May 8, 2018 9 min read

High school softball

Senior Karlie Clark pitched a five-hit shutout as Section 2-AAAA champion Yough defeated Belle Vernon, 2-0, Tuesday afternoon.

Yough (12-0, 15-3) finished the section schedule undefeated by combining Clark’s shutout with run-scoring hits from the bottom of the Cougars’ lineup. Yough scratched out single runs in the second and sixth innings against Belle Vernon pitcher Bailey Parshall, who also threw a five-hitter.

Parshall struck out eight and did not issue a walk. Clark struck out two and walked four. Clark walked Parshall, the Leopards’ leadoff hitter, four times.

Yough took a 1-0 lead in the second on a RBI bunt single by Hannah Bach. Kayley Westerman made with 2-0 with a two-out run-scoring double in the sixth.

Mekenzie Sokol had two of Belle Vernon’s five hits. The Leopards finished 9-3 in section and are 16-3 overall.

• Monessen’s Dana Vatakis had quite the afternoon in the Greyhounds’ 25-0 victory over California that clinched a share of the Section 2-A title for the Greyhounds.

Vatakis, the Greyhounds’ senior pitcher, threw a three-inning perfect game, striking out seven of the nine batters she faced. At the plate, Vatakis’ day was equally impressive as she went 5-for-5 with four extra-base hits, four runs and five RBI as Monessen improved to 11-1 in section and 12-2 overall. The Greyhounds shared the section title with West Greene.

Monessen scored 13 runs in the first inning and 11 more in the second against California (1-11, 2-12).

Mattie Telegraphis went 4-for-4 with a double and five RBI, Destiny Habeck was 4-for-5 with a triple and two doubles and Hannah Yorty hit a home run for Monessen, which had 29 hits.

• Ella Brookman homered, Kasey Scears had three hits and Kaci Alderson drove in four runs as playoff-bound Chartiers-Houston rolled over Freedom 14-1 in five innings, in a nonsection game.

Chartiers-Houston (14-2) led 7-0 after two innings and scored seven more times in the fourth. Freedom (7-6), which has qualified for the playoffs in Class AAA, was held to five hits by Kaitlyn Dittrich and Brookman.

Scears was 3-for-3 with a double and three runs, and Jaylese Lombardi scored three times for the Bucs.

• Charleroi was awarded a forfeit victory over Beth-Center in a nonsection game after the teams played to a 6-6 standoff through nine innings.

According to Charleroi coach Trey Tilghman, Beth-Center coach Don Crile was upset with a call for the third out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Bulldogs refused to continue the game. Charleroi was then awarded a forfeit victory.

Sam Mavilla had a double for Charleroi. Mavilla, Emily Bauer, Phoebe Wentzell and Lexi Perry each had two hits for the Cougars (2-10). Mackenzie Crile had a double and Paige Moore contributed two singles for the Bulldogs (3-11).

• Winning pitcher Mara Iagnemma doubled and drove in two runs to help South Fayette down Keystone Oaks, 8-2, in a Section 2 game in Class 5A.

The Lions (3-9, 6-12) got a double, two singles, an RBI and 2 runs from Lauren Bennett. Delaney Ging went 2-for-4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Iagnemma struck out eight and walked one.

Abby Clasper tripled and drove in 2 runs for KO (4-8, 7-9).

• Jade Renner tossed a three-hitter and struck out 11 during West Greene’s 9-0 victory over Jefferson-Morgan in a Section 2-A game.

The Pioneers finished as co-champions with Monessen in the section. J-M fell to 3-8 in the section and 4-8 overall.

Jade Renner and McKenna Lampe each had a double for the Pioneers (11-1, 15-4). Madison Renner and Lexie Mooney each hit solo home runs for West Greene.

• Emma Holaren smacked three of Carmichaels’ five doubles and the Mikes used a pair of five-run innings to defeat Mapletown 12-2 in five innings in Section 2-A.

Winning pitcher Kylie Sinn twirled a four-hitter and Carmichaels (8-4, 12-6) overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring five times in the second and five more in the fifth to end the game.

Sinn helped her own cause with a double and Shelbee McCann also had a double for the Mikes.

Sara Chory hit a triple and Kailey Stover doubled for Mapletown (5-7, 7-7).

• Trinity concluded its Class 5A Section 2 schedule with a 12-1 victory over host Ringgold.

Bailey Bell hit a home run, Payton Barr, Cam Meier and Emma Morgan each doubled and Bayleigh McCullough had two singles in support of winning pitcher Regan perry, who fired a five-hitter.

Trinity improved to 8-4 in section and 12-7 overall. Ringgold is 3-9, 4-9.

High school baseball

Shane Smith scored from second base on an error in the top of the seventh inning and Blake McElhaney pitched out of a full-blown jam in the bottom of the inning as Fort Cherry edged Frazier 10-9 in a wild Section 1-AA game Tuesday.

The win by Fort Cherry (9-4, 9-4) eliminated Beth-Center (7-6, 8-7) from playoff contention.

Fort Cherry led 7-0 in the second inning but Frazier (3-10, 4-11) battled back and took a 9-8 lead in the fourth inning. The Rangers tied the score at 9-9 in the sixth when Lane Miller scored on a double by Cam Schaub double.

Schaub had a big game for the Rangers, going 2-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBI. Miller also drove in three runs.

The Rangers took advantage of Frazier’s third error of the game to take the 10-9 lead in the seventh, then saw Frazier use a single and two walks to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Winning pitcher Blake McElhaney got Tommy Sedok, Frazier’s cleanup hitter, on a grounder back to the mound to end the game.

• Bentworth’s offense erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning and the Bearcats cruised to a 14-1 victory over West Greene in a five-inning nonsection game.

Michael Vittone went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI to lead the offense for Bentworth (2-14). Shawn Dziak and Austyn Pistilli each had two hits and scored two runs to back winning pitcher Isiah Russell, who threw a five-hitter with four strikeouts.

Caleb Rice had a double for West Greene (7-10).

• Washington scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to take a seven-run lead, then had to fight off a McGuffey comeback before settling for a wild 11-10 victory in a nonsection game.

Cooper Sharp, Mike Allen and Nick Pawuk each hit a double for Washington (4-12), which took advantage of nine errors by McGuffey (3-16).

Washington used its four-run seventh to take an 11-4 lead. McGuffey then pulled to within 11-10 by scoring six times, the last run scoring on a double by Luke Wagner. After a walk, reliever John Griffin got out the jam by inducing a game-ending groundout to third base.

Bryaden Kay had a double and four RBI for McGuffey. Tyler Smith and Adam Townsend also doubled for the Highlanders.

• Seton-La Salle scored two runs in the top of the seventh to come away with a 5-3 victory over Chartiers-Houston in a non-section game.

Trevor O’Donnell went 2-for-4 and drove in 2 runs for the Rebels (10-9). Jacob Verner, Gunner Conner and Nick Roell each drove in a run.

Andrew Clark went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored for the Bucs (11-8), who tied the game, 3-3, with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Noah Minney doubled and Jimmy Sadler had a single and RBI.

Cal has 4 on

All-PSAC West team

Senior second baseman Garrett Brooks, junior first baseman Eric Fairman and senior outfielder Chris Wastchak, a Peters Township graduate, each received first team honors on the All-PSAC West Division baseball team, and sophomore Corey Fogle was named to the second team as a relief pitcher.

Brooks finished the spring with a career-high .388 batting average despite missing nearly a full month of the season because of an injury. Brooks tallied 15 RBI, 27 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, while also setting career highs with a .464 on-base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage.

In his first year playing first base, Fairman had a breakout junior campaign by leading the PSAC with 24 stolen bases and ranked sixth in the league with both a .393 batting average and 45 runs. Fairman also posted a .491 on-base percentage to rank seventh in the conference and led the team with a .652 slugging percentage.

Wastchak was named All-PSAC West for the third time. He led Cal and tied for fourth in the league with a career-high 47 RBI. Wastchak also had 14 doubles and 96 total bases while finishing with a .331 batting average and a career-high eight home runs.

Fogle had one save and a 2.08 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He limited opponents to a .227 batting average. Fogle made seven pitching appearances without allowing a run.

Wild Things release 3

The Wild Things continued to inch closer to the Frontier League’s 24-man roster limit ahead of the season opener Friday at Evansville.

Washington released three more players Tuesday: first baseman Brandon Dulin, outfielder Zach Racusin and catcher Babe Thomas. Dulin hit 18 home runs last year while playing for the Chicago White Sox’s two full-season Class A teams. Racusin played in 17 games for Somerset of the independent Atlantic League last summer and Thomas is a rookie out of Winthrop University.

Washington is one player over the roster limit and must get down to 24 players by Wednesday night.

Vintage baseball

at California

A Vintage Baseball event will be held at California University of Pennsylvania Saturday, May 19 at Roadman Park.

Teams from Somerset, Gettysburg and the state of Indiana will be play based on 1860s rules with no gloves and many different rules than the game represents today.

Participating teams include the Addison Mountain Stars, Gettysburg Generals, Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder, and the Black Flags BBC of Drovertown, Ind.

Games begin at 10 a.m.