Slow-Pitch Softball News

by: Slow-Pitch Softball Contributor

The North Allegheny Varsity Slow-Pitch games against Seneca Valley were canceled due to weather and were made up under the lights at Blueberry Hill Park on two consecutive Thursday evenings. The Tigers won both games against the Raiders.

In the first game between the North Allegheny Varsity Tigers and the Seneca Valley Raiders on October 3, Seneca Valley started strong in the top of the first inning. After a quick pop-out to pitcher Emily Sobehart (senior), and a ground out to Lily Daugherty (sophomore) at third, the Raiders managed to score two runs. The inning ended with a fielder’s choice to Claudia Kushon (junior). North Allegheny quickly responded in the bottom of the first inning. Kushon  and Olivia Klaich (junior) both singled to start the inning, and after an out, Anna Kovacic (junior) singled to drive in Kushon, cutting Seneca Valley’s lead to 2-1. Sobehart followed with another single, scoring Klaich to tie the game at 2-2. The Tigers continued to rally with a double from Emily Marangoni (senior), scoring two more runs and giving North Allegheny a 4-2 lead. Emily Clark’s (junior) single added another run, and after a couple more hits, the Tigers ended the inning up 5-2.

Seneca Valley went down quietly in the top of the second inning. Outs were made by a fly ball to Amara Daugherty (sophomore), and a ground out to Asha Vaders (junior) and Kushon for the final two outs.  In the bottom of the second, North Allegheny continued to build their lead. A triple from A.Daugherty and a single from Hannah Anderson (senior) brought the score to 6-2. Kushon tripled to drive in another run, and by the end of the inning, North Allegheny had extended their lead to 8-2.

In the top of the third inning, Seneca Valley struggled offensively, with a strikeout by Sobehart, a groundout by Vaders, and a pop-out to L Daugherty, leading to a quick end. North Allegheny, however, added to their lead in the bottom half of the inning. A double from Kovacic followed by singles from Sobehart and Emily Clark (junior). Ella Mitchell’s (senior) double drove in another run, and by the end of the inning, the Tigers were ahead 12-2.

Seneca Valley fought back in the top of the fourth inning and cut North Allegheny’s lead to 12-7, before outs by shortstop Kushon, a strikeout by pitcher Sobehart, and a ground out to third baseman L Daugherty ended the inning. However, North Allegheny responded immediately in the bottom of the fourth inning with a flurry of hits from Vaders, Kushon, Klaich, Kovacic, Marangoni, Mitchell, and a triple from L.Daugherty, bringing the score to 18-7 by the end of the inning.

In the top of the fifth, Seneca Valley made a final push to bring the score to 18-9. However, North Allegheny held them off, and with another round of solid defense with a groundout to Sobehart, fly out to Klaich, and a groundout to L Daugherty.  In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers secured their victory when Kushon hit a single followed by an amazing walk-off double by  Klaich to end the game 19-9

 

In the second game of the series between the North Allegheny Varsity Tigers and the Seneca Valley Raiders on October 10, North Allegheny took an early lead in the top of the first inning when Claudia Kushon (junior) hit a home run to left field, making it 1-0. Despite a single by Lily Daugherty (sophomore), Seneca Valley managed to close the inning with no further damage. In the bottom of the first, Seneca Valley answered quickly with a two-run home run, giving the Raiders a 2-1 lead.

North Allegheny responded in the top of the second inning. Ella Mitchell (senior) singled, and Mady Daugherty (senior) doubled to put runners in scoring position. Amara Daugherty (sophomore) reached on an error, allowing Mitchell to score and tie the game at 2-2. Hannah Anderson (senior) followed with a single, driving in M.Daugherty to give North Allegheny a 3-2 lead. Asha Vaders (junior) then singled, bringing home A.Daugherty and extending the lead to 4-2 before the inning ended.

In the third inning, the Tiger offense exploded. After Kushon doubled and scored, L.Daugherty (sophomore) hit a double and was brought home by Anna Kovacic’s (junior) single, making it 6-2. The Tigers capitalized on errors by Seneca Valley, with multiple hits and defensive mistakes allowing the Tigers to score five more runs, increasing their lead to 12-2 by the end of the inning. Although Seneca Valley managed to score one run in the bottom of the third, bringing the score to 12-3, North Allegheny continued to dominate offensively, adding 8 more runs in the top of the fourth, extending their lead to 20-3.

The game continued with North Allegheny relentlessly piling on runs. In the top of the fifth inning, a series of singles, doubles, and a three-run home run by E. Mitchell helped North Allegheny stretch their lead to 30-4. Seneca Valley managed one more run in the bottom of the fourth inning but struggled to keep pace with North Allegheny’s offensive onslaught. After a dominant performance from the Tigers, the game ended in a decisive 33-4 victory for North Allegheny, amassing an impressive team total of 35 hits, 20 singles, 10 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs.