WEXFORD, Pa. – Savannah Thurber homered in the first and Miranda Biles was magnificent in the circle as Jamestown blanked Chestnut Ridge, 3-0, in their PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal at North Allegheny High School.
Thurber’s 2-run blast with one out in the first brought in Reese Schaller and gave the Muskies a 2-0 lead. That was all Biles would need, though Jamestown tacked on another run in the seventh, as she scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.
Chestnut Ridge never really threatened to score until the fifth. The Lions hit consecutive singles to put runners on the corners with no outs. Biles struck out Jenna Mauck for the first out. Maya Wingard hit a grounder to third, but Kalani Spurlock fired home to get the lead runner for the second out. Biles struck out Lexyn Corle to end the inning.
A single, a walk, and an error allowed the Lions to load the bases with one out in the sixth. Nikki Shippey was caught stealing at home, and Biles struck out Grace Lazor to keep Chestnut Ridge off the board.
Kiley Matters’ RBI double in the seventh added an insurance run for the Muskies.
Mauck hit a 1-out single for the Lions in the bottom of the inning, but back-to-back flyouts sent the Muskies to the semifinals.
Matters hit two doubles, and Schaller added a pair of hits as well. Thurber had two RBIs, while Matters drove in one.
Brittany Motter took the loss allowing three earned runs on seven hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts.
Jamestown will face Juniata, a 6-1 winner over Avonworth, in the semifinals on Monday at a site and time to be announced.
NESHANNOCK 2, SHARPSVILLE 1
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – A hit here, a bounce there. That was all that separated Sharpsville from an upset of defending PIAA champion Neshannock in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals.
In the end, the hit wasn’t there and the bounce went the Lancer way, as Neshannock won its 48th consecutive game, 2-1, at Wilmington College.
“Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t,” Sharpsville manager Mark Piccirilli said. “This is a tough one. We would have liked to have been the team to knock them off. We have been talking about that for a week now.”
One inning was all it took for the Lancers to move to 24-0 on the season.
In the third inning, Aaralyn Nogay drew a leadoff walk and scored on an error by center fielder Bella Ritenour on a ball hit by Jaidon Nogay that saw Jaidon Nogay end up at third.
“That happens,” Piccirilli said of the error. “She’s a pretty good center fielder. Sometimes, the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.”
Jaidon Nogay then scored on a double by Hunter Newman to center.
Down 2-0 against a pitcher, Addyson Frye, who had given up less than 10 earned runs all season, Sharpsville didn’t fold its tent.
The Blue Devils answered with a run in the top of the fourth when Keeley Whitaker walked and moved to second on a passed ball before scoring on a Lily Palko single.
Sharpsville tried to complete the rally in the seventh when it got a single from Emma Brest and a walk by Breanna Hanley with one out, but Izzie Candiotti flew out to center and Palko fouled out along the first base dugout fence to end the game.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Piccirilli said. “Take away a couple of little things, and it could have been a different game.”
Frye got the win going seven innings allowing an unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Hanley took the loss going six innings allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk while striking out eight.
“I’m proud of them,” Piccirilli said. “We won a lot this year. They got ‘Team of the Month’, we went undefeated in the Region, won the district, and were the first team in school history to win a state playoff game. So, we’re proud.”
EVERETT 12, CRANBERRY 2, 5 INNINGS
DUBOIS, Pa. – Everett raced out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 12-2, 5-inning win over Cranberry in their PIAA Class 2A quarterfinal at Heindl Field.
Two walks, a fielder’s choice, and three singles staked the Warriors to a 4-0 lead before they even registered an out in the first. A sac fly with one out made it 5-0.
McKaylah Smith’s RBI single with two outs in the second got Cranberry on the board. The Warriors scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning to get the run right back.
Everett plated two runs on an error in the third to push the lead to 8-1.
Rylee Coe singled to lead off the Berries’ fourth, then scored when Jadyn Shumaker reached on an error.
Five straight 1-out hits, two doubles and three singles, plated the final four runs and ended the game in the fifth.
Undefeated Everett will take on undefeated Neshannock, a 2-1 winner over Sharpsville, in the semifinals on Monday at a time and location to be announced.
