Fillies beat Lady Gators in non-league softball action
CONNELLSVILLE – The Laurel Highlands Fillies and the Geibel Catholic Lady Gators took a break from section play to get in some much-needed work under less stressful game conditions. The Fillies picked up their third win of the season with a 7-4 win on a beautiful sunny spring day at the Lady Gators’ home field.
“It was nice to come back with a win after a loss to Elizabeth-Forward,” Fillies head coach George Kaiser said. “The weather has kept us indoors most of the time, so it’s good to get outside and play.”
The Fillies (3-2, 1-1) struck early with two runs in the first inning. With two out and Angie Shotter at second, Marci Pursglove ripped a double to left, scoring Shotter. Angie Stafford followed with another double to drive in Pursglove.
The Lady Gators (3-3, 1-1) came back to tie the score in the bottom of the fourth. Laura Campbell led off the inning with a base hit. Emily Pennington followed with a hit to right, and Campbell was thrown out trying for third. Pennington gave way to a courtesy runner, who moved to second on a passed ball. Laura Gardner drew a walk, putting runners at first and second with one out.
Annie Kozel laid down a bunt, which was thrown away by Pursglove, the Fillies’ third basemen. The errant throw allowed the runner to score from third and also moved Gardner to third. Katie Andyjohn then laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Gardner from third.
“The girls played hard and didn’t quit today,” Geibel coach Bill Gardner said. “I saw some kids play good defense and others put the bat on the ball today. That’s a big plus for us.”
The Fillies charged back with a four-run fifth inning. Abby Martin led off the inning with a hit and was forced at second on a ground ball by Janelle Linn. Shotter singled to center, putting runners at first and second, and then Pursglove drew a walk to load the bases.
A wild pitch allowed Linn to score, moving Shotter to third. Lady Gators catcher Pennington attempted to pick off Shotter at third. The throw hit the bag and went into left field, allowing Shotter to score, increasing the Fillies lead to 4-2. After Stafford flied to left, Amy Bandzuch swatted a pitch into the left-center gap for a two-run homer, making the score 6-2.
Geibel came back with two in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Jessica Zamisky struck out, but the ball got by the catcher, putting her on first. She moved to second on a steal. Lori Moncheck flied out to second, and Laura Campbell followed with a two-out triple to left, scoring Zamisky. Campbell also scored on the play when the relay throw was bobbled by the shortstop, making the score 6-4.
The Fillies picked up their final run in the seventh. Linn got aboard on an error, then stole second. Shotter doubled to left scoring Linn. Stafford, in her first ever outing on the mound, picked up the win for the Fillies. “Stafford just started pitching, and we decided to give her a start, and she did a great job,” Kaiser said. “We have another game against Brownsville that will give us a chance to look at more people that could help us before we play section games Monday and Wednesday.”
Moncheck took the loss for Geibel, but drew some encouraging words from her coach. “Lori has been here three years and this is the first time she has pitched,” Gardner said. “She did a good job today. She can help us later in the year when we need an extra arm. Overall, the girls didn’t do a bad job today. We’ve just got to keep improving on defense and hitting.”
The Lady Gators return to section play Monday when they face Monessen.