Quest continues

BROCKWAY — Smethport knew cleanup hitter Kiley Dick was the big hitter in the Bishop Guilfoyle softball team’s lineup. Dick’s walkoff homer against Leechburg had created the matchup in the second round of the PIAA playoffs.

What the Lady Hubbers most likely didn’t know was Danielle Kuny, the slight center fielder hitting in the No. 5 spot, could also hit.

After Smethport pitcher Diana Phalon struck out Dick with the bases loaded in the third inning, Kuny stroked a two-run single to right field.

That hit, as well as Miranda Merilli’s clutch pitching and BG’s tough defense, carried the Lady Marauders to a pulse-pounding 2-1 win on a hot Friday afternoon at Brockway High School’s softball field.

“Oh Kuny,” Miranda Merilli said laughing. “I don’t know what to say about her. She’s just a little fighter.”

“These kids never cease to amaze me,” BG coach Joe Merilli said. “When one of our kids are down, somebody else picks them up. Kiley didn’t have her game today, but Danielle got a big hit there. That’s why I have her hitting fifth behind Kiley. Danielle’s a solid hitter.”

The win pushed BG into the PIAA semifinals against District 7 champion Vincentian, a 1-0 winner over Cambridge Springs in eight innings Thursday. The semifinal will be played at 3 p.m. Monday at IUP.

Every step Guilfoyle takes (19-4) in the playoffs is one the program has never taken before.

“This feels amazing,” Kuny said, “since BG has never done anything like this before. We’re happy to make history.”

Phalon, a senior who had delivered the Lady Hubbers to the Final Four as a sophomore, yielded only three hits while striking out 14 and walking one. She retired the last 13 batters she faced.

But the Lady Marauders got to her in the third, starting with a one-out infield hit by Tiffany Seasoltz. Hillary Heiss reached on an error, putting runners on the corners. When Melanie Madey put down a safety squeeze bunt, third baseman Bobbi Jo Mitchell made an unsuccessful play on Seasoltz at third base.

With the bases loaded, Dick struck out for the second time, but Kuny, a District 6 All-Star, chased Seasoltz and Heiss home with her hit. Her teammates were pumped up.

“We can count on each other to pick each other up,” Seasoltz said. “Kiley had that home run last game, and we tell her not to focus on hitting a home run. She didn’t hit today because she can’t all the time. Kuny picked her up. That was sweet. That made me really happy.”

“Diana pitched a great game,” Smethport coach Chris Lightner said. “She struck out that power hitter with the bases loaded. And then, I don’t know if there was a let down or not, but that little girl reached out, got a base hit and scored two runs.”

But the Lady Hubbers (21-2) struck back in the bottom of the inning as Phalon, who went 2-for-3 as her team’s leadoff hitter, poked a one-out Merilli offering into center field. Phalon scored when Alyssa Cunningham smacked a triple over Heiss’ head in left field.

The Lady Hubs had left runners stranded at second and third in the second inning when Merilli recorded two strikeouts. This time with a runner on third with one out, she induced a pop-up to shortstop Seasoltz and a lazy fly ball to Heiss for the third out.

Merilli, who showed no ill effects of the flu that hit her before Monday’s game, didn’t get threatened again over the next three innings _ even striking out Cunningham leading off the sixth. Merilli threw only 85 pitches, including 67 for strikes.

“She looked like the Miranda of old,” Coach Merilli said. “She had a really good curve today. She had a zippy fastball _ probably not the best of seen _ but she’s work her way back to that. She hung one pitch. That triple that was hit over the left fielder’s head, I wanted it outside.”

“They had a great pitcher,” Lightner said. “I think she had an elusive curveball that we just couldn’t get on.”

with hearts pounding in the bottom of the seventh, Courtney Schuler reached on a one-out low throw from Seasoltz, but she was erased when third baseman Madey gloved Kayla Berlin’s ground ball and fired to Shannon Hite covering second base.

Berlin stole second, just beating the throw from Stayer and tag by Seasoltz, to reach scoring position. Left-handed drag bunter Amanda Vossler was up when Berlin stole, but Lightner replaced Vossler with starter Brook Taggert in the batter’s box.

With Phalon on deck, Merilli got Taggert to hit a ground ball to Hite, who gloved and tossed to Dick at first base for the final out. That touched off another jubilant celebration. Afterward, the Lady Marauders hopped on the bus and went to a swimming party at Madey’s place.

“Now, we just have one game,” Seasoltz said, “and we’ll go to the state finals.”



BISHOP GUILFOYLE (2): Seasoltz ss 311, Heiss lf 311, Madey 3b 300, Dick 1b 300, Kuny cf 301, Hite 2b 300, Merilli p 200, Perehinec cr 000, Stayer c 300, Prosser rf 300. Totals: 26-2-3.

SMETHPORT (1): Phalon p 312, Cunningham 2b 301, Burdick ss 301, Master pr 000, Kinniburgh c 300, Hahn dp 301, Mitchell 3b 301, Schuler cf 300, Berlin rf 300, Taggert lf 200, Vossler ph-lf 100, Lathrop 1b 000. Totals: 27-1-6.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Bishop Guilfoyle 002 000 0_2 3 1

Smethport 001 000 0_1 6 1

E_Seasoltz; Mitchell. 2B_Mitchell. 3B_Cunningham. SB_Seasoltz; Berlin. CS_Phalon (by Stayer). LOB_Bishop Guilfoyle 4, Smethport 5.

PITCHING

Bishop Guilfoyle: Merilli (W)_7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO.

Smethport: Phalon (L)_7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 SO.

Records: Bishop Guilfoyle (19-4). Smethport (21-2).