May 2, 2017 3 min read

MONESSEN – With a showdown against top-ranked West Greene on the horizon, the Carmichaels High School softball team downed Monessen in a pivotal Section 2-A contest Tuesday afternoon, 6-0.

The win keeps Carmichaels (9-1, 12-4) on the heels of section-leader West Greene and in line for a home game Thursday against the Pioneers that could go a long way in deciding the title.

“This was an important game and we have a nice mix of veterans who have been around and some young girls,” Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs said. “This was a big win and I think we are trending in the right direction.”

Monessen coach Bo Teets gave Carmichaels credit and said the Mikes are a legitimate threat in the upcoming WPIAL Class A playoffs. Both Carmichaels and Monessen have clinched playoff berths.

“They are a talented team that came out and beat us,” Teets said. “There is no spin on it and they deserved to win this game. They will be a tough out and have been as solid of a team as we have played this year.”

The Mikes, who defeated Monessen 7-2 in Greene County last Wednesday, opened the scoring in the third inning, getting three runs on three hits off of Monessen ace Dana Vatakis.

Winning pitcher Kylie Sinn lead off the inning with a single and scored on an RBI double by Natalie McNett three hitters later.

Gina Ranieri followed with a two-run single that scored Laura Walker and McNett.

Carmichaels added an unearned run in the fourth, and it tacked on two more runs in the fifth.

McNett doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on an RBI single by Morgan Faddis. Maddie Ewart hit an RBI triple to drive home Faddis and close the scoring.

Sinn limited the Greyhounds to only three hits. A key to the game was each time Monessen (6-4, 10-4) hit the ball hard, it was right at a Carmichaels defender who handled the play. The Mikes committed only one error.

“We had some solid swings but it was at fielders,” Teets said. “Hopefully, we can get things going.”

Briggs made note of his team playing small ball, with four sacrifice bunts. The Mikes combined those with three extra-base hits.

“We were able to put the ball in play and make them make plays,” Briggs said. “We had a nice mix of small ball and hits that were solid.”

Carmichaels, which has won five in a row, hosts Jefferson-Morgan in a section game today while Monessen is at Jefferson-Morgan Thursday. Monessen’s only losses have come against West Greene and Carmichaels.

If Carmichaels wins today, the Mikes will play for a share of first place Thursday against West Greene.

However, Briggs refuses to look that far ahead.

“I told the girls we have to take care of business (Wednesday) and make Thursday mean something,” he said. “We have to stay focused.”