Leopards pay for errors of their ways
BELLE VERNON – When neighboring rivals Yough and Belle Vernon get together in softball, anything can, has, and usually does happen.
Monday afternoon was no exception as Yough took advantage of three Belle Vernon two-out errors in the top of the seventh to keep its Class 4A Section 2 title hopes alive with a come-from-behind 4-2 win.
“It was a good game, and it is usually a barn-burner when we play them,” said Yough head coach Dutch Harvey. “I like how our kids came back in the last inning. Both pitchers did a great job.”
Belle Vernon coach Tom Rodriguez was to the point when asked about the seventh inning.
“Three errors with two outs, with two of them being easy ground balls,” he said. “It was a well-pitched game both ways and I feel bad for (pitcher) Talia (Ross).”
Ross struck out 12 over seven innings, and only one of the four runs she gave up was earned.
Meanwhile, Emma Augustine, the lone senior on Yough’s team, struck out eight to earn the win in the circle.
After three scoreless innings, Yough (10-1, 12-1) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth.
With one out, Madi Horvat singled and advanced to second when Abbey Zuraw walked two batters later. Sidney Bergman singled to score Horvat for the game’s first run.
“She has been under the weather all weekend and I give her credit playing sick,” Harvey said of the freshman. “That was a big hit.”
Yough’s lead didn’t last long as Maren Metikosh drilled a two-run home run deep over the fence in right-center in the bottom of the inning.
Metikosh’s blast, her fifth homer of the season, scored Abby Fabin, who led off the inning with a single, Belle Vernon’s first hit of the game.
“She gave us (a boost),” Rodriguez said of Metikosh’s blast.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Leopards (8-4, 10-6) looked prime to extend their lead.
Fabin led off the inning with a single, her second of the game, and Harvey intentionally walked Metikosh. Ashley Joll reached on a failed fielder’s choice to load the bases with no outs, but Augustine was able to get the next three batters out to send the game into the decisive seventh.
After Ross got the first two outs of the inning, Kaylin Ritenour walked.
An error put runners on first and third, and a misplayed ball off the bat of Adoria Waldier tied the game.
After Horvat walked to load the bases again, Katie Proctor hit the ball in between first and second, but it was misplayed and Yough scored two runs on the third Belle Vernon miscue of the inning.
Ritenour had a game-high three singles.
Yough, which has one senior and one junior on the team, and started four sophomores and four freshmen, is at section co-leader Elizabeth Forward today to finish the last three-plus innings of a game that was suspended two weeks ago.
EF (10-1, 13-2) leads 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Yough won the first game, 9-8, and takes a nine-game winning streak into the contest.
“They hit two home runs and that is the difference so far,” Harvey said. “We will go over there and see how things go.”
Meanwhile, Belle Vernon is at Latrobe today for a non-section game.
“Now we are looking at an eight or nine seed, and we would have to face Beaver in the second round, if we win the first round,” Rodriguez said. “They are still undefeated for a year-and-a-half.”