May 9, 2002 By The 5 min read

Carmichaels girls back in playoffs after win over J-M Carmichaels has been a perennial softball power, but suffered a rare non-playoff year in 2001.

The Lady Mikes are back in the postseason again in 2002, however, after beating host Jefferson-Morgan, 11-6 in eight innings, in a Section 1-A battle between Greene County rivals on Wednesday.

The win put Carmichaels (12-6, 7-3) in second place along with Avella behind section champion Chartiers-Houston.

Lady Mikes jumped out to a 4-0 lead with two runs in the first inning and two more in the third. The Lady Rockets roared back with a run in the bottom of the third and four in the fourth to go up 5-4.

Carmichaels put up two more runs in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead, but J-M tallied one in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.

Sara Pavel broke the tie for the Lady Mikes in the top of the eighth when she singled in Melissa Metcalf with what proved to be the winning run, and Carmichaels tacked on four insurance runs later in the inning to all but put the game away.

Metcalf went 3-for-4 and Autumn Willis contributed two hits for the Lady Mikes, who are guided by first-year coach Al McMinn.

Stacy Zuspan was the winning pitcher.

Losing pitcher Kelly Waligora had two hits.

Carmichaels out-hit the Lady Rockets 11-6.

Elizabeth-Forward 4, Laurel Highlands 3 – Elizabeth-Forward scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull out a rain-shortened, five-inning Section 3-AAA win over visiting Laurel Highlands.

The Lady Warriors trailed 3-2 when Jen March’s one-out single started the game-winning rally. Heather Boyd also singled, both runners advanced on a passed ball and Melissa Korenoski followed with a two-run single.

Sarah Holets got the final two outs in the top of the fifth to earn the win in relief of starter Heather Riley.

The Fillies (10-7, 5-4) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but E-F answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning.

LH jumped ahead with a run in the top of the fifth. Janelle Zinn drew a one-out walk, Angie Shotter singled her to second, Keri Smiell moved her to third with a fly out to right field, and she scored on a wild pitch.

Smiell had the game’s only extra-base hit with a double. Shotter, who went the distance in taking the loss, singled twice. She gave up just five singles.

Korenoski had two hits for Elizabeth-Forward.

The game was halted after the end of the fifth inning.

“We waited about 30 minutes, and the field was already wet when we started,” LH coach George Kaiser said. “They asked me if I wanted to wait any longer, and I said no. I wasn’t that I was quitting, but I was more worried about the safety of the girls.”

The Fillies host Connellsville in their final game of the season today at 4 p.m.

Turkeyfoot 5, Berlin 3 – Shelby Glover tossed a three-hitter and pitched out of a late jam as Turkeyfoot Valley defeated host Berlin in a West-Pac Conference game that was called after five innings due to rain.

The Lady Rams (6-9, 6-5) trailed 1-0 after three innings, but put up a run in the fourth to pull even.

Turkeyfoot surged to a 5-1 lead with four runs in the fifth. Lacrisha Reihle singled to start the rally and Ashley Garletts followed with a bunt hit. Ashley Tressler broke the deadlock with an RBI single and Laura Dehaven followed with a run-scoring ground out. After Kelly Prince walked, Ashley Nichols laid down a safety squeeze bunt that brought in Tressler. Jenette Augustine gave the Lady Rams a four-run lead with a run-scoring single.

Glover got into trouble in the bottom of the fifth, allowing two runs to score, but she got out of a two-out, two-on jam by getting the final batter to hit a come-backer to the mound to end the game.

Glover struck out five and walked two.

Turkeyfoot’s Becky Ohler doubled for the only extra-base hit of the game.

Rebecca Beachley took the loss for Berlin, which is now tied with Turkeyfoot in the West-Pac with a 6-5 record.

The Lady Rams travel to Salisbury today for a 4 p.m. game.

Baseball

Carmichaels 5, West Mifflin 0 – Jared Lapkowicz fired a three-hit shutout as Carmichaels knocked off host West Mifflin in a non-section game.

The Section 1-A champion Mikes improved to 13-2 overall, while the Titans, out of Section 7-AAA, fell to 2-11.

Carmichaels broke open a scoreless game with three runs in the sixth, then added two insurance runs in the seventh.

Shayne Busti got the game-winning rally stared with a lead-off walk and moved to second on Jared Lapkowicz’s sacrifice bunt. Jeff Lapkowicz doubled in Busti with the deciding run, and Bryan Wilson was hit by a pitch. Aaron Bowlen and Jamie Kowalczyk followed with back-to-back RBI singles.

Wilson and Niko Buday added run-scoring singles in the seventh for the Mikes.

Lapkowicz struck out six and walked three.