Lady Mustangs can’t overtake unbeaten Raiders
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CRESSON -- About 50 yards away from the Mount Aloysius College softball field on Monday, you could hear the Portage baseball team recording an amazing come-from-behind seventh-inning victory to capture the WestPAC title. The Portage softball team was trying to do the same thing, however, it was not meant to be.
Meyersdale relief pitcher Isabella Donaldson recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh inning on just three pitches to help the Lady Red Raiders win, 5-2, to capture the championship over the Lady Mustangs.
What made it even more impressive was that Donaldson did it against the top of the Portage (16-4) order -- Lauren Shaffer, Maddy Hudak and Makenna Redfern.
"My girls have the green light, especially when you are talking about the top of the lineup," Portage coach Brian Randall said. "Lauren leads off and hits a solid ball right up the middle, and it goes right to the pitcher. Maddy hit a nice ball, and their outfielder makes a nice running catch. We put the ball in play. They played well defensively."
Meyersdale coach Tim Miller pulled starter Tara Knopsnyder after six innings of two-run ball, of which only one was earned.
"(Isabella) is a little bit faster so we wanted to change things up a bit," he said. "She fields her position well. She does a great job on the mound for us, but to throw three pitches and get three outs … that is really amazing."
Portage struck first with a run in the bottom of the second when Karli Karalfa walked and scored on a Rachel Chobany.
However, Meyersdale (16-0) hit paydirt with a five-run third inning in which the Lady Mustangs committed two errors that led to three unearned runs. Knopsnyder doubled home two of those runs, while Olivia Miller singled home two more for a 5-1 lead.
"We knew coming in they would put the ball in play and we had a lot of faith in our defense," said Randall, whose team did not make another error the rest of the game. "That was uncharacteristic of us. We have those balls 10 times out of 10 when they are hit to us, but sometimes that is going to happen."
Portage had a chance for a big inning in its half of the third. Four players reached base on three hits and an error, but did not score. Hudak was thrown out at home when right fielder Emily Abraham fielded a hit by Swank, threw to Knopsnyder as the cutoff, who then threw home to catcher Alix Tipton who tagged out Hudak.
"When it comes down to defense, I told our girls it will win us some games and it showed tonight," Miller said.
Randall again had no complaints with his team's aggressive base-running.
"Maddy is an awesome slider and she tries to get around that tag there … that was a helluva play. That is a credit to them because we put the ball in play and force teams to make a play," he said. "We do a hit-and-run (with Shaffer) and the ball is headed for a hit and it gets her on the leg and she's out. She's our fastest player, too."
Portage cut the lead to 5-2 in the sixth when Swank singled, moved to second on a Karalfa bunt and scored on a Paige Phillips single. But that was it for the offense, which left seven runners on base, and out-hit Meyersdale, 9-8. Hudak had three hits while Swank and Chobany each had two.
"We knew this was a possibility," replied Randall when asked if he thought his team could make it to this game at the start of this season. "We scheduled up. We played Hollidaysburg, we played Clearfield. We played Central Cambria. We knew we could put the ball in play. This will prepare us for districts."
Swank finished with six strikeouts and no walks in getting the loss. Only two of the five runs were earned. Randall says his team will begin play in the District 6 1A playoffs next week, possibly as the No. 2 seed against Homer-Center.
MEYERSDALE (5): Knopsnyder p-ss 411, Donaldson 1-6 400, Tipton c 301, Walters cr 000, Daniels 2b 311, Z. Hertz 1b 312, Miller cf 301, S. Hetz dp 300, Lear lf 000, Kretchman 3b 312, Abraha rf 210. Totals: 28-5-8
PORTAGE (4): Shaffer 2b 400, Hudak ss 403, Redfern cf 401, Swank p 312, Karalfa 3b 110, Phillips 1b 301, Harrison pr 000, Castel c 300, Chobany dp 302, Sease lf 000, Slanoc rf 200, Koben ph 100. Totals: 28-2-9
SCORE BY INNINGS
Meyersdale 005 000 0 -- 5 8 2
Portage 010 001 0 -- 2 9 2
2B--Knopsnyder, Tipton, Z. Hetz. 3B--Chobany. RBI--Knopsnyder 2, Miller 2, Phillips, Chobany. WP--Knopsnyder. LP--Swank. SO--Knopsnyder 6, Swank 6. BB--Knopsnyder 1.
Records: Meyersdale (16-0), Portage (16-4)