Monessen blanks Union, gets rematch with West Greene
McMURRAY – Dana Vatakis threw a one-hit shutout and hit a solo homer as Monessen defeated Union 5-0 Thursday afternoon in the PIAA Class A softball quarterfinals at Peterswood Park.
Monessen (17-4) advances to the state semifinals Monday against Section 2 rival West Greene at a site and time to be determined. It will be the fourth matchup this season betwene the Greyhounds and Pioneers with each of the last two being decided by one run.
Monessen didn’t have much toruble with Union (18-4), the WPIAL’s third-place team. The Greyhounds scored three runs in the third inning and cruised to the victory behind vatakis’ pitching. The senior righthander struck out 14 and issued only one walk. The lone hit for Union was a a fourth-inning single by Shae Lynn Quinn.
Destiny Habeck had a big game for Monessen, going 2-for-3 with a double, triple, two runs, two RBI. Habeck gave Monessen the only runs it would need when her triple in the third inning scored Paige kerestesi and Sydney Caterino. Habeck made it 3-0 when she scored on a single by Mattie Telegraphis.
Vatakis smacked a solo homer to left centerfield in the fourth inning. A walk to Habeck and two Union errors pushed the Greyhounds’ final run across home plate in the fifth.