NA Wins Third Straight With Blowout of Butler, 11-2
By Randy Gore
Photo Credit: Phil Pavely
The North Allegheny girls’ softball team won its third straight game on Monday afternoon with an 11-2 triumph over the Butler Golden Tornado. This win not only completed a season sweep of Butler but also extended the Tigers’ head-to-head winning streak over the Golden Tornado to 37 games in a row.
Following back-to-back wins over Pine-Richland and Canon-McMillan, the NA lineup stayed hot with a 13-hit attack. However, in the early innings, pitching and defense made the critical plays. In the top of the first inning, Butler took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by sophomore Kyra Olivares. After back-to-back walks by Kinsley Smith and Kaylin Garbinski loaded the bases with nobody out, NA starting pitcher Cailyn Wateska buckled down and wiggled out of the jam. Wateska first struck out Alaina Garbinski for the inning’s first out, then induced a ground ball off the bat of Chloe Schoentag. Second baseman Twila Goulding made a fine play, tagging the runner going from first to second and throwing out Schoentag at first to turn an important double play.
The Tigers wasted little time tying the game in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Erin Fadgen. However, North Allegheny found itself in another sticky situation in the top of the third. An RBI single by Kailin Garbinski gave the Golden Tornado a 2-1 lead, but Wateska escaped another bases-loaded jam with a strikeout of Annalyn Schnur. The GT’s left six runners on base in the first three innings.
While Butler struggled to find a clutch hit with two outs, the Tigers tallied four two-out hits in a seven-run bottom of the third. The hit parade started with a two-out, two-run double by Bri Mensch that gave North Allegheny a 3-2 lead. Following a walk by Hayden Robertson, Goulding tallied a run-scoring single to increase the NA lead to 4-2. A two-run double by Taylor Condiotte and an RBI double by Wateska ballooned the Tigers’ lead to 7-2. Later in the inning, Wateska’s courtesy runner, Zoey Bornt, scored on a Butler error to cap the scoring in the frame, and NA held a commanding 8-2 lead.
Twila Goulding applies the tag on a Butler runner for the game’s final out at second base.
In the bottom of the fifth, Condiotte belted her third hit of the game with another RBI double, increasing the Tigers’ lead to 9-2. Condiotte was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a run scored and three RBIs to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.
North Allegheny tacked on two more insurance runs in the sixth inning, thanks to RBI singles from Leah Carlson and Mensch, to bring the score to its eventual final, 11-2.
Wateska was the winning pitcher with five innings of work and three strikeouts, and Ellie Torchia tossed two innings of scoreless relief. Butler’s Mikayla Crouch took the loss for Butler and surrendered eight runs, just one earned, in 2.2 innings in the circle.
With the win, North Allegheny improves to 4-5 overall and 4-4 in Section 1-6A. Butler dips to 1-8 overall and 1-6 in the section. The Tigers take their three-game winning streak to first-place Hempfield on Wednesday.
Softball Summary vs. vs. Butler, 4-13-26
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| North Allegheny | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | X | 11 | 13 | 0 |
LP - Mikayla Crouch
