, to improve to 5-1 in the section and 9-1 overall. The Cougars are a half-game behind Yough in the section. South Fayette (2-4, 5-5) has lost three of its last four.

South Fayette coach Olet Stasko said the Lions are improving and also credited Parshall.

“I think we played better than we have but we are struggling hitting right now,” she said. “(Parshall) is a very good pitcher and can hit her spots like no other.”

Belle Vernon had a chance to do some damage in the first inning, when it loaded the bases, but Previte got Sokol to fly out to right field.

The next time Sokol, playing on her 16th birthday, stepped to the plate, she got even.

The three-run double off of Sokol’s bat ended a 12-inning scoreless drought for Belle Vernon. That was enough offensive support for Parshall.

“We have to work on hitting,” Stasko said. “We were hitting just fine but now we are struggling and it will be something we work on.”

Jubas, who is headed to James Madison on a softball scholarship, and Ava Massetti each had a single for South Fayette.