Carpenter’s four-RBI day paces West Greene to PIAA first-round win
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
West Greene’s Mackenzie Carpenter gets a hit against Glendale during a first-round PIAA Class A playoff game at Peterswood Park Monday afternoon.
West Greene’s Linzee Stover gets a hit against Glendale
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
West Greene and pitcher Jade Renner face McConnellsburg in a PIAA Class A playoff game today at Somerset High School.
West Greene’s Kylie Simms gets the out at home against Glendale’s Cassidy Hamitton during Monday’s playoff game.
Holly Tonini/ Observer-Reporter
West Greene’s Madison Renner is safe at third against Glendale’s Kennedy LeMaster
McMURRAY – After every West Greene win, head coach Bill Simms praises the bottom of his batting order.
Most of the attention by others goes to the top five hitters in the Pioneers’ lineup, and rightfully so, as the Lampe twins, the Renner sisters and Kaitlyn Rizor each have batting averages north of .450.
While the top of the West Greene order was as advertised in its first round PIAA Class A playoff game Monday, it was a hitter at the bottom of the order who led the defending state champions.
Mackenzie Carpenter, the Pioneers’ No. 8 hitter, went 2-for-3 with four RBI, a run and a walk in West Greene’s 12-2 mercy-rule win over Glendale in six innings.
“For years, I’ve said she’s the best eight hitter in the state,” Simms said of the junior right fielder. “A lot of times, she’ll get a time to get a hit to knock one in or to get (on base). It gets lost in the shuffle, but she’s done a tremendous job for us in all three years she’s been here.”
Madison Renner, who went 3-for-4 as the No. 3 hitter, said it’s important for the bottom of the order to get on base for the top of the lineup.
“It’s really nice to be on a team that can hit one through nine,” said Madison Renner, who went 3-for-4 in the No. 3 hole. “It’s a big plus for us, because when you get the top of the order up, I know Carpenter is going to roll over for us.”
Coming off the thrill of a walkoff win over Monessen in the WPIAL title game last Thursday, the Pioneers (20-4) were sluggish to start the game against the District 6 runner-up from Flinton, near Altoona. The Vikings (15-7) drew first blood at Peterswood Park, starting the game with three singles – two of which nicked off infielders’ gloves – and a sacrifice bunt to take a 1-0 lead.
Madison Renner tied the game in the bottom frame with a double to score Madison Lampe. Both teams had outs on the bases in the first inning that cost them the potential of adding a couple more runs.
“It’s tough every year,” Simms said of going from the WPIAL title game to the first round of the state tournament. “You go from being euphoric to being back to square one.”
West Greene extended its lead to 3-1 in the second inning when Carpenter grounded out to score Rizor, who led off the second with a double, and McKenna Lampe singled home Lexie Mooney.
Madison Renner then scored on an error in the third after she and her sister, Jade, started the inning with singles. Carpenter then singled home two runs to give the Pioneers a 6-1 lead.
“(My mindset) is that I just think I have to go up there to roll the order over, so we can get done what we need to get done,” Carpenter said.
The Pioneers then knocked starting pitcher Lexi Mulhollen out of the game in the fourth inning, as Madison and Jade Renner hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the inning, and Carpenter tallied her fourth RBI with a bases loaded walk.
“We knew we were going to hit so when we had that one run scored on us it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Madison Renner said. “That first inning didn’t go our way, and we realized that we needed to hit and keep it simple and play ball like we know how to.”
While the West Greene offense was pushing runs across the plate, Jade Renner was shutting down the Vikings in the circle. After three of the first four batters reached base, the sophomore southpaw retired 13 of the next 15 batters. Jade Renner allowed two runs and seven hits in her six-inning complete game. She struck out four and walked none.
After Glendale scored a run in the sixth, West Greene plated three runs in the bottom half to win by mercy rule. Jade Renner, who went 4-for-4 with a walk, hit an RBI single to end the game.
“That’s win No. 20 for us,” Simms said. “That’s four straight seasons with 20 wins, and we’re pretty proud of that.”
The Pioneers will play District 5 runner-up McConnellsburg, which beat Coudersport in the first round, in the quarterfinals Thursday. The site and time are to be determined.