Jun 6, 2022 4 min read

JOHNSTOWN – Nothing cures a previous loss like a blowout victory in your next game.

That’s just what West Greene’s softball team seemed to have Monday after the Pioneers scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning against Conemaugh Valley in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs.

Unfortunately, West Greene was the visiting team and, like it or not, had to play the bottom of the seventh inning.

Conemaugh Valley scored four times in the bottom of the inning to come within a run of tying the game. That run was 120 feet away at second base and, worse, the game-winning run was standing at the plate with two outs.

Kylie Meek enduced her counterpart, Hailie Stiffler, to send a lazy pop fly to shortstop Katie Lampe, who secured it in the leather of her glove and West Greene prevailed, 9-8.

The win advances the Pioneers (15-4) to the quarterfinals Thursday against Dubois Central Catholic, which disposed of Greensburg Central Catholic, 4-2. Most felt the game would be held at Slippery Rock University based on past meetings and no time was set.

Conemaugh Valley, which has made six trips to the state tournament, finished the season with an 18-4 record. With only two seniors on the team, the Blue Jays feel good about next season.

West Greene was coming off a 3-2 disheartening loss to Union in the WPIAL finals last week at Lilley Field on the campus of California University.

“What do they say? Losing builds character. Well, I have enough character,” said West Greene head coach Bill Simms. “Actually, I came in very upbeat. We had two very, very good practices as to where I thought we would be down what with the Negative Nellies from losing the WPIAL championship were saying.

“But we were hitting inside, playing Cornhole. Boy, you would have thought it was the 4th of July celebration.”

Still, the game didn’t start well as Conemaugh Valley freshman catcher Katie Ledwich hit a screamer over the right centerfield fence for a two-run home run and 2-0 lead for the Blue Jays.

It stayed that way until the third, when second baseman Taylor Karvan smacked a double to right center and scored on a single by Lampe. Catcher London Whipkey singled in Lampe and scored herself on a groundout by Meek for a 3-2 lead.

“Karvan was huge, 2-for-2 in her first two at-bats,” said Simms. “Once we get her on, she is a terror for us. Lately, she had trouble getting on base but today she was player of the game kind of deal.”

Whipkey would homer in the fifth inning, one of her four hits, to push the West Greene lead out to 5-3.

“I was surprised it went over the fence,” said Whipkey, the human vacuum cleaner as far as stopping softballs in the dirt at the plate. “I didn’t know it went over until I rounded first base.”

West Greene scored four times in the top of the seventh to take a 9-4 lead. The key hit was a harmless pop fly by BreAnn Jackson that fell in behind first baseman Julia Hudec, in front of right fielder Julia Stiffler and about one foot in fair territory.

That hit brought in two runs and third baseman Lexi Six’s single eventually scored a pinch-runner for Jackson to make it 9-4.

But the Blue Jays had no intention of becoming fish food, scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning. The key hits were back-to-back doubles by Hudec and Julia Stiffler.

“We put runs on the board,” said CT head coach Paula McCleester. “I had no doubt we could score. They just had to believe it themselves. Then we started chipping away and I’m so proud of them. There were some games where we didn’t hit. This was a game they had to hit. We just ran out of gas at the end.”

Notes

Meek struck out five batters, bringing her season total to 105 and career total to 257. … Karvan and Lampe pulled off a pretty 4-6-3 double play in the second inning. In the seventh, they seemed to do it again, except the umpire ruled Lampe came off the bag before fielding Karvan’s throw.