PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – Avery Eckels’s two-out single to center in the top of the seventh inning backed up an outstanding pitching performance from Kendall Young, as St. Marys beat Punxsutawney, 1-0.
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Young was outstanding allowing just three hits, including a pair of infield singles in the bottom of the seventh, in recording the shutout.
After giving up a two-out single to Avary Powell in the bottom of the first, she retired 17 straight Lady Chuck hitters before Powell hit a line drive single off Young’s facemask with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
It was a momentary scary moment for the St. Marys right-handed hurler who is headed to IUP to pitch next year, as the Powell liner caught her just above the left shoulder in the mask.
“It hit me more in the facemask,” Young said. “That is a perfect example of why we wear the facemask.”
After getting Karli Young to fly out for the second out, Brynn Hergert reached on an infield single putting the tying run at second for Punxsutawney before Kendall Young got Olivia Toven to hit a looping ball to shortstop Molly Hanslovan for the final out.
Kendall Young didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10, including five in a row in the second and third innings.
“We just worked everywhere,” St. Marys’s catcher Gianna Surra said of the location of Young’s pitches. “We worked up and down, in and out. They were pretty much all working for her. I don’t want to disclose too much.”
She needed to be on her game, as Ciara Toven was nearly as good for Punxsutawney.
Toven was charged with one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out three.
But it was the third free pass that came back to hurt Toven, as she issued a leadoff walk to Shannon Kaiser in the seventh.
Kaiser went to second on a groundout to third by Lindsey Reiter and then aggressively took third on a ground out to shortstop by Hanslovan bringing up Eckels, who singled up the middle just under the glove of Toven to drive in the game’s lone run.
“Having Shannon get on with no outs is big, speed, you know,” Kendall Young said. “Avery has really come up big a couple of times this year for us, stepping up as a freshman. Both players doing great.”
Kendall Young, who also went 2-for-3, was named the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game and was joined by her catcher, Gianna Surra, for a postgame interview.
Powell was 2-for-3 for Punxsutawney, which lost 2-1 in walk-off fashion to St. Marys earlier in the season.
DUBOIS 10, HOLLIDAYSBURG 6
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. – A four-run second inning helped DuBois erase an early three-run deficit on its way to a 10-6 road win over Hollidaysburg.
The Lady Beavers fell down 3-0 at the end of an inning but used four hits, an error, and a walk to score four runs in the second inning then stacked on two more in the third and singled runs in the fourth and fifth before scoring twice more int he sixth.
Aaliyah Estrada had a two-run single in the second while Gabby Gulvas and Haley Reed also had RBI hits in the inning.
Estrada was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs for the Lady Beavers while AXX Hale went 2-for-4 with two RBIs (on a two-run home run in the sixth) and two runs scored. Bree Weible also drove in two runs while going 1-for-3, while Reed and Morgan Pasternak were both 2-for-5 with an RBI. Pasternak had a double and a run scored as well, and Ava Baronick went 3-for-5 with an RBI while her courtesy runner, Teagan Runyan, scored twice.
Olivia Vincent was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored for Hollidaysburg with Sydney Shay going 2-for-3 with a home run, a run scored, and three RBIs while also being hit by a pitch.
Baronick got the win going seven innings allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits, two walks, and two hit batters while striking out five.
Vincent took the loss allowing seven runs, six earned on 11 hits and two walks while striking out four in three innings of work, while Maria Malone gave up three earned runs on five hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out 10 in four innings in the circle.
BROOKVILLE, BRADFORD SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER
BROOKVILLE, Pa. – Brookville and Bradford split their doubleheader with the hosts taking the first game, 5-1, and the Lady Owls using the 10-Run Rule for a 12-2 win in six innings in the nightcap.
In the opener, Lady Raiders pitcher Alyssa Tollini scattered a four-hitter with six strikeouts and she didn’t walk a batter.
Bradford starter Kalie Dixon only gave up four hits as well, striking out two and walking three.
Sisters Megan McKinney and Tory McKinney hit triples for Brookville, the latter driving in two runs to give Brookville a 4-0 lead in the third inning.
Bradford scored its lone run in the seventh, ending Tollini’s shutout bid when Kelsey Deming tripled and scored on Haile Jackson’s single.
In the second game, Bradford got a three-hitter from pitcher Sophie Cornelius who struck out and walked two. The Lady Owls, the home team, scored five runs in the fourth, then ended the game by scoring five more runs with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Dixon went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, and two runs scored to lead the Lady Owls. Deming singled three times.
Tollini took the loss in the second game, going six-plus innings and giving up nine hits while striking out six and walking none.
Elisabeth Delancey and Aubre Eble both walked and scored in the second inning for the Lady Raiders.
OTTO-ELDRED 15, GALETON 0, 4 INNINGS
DUKE CENTER, Pa. – Kate Rhinehart fired a four-inning perfect game while recording a pair of doubles and two RBIs, and Bri Heller had four hits, including a home run, and drove in five runs to lead Otto-Eldred to a 15-0, four-inning rout of visiting Galeton.
Bri Heller hit a home run for Otto-Eldred Wednesday. Submitted photo
Rhinehart struck out eight and was 2-for-3 at the plate, and Heller went 4-for-4 while adding a pair of doubles.
Kate Rhinehart threw a 4-inning perfect game for Otto-Eldred. Submitted photo
Heidi Gordon was also 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for the Lady Terrors.
JoAnn Dickerson took the loss allowing 11 hits and eight walks while striking out one.
COUDERSPORT 17, PORT ALLEGANY 1, 4 INNINGS
PORT ALLEGANY, Pa. – Sierra Myers homered, doubled, and drove in three to pace a 17-1, four-inning road victory for Coudersport at Port Allegany.
Sierra Myers was 3-for-4 with three runs scored while Savanah Myers went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
Sierra Myers hit a home run for Coudersport Wednesday. Submitted photo
Lillian Clinger also drove in three runs in the win going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, and Ryelle Black, Hannah Fleniken, and Marah Fowler each had two RBIs.
Fowler was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Fleniken was 3-for-3 with two runs scored, and Black was 2-for-4. Ava Wahlers also added a double while going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Lady Falcons.
Black got the win going four innings allowing an unearned run on a hit, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out four.
Cayle Lloyd took the loss.
