Lady Mikes lose heart-breaker at Monessen, 2-1 in 9 innings
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Monessen pitcher Dana Vatakis delivers a pitch against Carmichaels at second baseman Destiny Habeck stands ready during Tuesday鈥檚 Section 2-A game at Monessen High School. Vatakis struck out 15 and allowed one unearned run and Habeck had two hits as the Lady Greyhounds won 2-1 in nine innings.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Kylie Sinn hurls a pitch towards a Monessen batter during their Section 2-A game at Monessen High School on May 1. Sinn was named to the All-Greene County Messenger Softball Diamond Cutters team. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Monessen's Dana Vatakis delivers a pitch to Carmichaels' Megan Walker with Carly Rock behind the plate during Tuesday's Section 2-A game at Monessen High School. Lady Greyhounds in the background are (from left) second baseman Destiny Habeck, right fielder Mattie Telegraphis and first baseman Hannah Yorty. Monessen defeated the Lady Mikes, 2-1, in nine innings.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Monessen鈥檚 Destiny Habeck connects with a pitch against Carmichaels during Tuesday鈥檚 Section 2-A softball game at Monessen High School. Lady Mikes third baseman Maddie Ewart looks on in the background. Habeck had two hits in the Lady Greyhounds鈥� 2-1, nine-inning victory.
Carmichaels thrid baseman Maddie Ewart fires a throw to first baseman Gina Ranieri for the out as Monessen's Mattie Telegraphis (3) runs down the line during Tuesday's Section 2-A game at Monessen High School. Lady Mikes shortstop Emma Holaren rotates over to cover third in front of pitcher Kylie Sinn as the Lady Greyhounds' Destiny Habeck reaches third base. Monessen won, 2-1, in nine innings.
Carmichaels first baseman Gina Ranieri snags the throw for the out just before Monessen鈥檚 Mattie Telegraphis (3) can hit the bag during their Section 2-A game at Monessen High School on May 1 last season. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Monessen pitcher Dana Vatakis goes into her windup during last Tuesday鈥檚 Section 2-A game against Carmichaels at Monessen High School. Vatakis struck out 15 and allowed one unearned run as the Lady Greyhounds won 2-1 in nine innings.
Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs stands in the third base coaches box during the Lady Mikes' game at Monessen on May 1.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
Carmichaels鈥� Megan Walker stands at third base after singling, stealing second and taking third on an error in the ninth inning of Tuesday鈥檚 game at Monessen. Walker would eventually sprint home and slide in with the game鈥檚 first run on a passed ball, but the Lady Greyhounds scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to pull out a 2-1 victory in an epic battle.
MONESSEN 鈥� Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs feels his Lady Mikes are one of the top three softball teams in the WPIAL.
The Lady Mikes鈥� gallant effort in a heart-breaking 2-1, nine-inning loss at Monessen on Tuesday didn鈥檛 change his mind at all.
Carmichaels鈥� Megan Walker almost single-handedly produced a run in the top of the ninth inning to break a scoreless tie, but the first-place Lady Greyhounds rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame to pull out a 2-1 victory in a Section 2-A pitchers鈥� duel.
Monessen鈥檚 Dana Vatakis, a Robert Morris recruit, and the Lady Mikes鈥� Kylie Sinn both pitched brilliantly in the epic clash.
Vatakis allowed just one unearned run on three hits with no walks and 15 strikeouts in earning the win.
Tough-luck loser Sinn coughed up just one earned run while scattering eight hits. She also walked only one and struck out 10.
鈥淭hat was quite a pitchers鈥� duel, my goodness,鈥� Briggs said. 鈥淚 thought both of them were excellent, awesome. Kylie was able to keep us in the game until we scratched one across, but it wasn鈥檛 to be for us.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a shame one team had to lose.鈥�
The win kept Monessen (10-1, 9-1) on track to win its first ever section title.
Carmichaels (10-5, 7-3) will have to wait at least another year to add to its vast collection of section crowns, but might get another shot at the Lady Greyhounds in the WPIAL playoffs.
