Hempfield Girls Track Invitational
Connellsville’s Roadman, LH’s Monaghan, Gmiter star at meet The Connellsville and Laurel Highlands girls track and field teams were well represented Saturday at the Hempfield Girls Track & Field Invitational with the Lady Falcons’ Christina Roadman being named the field MVP of the meet.
Roadman won two of the three throwing events with first place finishes in the javelin (126-7) and discus (118-5). Amanda Sines earned 10 of Connellsville’s 39 points with a second place finish in the shot put (35-3) and fifth in the discus (97-10).
Shannon Kovack was fourth in the 3,200 (12:10) and fifth in the 1,600 with a school record time of 5:28.9. Running mate Molly Mullaney finished the 800 in 2:34.
Lasasha Taulton had an impressive start in her first 400 with the freshman finishing sixth in a time of 1:02.3. Sophomore Lauren McCormick was fifth in the 300 intermediate hurdles with a time of 48.5 seconds.
Mikie Monaghan and Diane Gmiter both had a first place finish Saturday in the meet that featured 18 schools. The Fillies finished with 48 points.
Monaghan paced the field in the 1,600 with a winning time of 5:20.4. The senior finished third in the 800 with a time of 2:25.6.
Diane Gmiter was on the podium twice by winning the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 61/2 inches and placing second in the javelin (110-61/2).
Danielle LaPresta was third in the 400 with a time of 1:00.6. The 3,200 relay team of Monaghan, LaPresta, Jessi Evans and Deena Blanc was fourth in a time of 9:57.5 while the same foursome had the same result in the 1,600 relay with a time of 4:14.6.
Laurel Highlands returns to Section 2-AAA action Tuesday with a home meet against Yough.
Latrobe Boys Track & Field Invitational – A number of Connellsville Falcon athletes returned home Friday with medals with distance runner Kenny King leading the way at the 12-team meet.
King won the 1,600 in a time of 4:33 and ran the a leg of the winning 3,200 relay with Pat Mullaney, Kris Oswald and Brad Showman in a time of 8:24. The sophomore ran the anchor leg of the 1,600 relay with Frank Kolarik, Mullaney and Oswald to a fourth place finish in a time of 3:34.
Kolarik won a gold in the 300 intermediate hurdles with his winning time of 40.4 seconds while Mullaney was third in the 800 in 2:04. Nick Bailey had one his best efforts of the year by finishing seventh in the 1,600 with a time of 4:45.
The 400 relay team of Jared Smith, Kolarik, Bill Freed and Rich Hair was fourth with a time of 45.8 seconds. Smith placed fifth in the 200 in 2:38.
Corey Hixson earned some points in the field for the Falcons by placing fifth in the discus (132-10) and seventh in the shot put (44-2).
Connellsville finished sixth in the 12-team field with 50 points. The Falcons host Belle Vernon Tuesday in a Section 2-AAA meet.
High school baseball
Geibel Catholic 8, California 1 – Phil Gratchic went the distance to improve his record to 3-0 to lead the Gators to a Section 7-A road victory. Gratchic allowed nine hits, striking out seven and walking five.
With the Gators leading 2-1 in the top of the sixth, the visitors were able to pull away with four runs, the final two of the inning coming on Dan Chorba’s double. Geibel capped the scoring with two runs in the sixth.
Andrew Stroh had a double and single for the Gators. Rob Ramsey and Gratchic contributed two singles apiece to the victory.
Geibel Catholic improves to 3-0 in the section and 5-3 overall.
Seneca Valley 7, Connellsville 1 – The Falcons fell behind 4-0 after the first inning and were unable to recover for a non-section loss on the road.
Brent Wilson started for the Falcons and went three innings, allowing six runs of which four were unearned. Trailing 5-0 in the top of the third, Connellsville loaded the bases with one out, but winning pitcher Tim Kamnikar stuffed the rally.
