Opening statements: West Greene, Monessen dominate in playoff openers
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
West Greene’s Mackenzie Carpenter slides across home plate during a playoff game against St. Joseph Monday.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
West Greene’s McKenna Lampe and her teammates are trying to become only the fifth team in WPIAL history to win four consecutive district championships.
West Greene’s Madison Renner makes a diving catch for the out in a playoff game against St. Joseph at North Strabane Intermediate field on Monday, May 21, 2018.
Observer-Reporter
West Greene’s Jade Renner helped the Pioneers win three WPIAL titles and two state championships.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Monessen’s Hannah Yorty drivers the ball into the outfield during a playoff game against Riverview at North Strabane Intermediate field Monday.
Monessen’s Dana Vatakis pitching in a playoff game against Riverview at North Strabane Intermediate field on Monday, May 21, 2018.
CANONSBURG – While watching a 30 for 30 film about Secretariat, the American thoroughbred who became a Triple Crown winner in 1973, West Greene High School softball coach Bill Simms could find correlations between the racehorse and the Pioneers.
“He knew it was a big race even as a horse,” Simms said of Secretariat waiting in barns to hear the sound of the trumpet call prior to races.
“These girls have the same quality. If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would let kids sing on the bus on the way to a game, with air drums and air guitar in the background, I would say there is no way. That’s just who they are. But they know when it’s gametime.”
And even an 11-day layoff between games had no impact on the top-seeded Pioneers.
Two of the first five batters ripped line drives halfway up the outfield fence, then Kaitlyn Rizor cleared the taller portion of the chain link in center field by several feet for a two-run homer as West Greene dominated eighth-seeded St. Joseph, 14-0, in five innings of a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal game at the North Strabane Intermediate School field Monday afternoon.
It was good day for Section 2 as Monessen blanked Riverview 8-0 on a no-hitter by Dana Vatakis in the first game of the doubleheader.
In the eight WPIAL playoff games the Pioneers dating back to 2016, they have outscored their opponents 92-6.
West Greene (17-4) will try to take another step to its third consecutive title when it faces fourth-seeded Union (16-2) in a semifinal game Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.
Each of the first five hitters for the Pioneers opened the game with a hit and eventually scored as they built a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
“I don’t know if I could have scripted the first five batters any better,” Simms said. “It made me uneasy having an 11-day layoff. But once the first three or four batters went by it felt like we were right where we needed to be.”
West Greene didn’t stop at with its lead at a handful. The Pioneers scored three runs in each of the following three innings. Sisters Madison and Jade Renner drove in a pair of runs the second inning, then a pair of infield hits and an error gave the Pioneers an 11-0 lead after four innings.
McKenna Lampe finished the scoring with a two-run home run to left centerfield to give the Pioneers a 14-0 lead in the fourth.
St. Joseph (11-5) had the leadoff hitter reach third base three times, all with fewer than two outs, and failed to score.
“It feels great to finally come out and play after being off for so long,” Lampe said. “Everybody on the team contributes but I really believe our defense wins games. We work hard and just have fun with it. You have to play loose and can’t be too serious.”
Lampe led the powerful West Greene lineup by going 3-for-3. The top five batters in the Pioneers’ lineup went 11-for-15, had 12 RBI and scored 10 runs. West Greene had 15 hits.
“Everything lies in preparation,” Simms said. “The preparation equaled with the talent that we have pays off when you work hard.”
Monessen 8, Riverview 0: After playing four games in four days to end the regular season, one would think the pitching arm of Vatakis could use a little rest.
A first-round bye, and nearly two-week rest, only had Vatakis continue what she started in her dominant senior season.
The Robert Morris recruit pitched a complete-game, no-hitter while striking out a career-high 20 batters as second-seeded Monessen stifled No. 7-seed Riverview, 8-0, in a Class A quarterfinal.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Monessen’s Dana Vatakis, right, and Hannah Yorty celebrate a win against Riverview at North Strabane Intermediate School Monday.
“A week off might have done her a little good because we played those four games (in a row),” said Monessen coach Bo Teets. “She was able to get work and stay sharp. The number of strikeouts speaks for itself.”
Monessen (14-3) advances to a semifinal with third-seeded Leechburg (13-4) Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.
The Greyhounds’ lineup slowly helped Vatakis, scoring a run in each of the second and third innings. The first on a Maddie Guzzie single up the middle and on a fielder’s choice to lead 2-0 after the third.
Monessen then scored a pair of runs in the final two innings to pull away.
Vatakis, meanwhile, struck out the first 14 Riverview batters.
“It was nice to have a little time off,” Vatakis said. “We were tired. But we were able to get our mechanics back. I wanted to get back out for a real game.”