Softball: Belle Vernon holds off Trinity in key 3-AAA game
Belle Vernon scored four runs over the first two innings Monday and held off visiting Trinity 6-3 in a pivotal Section 3-AAA game.
The win gives Belle Vernon (8-1, 13-2) a 1½-game lead over both Trinity and Elizabeth Forward. The Leopards have 10 in a row since losing 7-0 at Trinity in late March.
Winning pitcher Bailey Parshall struck out nine and scattered seven hits. Paige Galentine had a double and two RBI for Trinity (7-3, 11-4). Olivia Gray and Addison Barr also doubled. Emily Fred
• Winning pitcher Tiffany Markovitch scattered eight hits and helped her cause with a double to lead Brownsville to a 7-4 victory over host Charleroi in Section 2-AA.
The win keeps Brownsville (6-5, 6-6) in playoff contention, only one game behind third-place Bentworth. Charleroi is 3-6, 4-7.
Both teams scored four runs in the first inning but Markovitch blanked Charleroi the rest of the way. Hannah Kondratik also had a double for the Falcons.
• Jefferson-Morgan moved into a tie for first place in Section 1-A with a 12-2 victory over visiting Fort Cherry in a five-inning game.
The Rockets moved to 7-1 in the section and are tied with Chartiers-Houston. J-M did not play any of its seniors against Fort Cherry (1-6, 1-8). Camryn Dugan was the winning pitcher, throwing a five-hitter with nine strikeouts. Morgan Simkovic doubled for the Rockets (9-2 overall).
• West Greene clinched a playoff berth out of Section 1-A by sweeping a doubleheader against Avella, 15-0 in four innings and 17-0 in six innings.
Freshman Madison Renner had a big day for West Greene (6-3, 10-4). She drove in two runs in the opener, then went 4-for-5 with six RBI, two doubles and a grand slam, the latter coming in the Pioneers’ nine-run sixth inning. To top off the day, Renner was the winning pitcher in the second game, throwing a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts.
In the opener, winning pitcher Bailey Bennington tossed a one-hitter, struck out seven and helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI. Lexi Mooney also drove in three runs.
• Canon-McMillan swept a Section 4-AAAA double-header against Upper St. Clair with 36 total hits, defeating the Panthers 20-0 and 22-0 in two three-inning games.
Brittney Crawford went 2-for-3 with three RBI in game one and hit a three-run home run in the second game for the Big Macs (8-1, 10-2). Katelyn Greaves hit a three-run homer in game one, while Abby McCartney had four RBI in game two. Tara Fowler earned both wins in the circle.