NA Overpowers Mt. Lebanon in Section Finale
North Allegheny won big over Mt. Lebanon on Monday, 13-3, in the Section 1-6A finale.
The Tigers opened the scoring in the top of the first with bases loaded when juniors Sammy Plotsko and McKenna Rowlands hit back-to-back singles and senior Carlyn Vaupel walked. A timely single by sophomore Taylor Neese scored the first run of the game, followed by a single by sophomore Erin Fadgen that scored two more. After the first inning, the score was 3-0 in favor of the Tigers.
In the second inning for the Tigers, Rowlands led off with a double, worked her way around the bases, and scored on a sacrifice fly hit by senior Anne Melle. In the third inning, senior Olivia Carlson hit a sacrifice fly that scored senior Julia Drazga. In the fourth, a single by Melle scored one, followed by another run scored when Neese singled for the second time. At the end of the fourth inning, the Tigers continued to lead with a score of 7-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, Mt. Lebanon fought back with a leadoff home run hit by Olivia Park. Both teams were left scoreless into the sixth, and the game entered the seventh inning 7-1.
North Allegheny added six more runs in the top of the seventh on five hits. Vaupel homered to center field, scoring two runs, Drazga and Fadgen each singled, scoring one run apiece, and junior Allison Yanchak doubled, scoring two runs. The Blue Devils scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on three consecutive singles but were unable to keep their offense alive. The Tigers’ defense ended the game with a final score of 13-3.
The Tigers’ offense tallied sixteen hits on the day; Fadgen, Rowlands, Neese, and Melle went 2-for-3 while sophomore Avelyn Kropf and Vaupel each went 2-for-2. Fadgen led the team with 3 RBIs, while Vaupel, Melle, Neese, and Yanchak each earned two RBIs throughout the contest. North Allegheny also showed patience at the plate, drawing seven walks. Rowlands and Vaupel led the team with two apiece.
Plotsko pitched all seven innings for the Tigers. She gave up seven hits and three runs, striking out five and walking one.
The Tigers will travel next to Penn-Trafford on Wednesday for a non-section contest; it is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
Line Score - Softball vs. Mt. Lebanon - 05/06/2024
| Score by Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Allegheny | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 1 |
| Mt. Lebanon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 |