Through Tuesday, Monessen sat in first place, one-half game ahead of defending section, WPIAL and PIAA champion West Greene, and two games ahead of the Lady Mikes.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e the three best in the WPIAL,鈥� Briggs said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 really any argument about it. We were seeded the three best last year and I think we proved that in the playoffs. We finished one-two-three after we won our consolation game.鈥�
West Greene defeated Monessen in last year鈥檚 WPIAL final after knocking off Carmichaels in the semifinals as three of the final four teams in Class A were from Section 2.
No one could crack the scoreboard in Tuesday鈥檚 game until Walker took matters into her own hands with two outs and none on in the top of the ninth.
The switch-hitting senior stroked a single while batting right-handed into right that tipped off the glove of diving Monessen second baseman Destiny Habeck. Walker stole second and scampered to third when the throw rolled a short distance away. She then hustled home on a passed ball, sliding in with the game鈥檚 first run.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 her game,鈥� Briggs said of Walker. 鈥淪he鈥檚 an excellent base runner, head鈥檚 up, always looking to take the extra base.
鈥淲e would鈥檝e went to the international tiebreaker in the next inning and I was thinking ahead, and likely Megan would鈥檝e been the runner I would鈥檝e put on second base.鈥�
Carmichaels couldn鈥檛 hold the resilient Greyhounds down in the bottom of the inning, though.
Hannah Yorty led off with a line drive single to left and Maddie Guzzie reached on a bunt single to start the winning rally. Cara Wheeler flew out to left and Carly Rock reached on a fielder鈥檚 choice with shortstop Emma Holaren getting the force out with a quick throw to third baseman Maddie Ewart.
Sinn was one strike away from closing out the win when No. 9 hitter Gabby Simpson stroked a single to left to bring Guzzie around third with the tying run.
Sydney Caterino followed with a ground ball that was bobbled ever so slightly but that was all the speedster needed to beat the throw to first to load the bases. Vatakis then hit a high pop up that was mishandled for an error, and Rock pranced home with the winning run.
鈥淭his comes down to the resolve we have as a team, really battling until the last out,鈥� Greyhounds coach Bo Teets said. 鈥淲e really try to preach that as much as we can, that it鈥檚 not over until we shake hands. The team from top to bottom has really bought into that.鈥�
Monessen needed wins over visiting Jefferson-Morgan on Thursday and at California on May 8 to clinch at least a share of the program鈥檚 first section title.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to handle business,鈥� said Teets, who commended Vatakis.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think she had her best stuff today, but she鈥檚 a battler. There鈥檚 never a moment that鈥檚 too big for her.鈥�
Destiny Habeck, Guzzie and Simpson each had two hits for Monessen.
Carmichaels鈥� Gina Ranieri had the game鈥檚 lone extra-base hit when she doubled leading off the second. Ranieri stole third but Vatakis struck out the next three batters to keep the Lady Mikes off the board.
It was ironic the outcome was determined by an error as the game was filled with defensive gems by both teams:
n Sinn sprang off the mound and rifled a throw to first to barely get Caterino on a bunt attempt in the third inning.
n Shortstop Guzzie made a nice play on Holaren鈥檚 grounder in the fourth and first baseman Yorty got the out with a slick scoop of the short-hop throw.
n Rock gunned down Carmichaels鈥� Shelbee McCann trying to steal second in the fifth with a perfect throw to second baseman Habeck to complete a strikeout-throw-out double play. McCann had reached on a single to right.
n Second baseman McCann got revenge in the bottom of the inning when she made a sparkling backhand play on Rock鈥檚 grounder up the middle.
n The Lady Mikes came up with two key defensive plays in the bottom of the seventh after an error and a walk to Yorty put two on with none out. First Sinn fielded Guzzie鈥檚 bunt and fired to third baseman Maddie Ewart for the force out. Then, after a strikeout, McCann made a backhand catch in short right field to rob Rock, again, of a potential game-winning hit.