High school softball: Short-handed McGuffey upset by Brownsville
The Pirates’ home-opener ended with a victory at PNC Park, but it had an impact on a WPIAL softball game.
With a handful players attending the victory on the North Shore, short-handed McGuffey lost to Brownsville, 4-2, in a Section 2-AA game.
Falcons pitcher Tiffany Maikovitch, who had nine strikeouts, also scored the go-head run in the fifth inning. She led off the inning with a double and Celena Smith’s two-run single gave Brownsville (2-3, 2-4) a lead it would not surrender.
Moriah McGueir struck out 10 for the Highlanders (3-1, 3-1), who dropped to second place in the section after committing five errors.
• Caley Ritts hit a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning to lift Burgettstown over South Fayette, 3-2, in a non-section game.
The Lions (6-5) led 2-0 after two innings before the Blue Devils (7-1) mounted a comeback behind Ritts. Pitcher Kate Tarr struck out 10 for Burgettstown, which has one six straight.
• Kaitlyn Dittrich pitched a complete game shutout with five strikeouts as Chartiers-Houston defeated Carlynton, 8-0, in a non-section game.
Kassie Kesneck, Macie Kesneck and Casey Craig each had two RBI to help the Bucs (7-1).
• Maddie Ludrosky fired a two-hitter and struck out 14 batters as Jefferson-Morgan moved into sole possession of second place in Section 1-A with a 3-0 victory over visiting West Greene.
J-M (3-1, 5-2) scored two runs in the third inning, which included an RBI-double by Morgan Simkovic. The Rockets tacked on an insurance run in the fourth inning.
Ludrosky walked only one batter. One of the two hits by West Greene (2-2, 5-3) was a double by Bailey Bennington.
Regan Rush and Maddie Dupont each doubled for J-M.
• Beth-Center jumped on Section 2-AA leader Carmichaels for four runs in the bottom of the first inning but the visiting Mikes battled back for an 11-4 victory.
The win, combined with a loss by McGuffey to Brownsville, gave Carmichaels (4-0, 4-2) sole possession of first place.
Winning pitcher Erica Burns struck out 13 and helped her cause with a double. Laura Walker and Katie Mays also had doubles for the Mikes. Ally Trippy doubled for B-C (1-3, 1-3).
• Winning pitcher Casey Hite hit a solo home run and Bentworth held off a late charge by visiting Waynesburg to defeat the Raiders, 6-4, in Section 2-AA.
Hite struck out seven and pitched a seven-hitter. Her solo homer came in Bentworth’s two-run third inning that gave the Bearcats a 6-0 lead. Waynesburg (2-2, 3-6) battled back with two runs in the fourth and two more in the seventh.
Morgan Vickless hit a two-run triple in Bentworth’s four-run first inning. Aubree Yates had a double for the Bearcats (4-2, 6-4).
Tara Stayley doubled for Waynesburg.
• Wash High picked up its first win of the season, defeating host California 17-3 in a non-section game.
Winning pitcher Taylor Ellis tossed a three-hitter, and Morgan Bainer had a double and scored three runs for the Prexies (1-7). Ellis, Alexis Strawn, Morgan Pattison and Gabby Bocanegra each doubled for Wash High.
Rachel Wilkinson, Kristina Luko and Maddie Boda each doubled for Cal (1-7), which did not hit a single.
• Winning pitcher Kara Richards drove in Hayle Fosbrrink with a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Ringgold the lead, and the Rams held visiting Albert Gallatin scoreless in the seventh for a wild 12-11 come-from-behind victory in a non-section game.
Richards went 3-for-4 with five RBI for the Rams (1-5). Albert Gallatin freshman Allyn Bezjak had a huge game for the Colonials (1-5), going 3-for-4 with a home run, triple and double and six RBI.