May 4, 2016 2 min read

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Another undefeated softball team fell in Class AA yesterday when McGuffey fell to Bentworth, 6-4, in a Section 2-AA game.

The Highlanders (10-1, 12-1) had 12 hits and Rachel Kleinhans delivered two of those in clutch situations, but they stranded 10 on base in the final four innings. Much of the struggles had to do with Bentworth’s defense, which was outstanding outside of a misplayed ground ball in the sixth inning.

This loss wasn’t a total surprise. Sure, the Bearcats (8-3, 11-4) fell to McGuffey, 10-2, last month, but they’re definitely the second-best team in that section. After Tuesday’s win, you could argue that they should be in the conversation for a top-six seed in the WPIAL playoffs if they win their final three section games.

“To be quite honest, we put ourselves in a position where we could afford to have a game like this,” McGuffey head coach Jason Kern said following the loss to Bentworth. “I’d rather us play our worst game of the season today than in the playoffs like we did last year against Burrell.”

The biggest question I had leaving McGuffey Community Park was is McGuffey a real playoff contender? I thought it was last season, but the Highlanders lost to Burrell, 13-3, in the first round of the Class AA playoffs. This is a different team though. Senior pitcher Moriah McGuier is having a season that many would be envious of (88 strikeouts in 83 innings) and she has a team-high 23 RBI.

This batting order is extremely tough to pitch to (ask everyone in Section 2-AA) and it starts at the top with freshman shortstop Brin Hunter, who was batting .444 with five home runs entering Tuesday.

Winning out would assure the Highlanders of a top-five seed, but it will be intersting to see how the WPIAL goes with Class AA.

You could argue that Deer Lakes and Burrell should both be seeded ahead of McGuffey and Ellwood City is still unbeaten. There’s also South Park, which won Section 4-AA and has two losses to Quad-A teams.

Barring any unforseen circumstances or a strange seeding, McGuffey is ready to make a playoff run. It has the pitching and the offense to get it done, but the defense has to be better than it was Tuesday.