Lady Bulldogs secure spot in WPIAL softball finals
CALIFORNIA – Forgive Beth-Center’s Frank Mazeppa for being at a loss for words. In his 19 years at Beth-Center, this may have been a first. He had just watched his Lady Bulldogs secure a spot in the WPIAL finals with a win over Chartiers-Houston, but not before some anxious moments.
Tuesday’s Class A semifinal at California University of Pa.’s Lilley Field had more story lines than an hour’s worth of “All My Children”, but in the end, Beth-Center found itself on the better half of the plot after an 8-5 victory.
“I asked one of my assistant coaches, ‘Do you believe this?” Mazeppa said.
Among the highlights:
While runs are usually at a premium this late in the WPIAL playoffs, Beth-Center and Chartiers-Houston scored 13 of ’em, after combining for 21 hits. The Lady Bulldogs scored four runs in their first and final at-bats, while the Lady Buccaneers put up a four-spot in the top of the third inning.
The victory puts Beth-Center (17-5) in the WPIAL title game for the first time ever, while Chartiers-Houston (16-4) suffered a semifinal-round loss for the third straight year. Last year in the quarterfinals, the Lady Buccaneers knocked off Beth-Center, scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 1-0.
Kristi Mazzaferri’s bases-clearing double with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the game winner. After striking out, popping up a bunt with runners on second and third and grounding out, Mazzaferri came up with the biggest hit of her career on the first pitch from fireballer Jen Alderson.
Chartiers-Houston stranded nine runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the top of the first inning. The Lady Buccaneers also left a runner on third base three other times.
Every spot in the batting order seemed to hit the ball for both teams, except the No. 3 and 4 hitters. Combined, they were 2 for 16 with one run and one RBI.
The most previous runs Alderson had allowed this season was in a 5-4 win over North Allegheny April 5. Beth-Center put the ball in play against Alderson, as every batter but two had a least one hit and Alderson finished with only three strikeouts.
Beth-Center, despite winning its section and consistently making the playoffs under Mazeppa, was seeded only sixth by the WPIAL. After a 5-0 win over Leechburg in their opener, the Lady Bulldogs have knocked off third-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic, 3-1, and No. 2 Chartiers-Houston. Next up: No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion Sto-Rox. The game will be played Thursday at 1 p.m. at Lilley Field.
“This is the greatest feeling, especially for the girls,” Mazeppa said. “They really deserve it.”
Beth-Center deserved it and then some Tuesday, erupting for four first-inning runs, then weathering a four-run Chartiers-Houston uprising two innings later. The winning rally came in typical softball fashion, where a walk, a key hit and a fielder’s choice or two add up to a big inning.
With the score tied at four, the first of twin Brady sisters, Jamie, milked a walk out of Alderson on five pitches. Jennifer Brady then singled to right-center, sending her sister to third. Both Bradys were lifted in favor of pinch runners, Chelsea Stotka for Jamie Brady and Kim Urcho for Jennifer Brady.
With No. 8 hitter Alisha Holt batting, Urcho took off for second in an attempt to draw a throw. Chartiers-Houston catcher Colleen Kelly returned the ball to Alderson, who kept an eye on Stotka at third base. With Stotka dancing off the bag and drawing the attention of Alderson, Urcho was able to pull into second.
Holt then hit a comebacker, and Alderson elected to take a shot at Stotka at third base after she came down the line. Stotka beat the throw back to the bag, however, and the bases were jammed.
Tammy Penland, the No. 9 hitter, then stroked her second single of the day, a shot to left field which made it 5-4. After Urcho was forced out on Leslie Kurjanowicz’s grounder, Mazzaferri lined the first pitch from Alderson into left-centerfield to easily clear the bases.
“I’ve been hitting pretty well lately, and I knew we needed some runs,” Mazzaferri said. “I got a pitch and I just went with it.”
In the second inning with her team leading 4-0, Mazzaferri came up with Holt on third and Kurjanowicz on second. She tried to drop down a bunt, but popped out to Shannon Arnold at third.
On the mound, the junior right-hander suffered one bad inning, then worked out of jams in the first, second, fourth and fifth. With two outs in the third and a runner on third base, Mazzaferri hung a 1-2 changeup to No. 6 hitter Nikki Lane. Lane lined the pitch to center to make it 4-1, and Chartiers-Houston followed with three consecutive hits, including two doubles, to pull even.
“We could have easily folded after that,” Mazeppa said. “But we didn’t. My girls showed a lot of character. Chartiers-Houston took the wind out of our sails, and we could have easily got down but we came back and kept trying to work for runs.”
After the Lady Buccaneers left the bases loaded in the top of the first, Beth-Center used a two-out rally against Alderson, who was averaging double digits in strikeouts this season. Kurjanowicz lined a double over the head of centerfielder Elexis Riggle to lead off, and after Mazzaferri was called out for fouling a bunt attempt off with two strikes, Sherri Roberts popped out.
Stacy Greenawalt then singled to center for the game’s first run and Breanne Paletta followed with a single. Jamie Brady’s grounder to third was misplayed to load the bases, before Jennifer Brady smacked a sharp single to left, which skipped past Chartiers-Houston’s Natalie McCall allowing three runs to score.
The Lady Bulldogs finished with 10 hits, including two each by Greenawalt, Jennifer Brady and Pendland.
“We thought we could get four or five runs, but we knew Beth-Center could hit the ball as well,” said Lady Buccaneers coach Dan Ross. “We didn’t want to give up more than two or three runs. They came out and knocked us in the mouth. They were hitting Jen’s fastballs. That was the difference. When she was ahead in the count, she could mix it up. But she fell behind in the sixth, and they jumped on her fastball.”