May 18, 2015 4 min read

McKEES ROCKS – After the game had ended, a group of players from Jefferson-Morgan High School’s softball team gathered just outside the fences for a hug and to shed some tears.

It was a bittersweet day that punctuated an emotional time.

No, the Rockets did not lose. In fact, they played well in defeating Sewickley Academy, 3-1, Monday in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs at Fairhaven Park.

Just three days earlier, their assistant coach, Chris Dugan, died of cancer, leaving a void on the team but an emotional rallying point that just might help produce a championship.

“We talked about. We know he’s still here with us,” said winning pitcher Maddie Ludrosky through tears. “We have someone to play for and we want this really bad. We worked really hard to get this far. We have somebody and something to play for this year.”

“It was a tough (weekend),” said catcher Reagan Rush. “Now, we’re playing for him.”

The 13-2 Rockets, co-champions with Chartiers-Houston in Section 1, will play either Frazier or Greensburg Central Catholic Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. That game was suspended by rain yesterday with Frazier leading 6-1 in the fifth inning. It will be completed today at 4 p.m.

Jefferson-Morgan will have at least two more games to play as the top three teams from the WPIAL qualify for the PIAA Championships.

The other quarterfinal game at Fairhaven – Chartiers-Houston vs. Monessen – never got started. A lightning delay interrupted warmups before a thunderstorm forced postponement to today at 4 p.m. at North Strabane Intermediate School.

Jefferson-Morgan advanced to the semifinals last season before losing to South Side Beaver, 5-3. That roster had only two seniors.

Against Sewickley Academy, Rush provided the spark on offense, doubling to lead off the third and fifth innings to produce two of Jefferson-Morgan’s three runs.

“(Their outfielders) kept backing up,” Barbetta said, “and she kept hitting it over their heads.”

After doubling in the third inning, Rush moved to third on a groundout and scored the game’s first run on an error by shortstop Kat Goebel.

Sewickley Academy (13-3), the Section 5 champion, tied the score in the fourth when power-hitting first baseman Chandler White smashed a double through the right side of the infield that reached the fence, 200 feet from home plate.

Jefferson-Morgan retook the lead in the fifth after Rush’s second double. Ludrosky lofted a ball that dropped just into center field to drive her in.

“It was a really short hit,” said Ludrosky. “But I’m glad I got it.”

Sewickley Academy put a runner on in the sixth and White came up again. Ludrosky struck her out on a changeup.

“I didn’t show my changeup the first three innings,” said Ludrosky. “I was saving it for later in the game. I was going to try to throw it outside, then try the changeup.”

It appeared high but White offered.

“I didn’t want the big girl coming up again,” said Barbetta. “She has quick hands and can hit the ball over the houses over there. We were trying to strike her out.”

The Rockets put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, when Autumn Tedrow walked and came around to score on an error, the fourth of the game by Sewickley Academy.

Ludrosky, who struck out 11 and did not walk a batter, had a 1-2-3 seventh. That started the celebration of a ninth straight win and the reminiscing about Dugan.

“Chris was a very good friend,” Barbetta said. “We talked about everything. We had discussions on the phone. Then we discussed wings because he liked to eat wings. We didn’t always agree (over the years) but it was a good mix.”

Dugan’s daughter, Camryn, had a productive game, walking in the first inning, grounding out to first base in the third that moved Rush to third base and setting up a run in the fifth with a sacrifice bunt.

“That’s what Chris would have wanted. He wanted her to play,” said Barbetta. “He didn’t want her to miss the things she loved. We always talked about keeping these girls together. When they got older, you don’t know what’s going to happen. They get (distracted). We managed to keep them all together. And we were going to come out and play hard for Chris. When they came out to play ball today, they were ready to play.”