Staff writer
jmontecalvo@observer-reporter.com
HOUSTON - One team is a regular in the WPIAL softball playoffs, but is still building toward becoming a top program. The other is, simply put, a proven winner.
Bentworth High School has made playoff appearances each of the past four seasons, but hasn't advanced past the quarterfinals.
Chartiers-Houston, meanwhile, is the two-time defending WPIAL Class A champion and has been in the semifinals each of the last eight years.
When the two met on a blustery Wednesday afternoon at the Allison Elementary School field, each had something to gain from the key early-season Section 1-A matchup.
Bentworth wanted to prove it can play with one of Class A's best, and Chartiers-Houston wanted to show it's still the team to beat.
In a game that features two veteran squads, as this one did, a few key hits, some unearned runs or one big inning can change the outcome.
That's what happened when Chartiers-Houston scored five unearned runs and beat Bentworth, 5-1, in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals last season. This time, the Bucs used a five-hit, four-run first inning to claim another 5-1 victory.
The Bearcats, who moved into Section 1 after Beth-Center moved up to Class AA, and Bucs will play two more times during the regular season, but in a sense, both teams accomplished early goals.
"This was a tough win for us, and a good win because we know Bentworth is a very good team," Char-Houston coach Tricia Alderson said. "We were able to string some hits together and put the ball in play."
Jaci Timko led off the bottom of the first by ripping a single to center field. Samantha Hall then poked a ball over the head of Bentworth third baseman Brittany Kurowski, who was guarding against a bunt. Kristina Kowalski's bunt loaded the bases for C-H, and after one out Michelle Greenawalt delivered a two-run double to right field. Kaitlyn Rupprecht followed with a triple to the right-centerfield gap that scored Kowalski and courtesy-runner Alyssa Phillippi for a 4-1 lead.
"You can't take anything away from Chartiers-Houston, they're a good team and they played well," Bentworth coach Kathy Mitchell said. "I don't think we played bad, we just gave up too many hits in the first. A hit is a hit and there's nothing you can do about it."
Alyssa Zrimsek settled down after the first inning. Though the Bucs (2-0, 5-0) finished with 15 hits, Zrimsek worked out of jams in the second, third, fourth and sixth innings. She struck out seven, and in typical fashion, did not issue a walk.
Center fielder Chelsea Myers helped out with two quality plays to keep Bentworth (3-1, 4-1) within striking distance. She made a running catch of a Timko line drive in the fourth and threw out Kowalski at home plate in the sixth.
Greenawalt, however, was the difference-maker for the Bucs. A day after striking out 15 Fort Cherry batters, Greenawalt fanned 11 Bearcats, walked one and gave up just two hits. Offensively, she was 3-for-4 and scored an insurance run in the fifth inning on Devon Strimel's RBI groundout.
"As part of the team, you just have to do those things," Greenawalt said. "When you have runners on second and third, you do whatever it takes to get them in.
"It was an important win because we're in a new section and it's new ground. This gives us a boost of confidence to start the season."
Still, with two meetings to come, neither coach put too much emphasis on the game.
"We just have to look at this as water under the bridge. We play them again in two weeks," said Mitchell, whose Bearcats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Melissa Rankin hit a long home run to left-center field.
"Anything can happen when you play a team three times," Alderson said. "By the third time, everyone knows everyone else. It's tough to beat a team three times."