May 12, 2015 4 min read

McKEES ROCKS – With the type of week Jefferson-Morgan’s softball team went through, Tuesday afternoon’s playoff game against Western Beaver must have felt like a relief from those stressful situations.

“One of my assistant coaches is very, very sick. He’s my second baseman’s dad and a good friend of mine,” said Jefferson-Morgan head coach Tony Barbetta. “My starting pitcher was in a car wreck with three other people and my shortstop stepped on a ball and had a high ankle sprain. And it all came in the same week. They say that bad things come in threes so you can group that however you want.”

The 10-0 six-inning victory over the 14th-seeded Golden Beavers in the WPIAL Class A first-round game at Fairhaven Park not only advanced the third-seeded Rockets to the next round, but it offered a chance to put such a tumultuous week in the rear-view mirror.

Starting pitcher Maddie Ludrosky totaled her vehicle and, thankfully, was uninjured. She was in great form against the Golden Beavers, striking out 14 and allowing just one hit in six innings.

Chris Dugan, an assistant coach for the Rockets, is very ill. His daughter Camryn, the Rockets’ second baseman, will have good news to tell him from this game. Camryn Dugan sent a 3-2 pitch over the right-center field fence for a three-run home run that punctuated a five-run second inning. The softball traveled approximately 225 feet before landing on the hillside.

“I knew once I made contact with it, it was going to go far,” said Camryn Dugan. “I wasn’t anticipating it going that far, that’s for sure. I was just thinking about going for two. Once it went over, I thought, ‘Whew, a weight is off.’ It was probably one of the key hits, but we definitely had a lot of good hits today. Our team hit the ball very well.”

The Rockets scored five in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth. Ludrosky was in complete control with a perfect game through four innings and a no-hitter that lasted until Alexis Halyin smashed a double to center to start the sixth.

“The key always is pitching,” said Barbetta. “Ludrosky had a good game. She had 14 strikeouts and 16 is her high, against West Greene.”

Morgan Simkovic’s ankle was sore after stepping on a ball during practice and she was under orders – with the rest of the team – not to steal bases for fear of injury. Simkovic will have five more days before the Rockets play Sewickley Academy in the quarterfinals. Sewickley Academy disposed of Union, 8-2, to advance.

“I wasn’t going to let Simkovic play,” Barbetta said. “We had practice (Tuesday morning) and she came out to take some swings. She hit the ball good.”

Simkovic went 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the fifth inning that gave the Rockets (12-2) a 9-0 lead. She was pinch-run for by Kayla Yorko after the double. Yorko singled in her next at-bat to drive in a run and make it 10-0, ending the game.

“My week was like, ‘Why am I doing this? I could be fishing with my brother in West Virginia,'” Barbetta joked. “We’re not 100 percent but I was fortunate enough to be able to get some other girls in.”

Reagan Rush drove in two runs with a single in the second and came home on Dugan’s home run, her first of the season and seventh of her career.

Western Beaver finished the season with a 6-5 record, playing only Section 4-A games and the one playoff. The Golden Beavers finished third in their section. Brenda Militello, head coach of Western Beaver, was unavailable for comment.