Big 7th Inning Propels NA Past Butler, 7-0
North Allegheny soundly defeated Butler 7-0 on Thursday, largely due to a five-run hitting spurt late in the game.
The Tigers put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the third when junior Sammy Plotsko led off with a double, followed by a sacrifice fly by senior Carlyn Vaupel. They scored again in the fifth with a triple by Plotsko and an RBI double by junior McKenna Rowlands.
The Tigers entered the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead over the Golden Tornado. However, the offense broke the game open, scoring five additional runs. Seniors Olivia Carlson led off with a double to left field and advanced to third on a single by Plotsko. Carlson then scored on a fielding error. Vaupel drew a walk, loading the bases with no outs. Senior Anne Melle
singled, scoring one run, followed by a sacrifice fly by sophomore Taylor Neese that scored another. The offensive onslaught continued when senior Julia Drazga singled, scoring Vaupel.
With runners on first and third, Drazga then stole second, avoiding the tag and allowing Melle to score from third. After holding Butler scoreless in the bottom of the inning, the final score was 7-0 in favor of North Allegheny.
The Tigers’ defense held off the Golden Tornadoes, who came close to scoring several times throughout the game. In the bottom of the fourth inning, two singles and a walk left the bases loaded with two outs. A hard ground ball to first baseman Drazga ended the inning. Butler threatened a second time in the fifth, again with bases loaded and two outs. A line drive to
right-center looked to surely score multiple runners, but was instead snagged by Vaupel with a diving catch.
The Tigers accumulated 11 total hits throughout the game. Plotsko led the offense by going 4-for-4 at the plate. Plotsko also led the defense from the circle, pitching all seven innings and allowing only six hits while striking out five.
The Tigers will host the Knoch Knights tomorrow in their first non-section game of the season. It is scheduled to begin at 4:00pm.
Line Score - Softball vs. Butler - 05/02/2024
| Score by Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Allegheny | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
| Butler | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |