Tigers lose heartbreaker in nine-inning classic in WPISL Quarterfinals
by: Slow-Pitch Softball Contributor
WPISL playoff softball delivered an instant classic Saturday.
North Allegheny and West Allegheny combined for 35 runs across nine innings, with momentum swinging back and forth all afternoon before the Tigers’ season came to an end in a heartbreaking 18-17 extra-inning loss.
The Tigers grabbed the early momentum, striking for three runs in the bottom of the first. Senior Amara Daugherty reached and came around to score, while senior Lily Daugherty, senior Megan Sweeney, and junior Olivia Smith each drove in runs as North Allegheny raced out to a 3-0 lead.
West Allegheny answered in a big way in the third inning. The Indians erupted for eight runs, turning a three-run deficit into an 8-3 advantage and suddenly seizing control of the game.
North Allegheny’s response was immediate.
After being held scoreless in the third, the Tigers exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Junior Frida Gourlay and A. Daugherty helped get the rally started before L. Daugherty delivered an RBI single. Senior Jordan Phillips followed with a two-run hit, and senior Viola Laswell capped the comeback with a game-tying two-run double as North Allegheny erased the deficit and tied the game at 8-8.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the fifth as West Allegheny reclaimed the lead, moving in front 12-8. Once again, the Tigers refused to go away.
Laswell helped spark another rally in the sixth, and sophomore Ava Combs came through with a clutch two-run single that cut the deficit to 12-10. Freshman Addy Gannon entered as a pinch-runner and came around to score, helping North Allegheny keep the pressure on heading into the seventh.
With their season down to its final three outs of regulation, the Tigers delivered again.
Sophomore Zoey Bornt opened the inning with a double, freshman Abby Steiner followed with a hit, and North Allegheny chipped away. Then, with two outs, L. Daugherty delivered one of the biggest swings of the season, ripping a game-tying RBI double to knot the score at 12-12 and force extra innings.
Neither team managed to break through in the eighth despite scoring opportunities on both sides, sending the playoff thriller to the ninth.
West Allegheny finally appeared to create separation, scoring six runs in the top half of the inning to take an 18-12 lead.
Most teams would have been finished.
The Tigers weren’t.
Gourlay reached to begin the bottom of the ninth, and A. Daugherty quickly followed with a hit. L. Daugherty delivered an RBI double, Phillips added an RBI single, and North Allegheny kept chipping away. Laswell helped bring home another run before Smith’s sacrifice fly cut the deficit to two. Moments later, Bornt lined an RBI single to center, pulling the Tigers within one run.
Suddenly, after trailing by six, the tying run was aboard.
The comeback ultimately ended one run short, but not before North Allegheny delivered one final rally that perfectly reflected the resilience shown throughout the season.
The offensive numbers reflected the effort. L. Daugherty finished 5-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs scored, while A. Daugherty scored five runs and collected three hits. Bornt added four hits, Laswell recorded three hits and three RBIs, and Phillips drove in three runs. Smith collected three hits and two RBIs, Combs drove in two runs, and Sweeney, Steiner, Gourlay, and Gannon all played important roles in one of the most memorable games of the season.
For the Tigers’ senior class of Amara Daugherty, Lily Daugherty, Jordan Phillips, Viola Laswell, and Megan Sweeney, the season ended in heartbreak.
But down five runs, down four runs, and eventually down six runs in the ninth inning, the Tigers never stopped fighting.
Final: West Allegheny 18, North Allegheny 17
