Apr 13, 2016 5 min read

FINLEYVILLE – There are few similarities between Belle Vernon’s softball team in 2016 and the one that won the WPIAL Class AAA championship last spring.

Four of the Leopards’ top hitters are gone from a team that hit for power and could outslug opponents when pitching or defense struggled.

There’s only one way to describe Belle Vernon’s offense this spring: small ball. That’s the only option head coach Tom Rodriguez had after he witnessed the Leopards lose 1-0 on three occasions.

Now, they must rely on speed, smart defense and one of the top pitchers in the state. Even on a day like Wednesday, when hits were hard to come by – a situation that has become all-too-common – the Leopards found a way to get on base, scraped together a few runs and like most games, pitching took care of the rest.

Until the offense comes alive, that’s the formula Rodriguez will turn to and it’s that combination that helped Belle Vernon hold off Ringgold for a 3-0 win in a Section 3-AAA game at Ringgold Middle School.

Belle Vernon (4-1, 7-3) scored three run s on six hits and stranded eight runners on base, including three in scoring position and at least one in all but one inning.

“We haven’t faced what I call a quality pitcher,” Rodriguez said of the Leopards’ wins. “The three we have faced are the ones we lost 1-0 to. We have to be able to score a couple runs against good teams. I don’t know what else to do. We work at it, we try everything. I’m a little frustrated. Luckily, our pitching is doing good.”

Good is a bit of an understatement.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Bailey Parshall, who committed to Penn State before her freshman season, continued her dominant start by pitching a complete game one-hitter with 12 strikeouts and three walks.

She now has four shutouts with 104 strikeouts in 10 games this season. Ringgold head coach Erik Hilligsberg knew what to expect from Parshall after coaching against Belle Vernon’s middle school program during his time at West Mifflin.

He expected a rising fastball that was difficult not to chase or even make contact with, and pin-point command around the strike zone. Of the 25 batters she faced, Parshall only threw the first pitch for a ball three times. When she’s ahead in the count, batters begin to chase and against the Rams’ inexperienced lineup, Parshall was at her best.

Ringgold (2-1, 3-1) got its only hit on a line drive single by Johnna Mocniak in the bottom of the fourth inning.

“We knew coming in that she’s one of the best in the WPIAL,” Hilligsberg said. “We knew it would be tough and we’d have to scrape together some runs. I’ll be happy to see her when she’s wearing navy and white for Penn State and I can watch her on TV.”

Though the Rams weren’t able to scrape together much, that’s exactly what Belle Vernon did to grab an early lead. Junior left fielder Megan Christner, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases, led off the game with an infield single.

Lexie Church followed with a walk before Parshall drilled a 3-2 breaking ball to left field for an RBI double. Kourtney Gavatorta followed with an RBI single. It’s no secret that the Leopards’ offense thrives when Christner or Church get on base and use their speed to put pressure on an opposing pitcher.

When Christner led off the third inning with a four-pitch walk, she quickly stole second and advanced to third on a bunt single by Church. The Leopards’ junior center fielder, Church was caught in a rundown trying to steal second and while Ringgold second baseman Taylor Menedicino chased her down, Christner bolted for home and beat the throw, allowing both runners to advance a base and giving Belle Vernon a 3-0 lead.

Christner and Church combined for three hits and scored all three of Belle Vernon’s runs.

“I have to get one of those two on,” Rodriguez said of Christner and Church. “If I get one of those two on every time, Megan is pretty fast (so) we usually run her. I told them I’m playing small ball until we start hitting. You can’t just hope it’s going to start. You have to try something.”

Though Ringgold’s offense struggled, its defense was improved, including a perfect catch by first baseman Maddelynn Beckinger on a line drive in the seventh inning and several nice plays in the infield and senior pitcher Sam Polaski allowed just six hits. Though the loss ends the Rams’ undefeated start to the season, there were plenty of positives.

“We were right in the game,” Hilligsberg said. “The girls, particularly the young ones on the team, proved to themselves that they can play with the better teams.”