North Allegheny shows resilience against Hempfield in WPISL Quarterfinals
by: Slow-Pitch Softball Contributor
In the quarterfinals of WPISL playoff action on Saturday at Clint Seymour Field in Mt. Lebanon, the North Allegheny Tigers demonstrated their fighting spirit and gave it their all on the field. Despite the final score of 10-5 in favor of the Hempfield Area Spartans, the Tigers never gave up and fought hard until the end.
The Spartans struck first with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning that quickly made the score 3-0. The Tiger defense held strong with two ground outs to junior shortstop Claudia Kushon who connected with senior first baseman Emily Marangoni. In the second inning, the Tigers quickly responded as Anna Kovacic launched a solo homer to right field to put the Tigers on the board. North Allegheny’s defense held Hempfield in the bottom of the second inning, where they went down in order, with outs by Kushon, Amara Daugherty (sophomore) and Lily Daugherty (sophomore) to keep the score at 3-1. In the bottom of the third inning, the Spartans had a two-run homerun, extending their lead to 5-1. Defensive plays included a ground out from Kushon to Marangoni and two great catches by A. Daugherty in center and senior Ella Mitchell in left. In the top of the fourth inning, despite singles by senior Hannah Anderson and junior Olivia Klaich, the Tigers were unable to score. The Spartans scored another three runs in the bottom of the fourth, making the score 8-1.
North Allegheny rallied in the top of the fifth inning. Kovacic’s second homer of the day, combined with a walk from Mitchell, an RBI single from A. Daugherty, and a sacrifice fly from Anderson narrowed the gap to 8-5. Also contributing to the rally were singles by Emily Sobehart (senior), Marangoni, Asha Vaders (junior) and a walk from Emily Clark (junior). In the bottom of the fifth inning, Mitchell had a catch in left field, and pitcher Sobehart connected with Anderson for an out at home and Marangoni for an out at first. However the Spartans managed to score two more runs, bringing the score to 10-5.
Despite strong defensive plays by Kushon, Sobehart and Mitchell and hits by Klaich and Mitchell in the final innings, Hempfield secured the win with a final score of 10-5.
The North Allegheny Tigers Slow-Pitch Softball teams would like to recognize the five seniors for their contributions and efforts through the years as a part of the Slow-Pitch Softball program. Hannah Anderson, Mady Daugherty*, Emily Marangoni*, Ella Mitchell* and Emily Sobehart. Thank you for your dedication, positivity, and leadership. We wish you the best of luck in all that you do in the future.
* denotes Captain
