NA Wins Big in Non-Section Contest Against Knoch
North Allegheny hosted Knoch for its first non-section game of the season on Friday afternoon, earning the win with a final score of 8-2.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when Knoch scored on a double, single, and stolen base. However, the Tigers answered back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior Carlyn Vaupel led off with a triple, and later scored when senior Anne Melle grounded out to third. With two outs, three consecutive pinch runners did offensive damage. First, sophomore Erin Fadgen doubled to right field. Next, freshman Zoe Rychel tripled, scoring the runner from second. Last, freshman Taylor Condiotte singled to the shortstop, scoring Rychel. After the inning, the Tigers took a 3-1 lead.
Knoch scored again in the top of the fifth, narrowing North Allegheny’s lead to 3-2. However, the Tigers earned a single run in the bottom of the inning when junior Sammy Plotsko led off with a double, advanced to third on a deep fly ball by junior McKenna Rowlands, and scored on a single by Melle.
After maintaining their 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth, the Tigers scored four more runs on three singles and a triple. Senior Kaci Plotsko and sophomore Avelyn Kropf each singled to start the inning. Senior Olivia Carlson also singled, scoring Kaci Plotsko. With one out, Rowlands tripled, scoring both Kropf and Carlson. Rowlands then scored on a ground ball hit by freshman Twila Goulding. North Allegheny’s defense held Knoch scoreless in the top of the seventh, and the final score of the game was 8-2 in favor of the Tigers.
North Allegheny accumulated 12 hits throughout the contest; Rowlands went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Melle went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, and Kaci Plotsko went 2-for-2. Melle pitched all seven innings for the Tigers, surrendering five hits and striking out five.
The Tigers’ record improves to 11-5. They will travel to Mt. Lebanon on Monday for their final section contest; it is scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm.
Line Score - Softball vs. Knoch - 05/03/2024
| Score by Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoch | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| North Allegheny | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | X | 8 | 12 | 2 |