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Timely hitting lifts Mt. Pleasant to win over Belle Vernon

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Observer-Reporter

The shut down of high school sports in Pennsylvania due to the coronavirus could be detrimental to the development of young umpires because they are missing out on valuable game experience.

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Mackenzie Randall/Observer-Reporter Belle VernonþÄôs Megan Christner (17) tags first base as Mt. PleasantþÄôs Alyssa Keslar (2) charges forward during the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal on Thursday, June 8th at California University.

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Mackenzie Randall/Observer-Reporter Belle VernonþÄôs Kourtney Gavatorta (24) congratulates teammate Megan Christner (17) after scoring a run during the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal on Thursday, June 8th at California University.

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Mackenzie Randall/Observer-Reporter Belle VernonþÄôs Bailey Parshall (22) throws in a pitch during the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal on Thursday, June 8th at California University.

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Mackenzie Randall/Observer-Reporter Belle VernonþÄôs Kourtney Gavatorta (24) connects with the ball during the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal on Thursday, June 8th at California University.

CALIFORNIA – Pulling into the parking lot of California University’s Lilley Field, the Belle Vernon High School softball team sang along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.”

After falling behind twice to Mt. Pleasant – in the fourth and fifth innings – the Leopards didn’t stop believing as they climbed their way back both times.

Mt. Pleasant leadoff hitter Ava Gnibus made sure the third time the Vikings took the lead was the backbreaker.

With runners on first and third, Gnibus ripped a two-run double to deep left centerfield to give Mt. Pleasant a lead it would not surrender as the Vikings defeated Belle Vernon 5-4 in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal game Thursday afternoon.

Gnibus, who scored later in the sixth on an Adaline Kubasky single off a Belle Vernon infielder, gave Mt. Pleasant a vital insurance run that it didn’t get two times earlier in the game.

Mt. Pleasant scored the first run of the game after Sydney Kanuch slapped an infield single to lead off the third inning and was brought home on a line-drive single to right field from Gnibus, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI.

“The moment we got that first run, I could tell it was a complete change in the dugout,” Mt. Pleasant coach Lauren Shaheen said. “The morale was lifted. The first solid hit, and the first time we scored, I looked into the dugout and saw an immediate change in confidence.”

It was a confidence Mt. Pleasant (15-3) failed to have when suffering a 1-0 loss to Belle Vernon in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs, when the Vikings only managed two hits the entire game and failed to score.

“I wasn’t sure how they were going to react,” Shaheen said about seeing Belle Vernon pitcher Bailey Parshall two times in as many weeks. “We worked on everything possible to fix what we didn’t do right in the last game. We knew we were going to get a fantastic team, a fantastic pitcher and a good coaching staff. All we could do on our end was to work on the little things we didn’t accomplish the last time.”

Despite Parshall striking out 15 Vikings – eight over the first three innings – the contact Mt. Pleasant was able to make was timely, scoring more runs than any other team has in a game against Belle Vernon (20-2) all season.

“You have to give them credit. They hit the ball,” said Belle Vernon coach Tom Rodriguez. “I knew it was going to be a tough game.”

The Leopards made the score 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Mekenzie Sokol’s ground ball found its way under the glove of diving Mt. Pleasant shortstop Christiana Czegan to bring home Parshall. They then took a 3-2 lead the next inning when Parshall doubled again into the left-centerfield gap to score Megan Christner and Lexie Church.

It was the three-run sixth inning for Mt. Pleasant – all unearned runs – that finally buried the hope of the WPIAL champion, even after a run-scoring single from Christner pulled the Leopards to within 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“I feel bad for the seniors,” Rodriguez said. “Everyone looked forward to advancing. Everybody played a total a total game. One little thing makes a difference in games like these.”

Only a junior, Parshall led Belle Vernon by going 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Three of the five runs she allowed were unearned.

Sokol had two singles for the Leopards.

Meadow Uncapher, who was given the nod as the starting pitcher during pregame warmups, was the winner, going 6 2/3 innings and striking out three. She moved to second base in the sixth inning before returning to the circle after her replacement loaded the bases while recording only one out.

Kubasky and Kanuch each had two hits for Mt. Pleasant.

“I’m looking at the hits we had,” Shaheen said. “If we have to take more strikeouts to get more hits, I’m for it. We didn’t hit at all the last time we played them. We didn’t capitalize the game before against them. We didn’t execute when we needed to. Today, we did.”

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