Slow-Pitch Softball News

by Slow-Pitch Correspondent

In Week 2, the North Allegheny Varsity Slow-Pitch Softball Team split with the Montour Spartans at Montour High School. The Tigers’ record is now 3-1. 

Game 1: NA falls to Montour, 8-4

The first inning began with NA at bat. Claudia Kushon (sophomore) hit a double, however, the Tigers were unable to score any runs. When NA went on defense, Montour managed to score four runs, taking an early lead, 4-0. Mady Daugherty (junior) had a catch in right center, and shortstop Reilly Spitz (senior) threw to first baseman Emily Marangoni (junior) for two outs.

In the second inning, NA’s offense continued to struggle while Montour’s defense remained strong, maintaining the 4-0 lead. Pitcher Emily Sobehart (junior) struck out a batter, and threw the remaining two outs to Marangoni on first base.

The third inning saw Marangoni hit a single for NA. However, Montour’s defense held. In the bottom of the third, Montour couldn’t add to their lead, with Kushon and Sobehart making outs  and Mady Daugherty catching a ball in right center.

In the fourth inning, NA’s bats started to heat up. Sobehart hit a single, and Kushon followed with a crucial two-run homerun. Spitz,  Lily Daugherty (freshman), Keala Glaser (senior), Jayna Cole (senior), and Ella Mitchell (junior)  hit singles, but no more runs were scored. The score was now 4-2 in favor of Montour.

Montour extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth, with pitcher Sobehart striking out her second batter of the game and Spitz executing a double play, getting a runner out at second and throwing to Marangoni for an out at first. Montour now leads 7-2.

In the fifth inning, Hannah Anderson (junior) hit a single, and the score remained 7-2. Spitz fielded an out to Marangoni, Mady Daugherty caught another fly ball to right-center, and Kushon made an out at second. 

The sixth inning brought some hope for NA with Spitz hitting a single to center field. An error by Montour allowed Spitz to advance to second. Lily Daugherty then hit a single to right field, allowing Spitz to score. Glaser followed with another single, and Cole walked, loading the bases. However, Montour managed to get out of the inning with only one more run scored, making it 7-3. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Montour’s shortstop hit a homerun, extending their lead to 8-3. Mady Daugherty made her fourth catch of the day, Spitz made a stop at shortstop, and Sobehart caught a pop up, ending the inning. 

In the seventh and final inning, NA attempted to rally. Anderson and Marangoni hit singles and. Addie Lee (senior) walked. With runners on second and third, Kushon hit a single, bringing in a run. It was a competitive game with moments of excitement, and the game ended with a final score of 8-4 in favor of Montour.

Despite the loss, NA showed determination and made a late-game push, but Montour ultimately secured the victory in this first game of the double-header.

Game 2: NA defeats Montour, 14-13

The second game was a thrilling contest that saw both teams trading home runs throughout the innings, resulting in a dramatic finish.

The first inning began with NA on defense, and Emily Marangoni (junior) on the pitcher’s mound. On defense, third baseman Keala Glaser (senior) threw to second baseman Claudia Kushon (sophomore) for an out, Jayna Cole (senior) caught a fly ball in left-center, and Marangoni threw an out to Emily Sobehart (junior) at first base, but Montour took an early lead of 3-0.

When NA came to bat in the bottom of the first inning, Kushon hit a line drive past third base for a single, and Reilly Spitz (senior) hit a single that advanced Kushon to third. Glaser then delivered a double that allowed Kushon to score. Lily Daugherty (freshman) had an RBI, allowing Spitz to score, making it 3-2 in favor of Montour.

In the second inning, Montour added another run, increasing their lead to 4-2. Kushon scooped a ground ball to Sobehart for an out at first, Glaser caught a pop up at third, and Marangoni threw to Sobehart for the final out. In the bottom of the inning, Hannah Anderson (junior) hit a home run, narrowing the gap to 4-3.

In the top of the third inning, Ella Mitchell (junior), Glaser, and Cole made three great catches, but Montour extended the lead to 6-3. However, NA responded strongly in the bottom of the inning.  Kushon hit a hard grounder to third for a single, and Spitz followed with a ground ball to left field for another single. Glaser then hit a critical three-run homerun, tying the game at 6-6.

In the fourth inning, Montour regained the lead by hitting two home runs, bringing the score to 8-6. Mady Daugherty made a fantastic catch in right-center to end the top of the inning. In the bottom half of the inning NA came alive.  Mitchell walked, Anderson hit a single, and Marangoni hit a hard grounder to right field that brought in a run. Addie Lee’s (senior) double added another run, and Sobehart had an RBI. Kushon’s single led to two runners on base, and Spitz hit one out of the park, allowing three runs to score, putting NA back in the lead at 12-8.

In the fifth inning, Montour scored two more runs with another homerun, making it 12-10 in favor of NA. NA’s defense continued to do its job, with Mady Daugherty making another catch in right center, Kushon with an amazing grab at second to get the out to Sobehart at first, and Kushon catching a pop up for the final out. In the bottom half, Lily Daugherty hit a homerun, increasing NA’s lead to 13-10.

In the top of the sixth inning, Montour tied the game 13-13 on a sac fly and a two-run homerun. Montour’s defense held strong, holding NA to a single by Sobehart.

In the top of the seventh, NA held Montour scoreless, with three crucial outs. Kushon made a stop at second and threw the out to Sobehart at first, Marangoni caught a blistering line drive at pitcher, and Spitz made the third and final out at shortstop.

In the bottom of the seventh, it took only two pitches before Reilly Spitz hit the game-winning walk-off homerun, sealing a thrilling 14-13 victory for the North Allegheny Tigers. It was an intense and exciting game that showcased the resilience and determination of NA’s slow-pitch softball team.

NA faces off against Mt. Lebanon at Marshall Middle School on Sunday, September 17 at 2 & 4 pm.