NA knocks off Canon-Mac; BV advances

BALDWIN – Canon-McMillan saw its softball season come to an end Wednesday afternoon, and for the third straight year, it came at the hands of North Allegheny in the WPIAL quarterfinals.
“We put the bat on the ball, but hit it right at them,” said Canon-McMillan coach Michele Moeller of her team’s 4-2 defeat. “Everywhere we hit it, it went right to people. I felt confident that we would keep hitting the ball but didn’t get them to drop.”
Early on, the game was a pitcher duel between Canon-McMillan’s Abi Michelucci and the Tigers’ Brooke Serbin. Through the first four innings, neither team scored. The Big Macs (10-5) only left one runner on and North Allegheny (13-7) left three.
The game was scoreless until the fifth, when both teams scored a pair of runs.
With one out in the top of the inning, Serbin, the No. 8 hitter, singled and Mary Khoury was hit by a pitch. Shannon Hamm singled to load the bases, but Michelucci forced Maddy DeRubbo to pop out to third baseman Erica Haught.
However, Michelucci walked Rachel Martindale to score Serbin, and a passed ball allowed a second run to score.
The Big Macs tied the game in the next inning. Katelyn Greaves led off with a double and Bailey Nickles entered the game to run for Greaves. One out later, Makenzie Hollie was hit by a pitch and Ashley Buggey attempted a sacrifice bunt. North Allegheny third baseman Kristen Chomos had no play and that loaded the bases.
Haught followed with a single up the middle to score Nickles and Hollie with one out. However, Buggey and Hollie were stranded on base when Kayla Hopkins and pinch-hitter Kayla Bruce each grounded out to first base.
North Allegheny scored two runs in the seventh on a home run to left field by Chomos with two outs that would be the winning hit.
“Abi pitched a great game,” Moeller said. “(Chomos) put a great bat on the ball.”
Buggey and Haught led Canon-Mac with two singles each.
“This is a really good group of kids and they work well together,” Moeller said. “This is horrible for them. This is a great senior class, but it just didn’t go our way today. I am proud of them. They feel bad, I feel bad, and no one is feeling good right now because we are a better team than what we showed.”
N.A. advances to take on top-seed Hempfield (20-0) Tuesday at a time and site to be determined.
Belle Vernon, 4-0: Belle Vernon is headed back to the WPIAL semifinals, this time in Class AAAA, thanks to a 4-0 shutout win over Central Valley Wednesday in a quarterfinal game.
Belle Vernon pitcher Bailey Parshall, a Penn State commit, struck out 13 Central Valley batters and limited them to three late singles to lead the way for the Lepoards. She admitted that the warmer it gets, the better she throws.
“It’s pretty hot out and I throw better when it is hot out,” said Parshall, who has 205 strikeouts this season and extended her school records with her 54th win and 632nd career strikeouts. “I felt good out there and we got it going offensively.”
Belle Vernon head coach Tom Rodriguez was impressed with Parshall’s performance and to finally get back to action.
“The hotter it is, the harder she throws,” he said. “She got it going early, threw her changeup a few times, and her curve was on.
“But it felt good to get back out there (in a meaningful game).”
Belle Vernon, which had a first-round bye, scrimmaged Class 6-A top-seed Hempfield Friday and Class A top-seed West Greene Monday.
It didn’t take long for Belle Vernon (17-1) to get on the board as it scored a pair of runs in the first inning. With one out, Lexie Church walked and stole second base. Kourtney Gavatorta doubled Church in then scored on a Mekenzie Sokol double on the next pitch.
Belle Vernon added an insurance run in the fourth. With one out, Jordan French reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced on a bunt by Hanna Legazza. Kaitlyn Carr hit a ball to right field that was misplayed and French scored.
Belle Vernon scored its last run in the fifth. Parshall doubled and, with two outs, Gavatorta singled her in.
Sokol, Parshall, and Gavatorta each finished with a single and double for the Leopards.
Carlie Smith, the No. 9 hitter for Central Valley (11-7), broke up Parshall’s no-hitter with a single to the opposite field that hit just inside the right field line.
BVA now faces third-seeded Mt. Pleasant in the semifinals at a time and location to be announced.