Connellsville (4-6-1) returns to Section 2-AAA action Tuesday on the road at Albert Gallatin with a makeup game at Ringgold Thursday.
High school softball
Waynesburg 15, Washington 5 – The proverbial sleeping giant was snoozing for five innings, giving visiting Washington hopes for a huge Section 7-AA upset Saturday.
Then unbeaten Waynesburg Central woke up and it was lights out for the winless Lady Prexies.
The first-place Lady Raiders exploded for 12 runs in the bottom of the sixth to quickly turn a 5-3 deficit into a 10-run-rule victory.
Waynesburg (6-0, 3-0) smacked seven hits and took advantage of five walks in the inning.
The Lady Raiders’ Melinda Henderson drove in two runs on two hits in the sixth alone, and ended the day with four hits and three RBIs.
Winning pitcher Nikki Shriver allowed five hits and no walks with four strikeouts in going the distance, and also went 3 for 4 with a double at the plate. Angie Kayla contributed three hits as well.
Sheila Hunnell doubled for Washington (0-5, 0-4). Katie MacDonald walked 12 with no strikeouts in taking the loss.
Waynesburg scored a run in the first, but the Lady Prexies tied it up in the third and then put up four runs in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.
The Lady Raiders plated two runs in the fifth to make it 5-3 before putting together their furious, game-ending rally one inning later.
Brownsville 9, Washington 7, 8 innings – The Lady Falcons scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning Friday after tying the game with two runs in the seventh for a Section 7-AA victory.
Nicole Voytovich and Gina Pelehac both bunted for base hits to start the eighth inning for Brownsville (1-2, 3-3) and moved up a base on a passed ball. Voytovich scored on a second passed ball and Pelehac scored on Julia Martini’s RBI-single. The final run came across on an error.
Brownsville scored two runs in the top of the first, but Washington countered with three in the bottom of the inning. The Lady Prexies added a single run in the second and two in the third for a 6-2 lead.
Brownsville drew closer with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Lindsey Zidek (3-3) earned the win. Sammi Jo Davis and Martini both finished with two hits.
Turkeyfoot Valley 7, Hyndman 6 – The Lady Rams benefited from two hit-batsmen with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of sixth inning for a non-section home victory Friday afternoon.
Tony Hinzy led off the sixth with a pinch-hit single. After an outfield fly out and a strikeout, Jeanette Augustine kept the inning alive with a single. Becky Mitchell walked to load the bases. Vanessa Wheatley was hit to tie the game, and then Ashley Tressler was plunked to drive home the winning run.
The game seesawed back and forth with Hyndman (2-2) holding 1-0, 4-0, 5-3 and 6-5 leads. Turkeyfoot (4-4) tied the game with a run in the fifth, but never led.
Ashlee Garletts went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and Augustine finished with two singles. Karina Graziani (1-1) struck out four and walked seven in the winning effort.
College baseball
Waynesburg 10, Grove City 1; Grove City 7, Waynesburg 4 – Eric Holt pitched a complete game victory Saturday to give the Yellow Jackets a Presidents’ Athletic Conference doubleheader split.
Holt gave up eight hits while walking one and striking out three. He helped himself at the plate with a home run, single and four RBI. George Taylor also smacked a home run. Bill Tenney doubled while Steve Mahler went 3-for-4.
The Yellow Jackets (5-4, 14-12-1) led 1-0 after the top of the first inning, but the Wolverines rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning before padding their lead with four more in the third.
Taylor absorbed his first loss of the year, pitching only three innings to drop his second record to 6-1. Taylor doubled and Holt tripled for Waynesburg. Mike Ritter was the offensive threat for Grove City (5-4, 7-7) with two home runs and four RBI.
Edinboro 11, California (Pa.) 10; California (Pa.) 17, Edinboro 4 – Bryan Hartung and Brian Stoecklein had memorable performances, but the visiting Fighting Scots were up to the task in the first game for a split of a PSAC-West doubleheader played at Falconi Field. The road trip will be the final one for Edinboro because the university is dropping the program next year.
