Richey hits 7th-inning grand slam to give Chartiers-Houston win
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Observer-Reporter
SENECA – If the situation wasn’t a desperate one for the Chartiers-Houston softball team, then it was getting that way quickly Monday afternoon.
The Bucs trailed District 9 champion Cranberry 2-0 entering the top of the seventh inning in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs.
Cranberry was playing on its home diamond and was only three outs away from the state quarterfinals. And Chartiers-Houston had to generate two baserunners to turn the batting order over and get leadoff hitter Ella Richey to the plate.
The Bucs did more than that.
Chartiers-Houston’s first four batters of the seventh reached base, cutting Cranberry’s lead to a single run. That brought Richey to the plate with bases loaded and no outs.
Richey delivered a hit that propelled the Bucs into the quarterfinals. The senior catcher smacked a grand slam to left field on the first pitch of the at-bat, giving Chartiers-Houston a thrilling 5-2 victory.
The Bucs (21-2) still had to close out the game in the bottom of the seventh, but pitcher Meadow Ferri took care of that by striking out the side in order.
Chartiers-Houston will play District 10 champion Seneca, a 7-2 winner over Riverside, on Thursday at a site to be determined.
For six innings, Chartiers-Houston was stymied by Cranberry pitcher Gracee Hess and the Berries’ defense. C-H had only two hits and Cranberry (13-5) pushed across single runs in the first and fifth innings.
Hess struck out only three and walked two.
In the seventh, C-H’s Tayrne Drilak led off with her second single of the game. She was the only player in the contest with a multi-hit game. Sydney English walked on five pitches and Cranberry brought Danica Wenner in to pitch. She gave up a single to Aubree Randolph that loaded the bases with no outs.
Pinch-hitter Cherish Wilson followed by drawing a walk, which forced in a run and cut Cranberry’s lead to 2-1. It also brought Richey to the plate with no outs and set up the game-winning grand slam.
Ferri pitched a three-hitter. She walked three and struck out 10.
Cranberry scored in the first inning with a leadoff walk and an RBI double by Keelie Schnieder. It became 2-0 in the first when Cranberry scored on a squeeze bunt.