Bryan Hartung smacked his career-leading 31st home run in the first game, but Edinboro scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally for the win. Connellsville’s Nick Damico absorbed the loss in relief, allowing seven earned runs on three hits and four walks in just 2/3 innings pitched. Fellow Connellsville graduate Dennis Show struck out the two batters he faced.
Justin Pifer hit a two-out home run in the bottom of the seventh, but Jason Gilotty held firm for the save.
Stoecklein was the star of the second game for the Vulcans by hitting for the cycle, the first recorded at Falconi Field. The third baseman had a single in the first, a double in the second, a triple in the third and a home run in the fourth to finish with five RBI and four runs scored.
Hartung went 4-for-4 with five RBI and three runs. Jeff Lander, Mike Larson, Jason Greene and Jason Smith all had three hits for California. The Vulcans smacked 24 hits against Edinboro pitching.
California (5-4, 16-12) returns to action Monday with a non-conference home game against West Liberty (W.Va.). Edinboro goes to 3-6 in the conference and 6-24 overall.
CCAC-Allegheny 6, Penn State-Fayette 1; CCAC-Allegheny 8, Penn State-Fayette 6 – The home team was tough on the mound in the first game and the offense powered the win in the second game with a NJCAA Region 20 doubleheader sweep.
Sam Petko accounted for half of the Roaring Lions’ hits with a double and single.
Rob Ferraro and Theron Ladd smacked home runs for the winning team.
Penn State-Fayette pulled ahead with four runs in the second inning, but the home team tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The two team matched with single runs in the fourth before CCAC-Allegheny scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for the win.
Mike Miskanin, Ryan Gondek and Brian Leichleiter all had two hits for the Roaring Lions. Jim Ducar had a triple for Penn State-Fayette. Chris Shubert had a home run and double for CCAC-Allegheny.
Penn State-Fayette falls to 4-6 in the conference and 5-6 overall. The Roaring Lions host Butler County Community College in a doubleheader this afternoon.
College softball
Boston College 1, Pittsburgh 0; Boston College 3, Pittsburgh 0 – The pitching duo of Nikki Gasti and Janelle Pepe did their jobs, but received no help on offense to lose a Big East Conference doubleheader at home Friday.
Gasti was on the losing end in the first game despite allowing six hits, walking one and striking out five. The Carmichaels graduate faced 29 batters in seven innings pitched. The lone Boston College run scored on Cara Blumfield’s home run in the top of the sixth inning. The Lady Panthers could only muster three hits.
Pepe, a Connellsville graduate, allowed eight hits in seven innings with three walks. Boston College scored the three earned runs on three hits in the top of the seventh inning. Casey Pickard had the lone hit for the Lady Panthers.
Pittsburgh (3-7, 17-23) hosts Connecticut in a doubleheader today with a noon start.
Waynesburg 4, Thiel 0; Waynesburg 9, Thiel 4 – The Yellow Jackets received a strong pitching effort in the first game and timely hitting in the second game for a Presidents’ Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep.
Sarah Langsdorf (6-4) struck out three, walked none and scattered four hits in hurling the shutout. Waynesburg scored two in the top of the first, and single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Kerri Petko and Tina Ramer both had a triple and single while Amanda Stanley smacked a double and single. Kari Mariner had a pair of singles with Haylee Swinchock adding a double.
The Yellow Jackets jumped ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first and built a 6-0 lead after three innings, but the Lady Tomcats rallied for four runs in the top of the fourth to draw closer. Waynesburg finished strong with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Shana D’Aurora improved to 5-5 with two strikeouts and no walks. Petko finished with three hits including a two-run triple in the sixth. Emily Falcon had two hits with a two-run single in the third inning. Swinchock and Stanley finished with two hits. D’Aurora helped her own cause with a double. Waynesburg improves to 3-3 in the conference and 11-9 overall.