Local roundup
Smith powers Pioneers’ win over Maples West Greene’s Tyler Smith smashed two home runs, including a grand slam, to lead the Pioneers to a 5-2 Section 1-A victory over host Mapletown Tuesday.
With the game tied at 1, West Greene (3-1, 1-0) loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a pair of Mapletown errors. With two outs, Smith belted his second home run of the game off losing pitcher Zach Cumberland.
Smith’s first homer came an inning earlier with West Greene trailing, 1-0.
Justin Whyte picked up the win, scattering seven hits over seven innings. Whyte struck out two and walked two.
Cumberland started and suffered the loss, working five innings and allowing five runs (one earned). He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.
John Grim worked to two batters in the sixth inning, walking both, before Ashley Menear came in and recorded the final six outs.
Mapletown (4-2, 0-1) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Zach Novak singled, stole second and scored on Don Hilenbrant’s two-out single.
Trailing 5-1, the Maples scored the second run in their final at bat when Novak’s single drove home Nick Popernack.
Yough 10, Laurel Highlands 9 – Yough rallied from a six-run deficit, then held off a late Laurel Highlands rally to defeat the visiting Mustangs in the Section 2-AAA opener for both teams.
The Cougars trailed 7-1 when they put up two runs in the bottom of the fifth, and then parlayed four hits, three errors and a walk into a seven-run sixth to go up 10-7.
Laurel Highlands (1-3, 0-1) pushed across two runs and had two runners on when Yough finally recorded the game-ending out in the top of the seventh.
Nick Hegedus came on in relief in the third inning for the Cougars to earn the win.
J.C. Myers took the loss.
Darryl Gesso doubled and singled, and Josh Barnhart also had two hits for coach Tom Landman’s Mustangs. Eric Fudala and Josh Riddell each contributed a double.
Adam Mellinger doubled and singled for Yough. Craig Sedunov and Josh Aldridge both singled twice, and Justin Hoffer and Tom Burkett each had a double.
Laurel Highlands hosts Indiana today in a 4:15 p.m. game at Hutchinson Field.
Girls Softball
North Star 20, Turkeyfoot 0 – The visitors pounded out 21 hits, including three each by Cassie Maust and Nicole Pelesky, as they breezed past the Lady Rams in West-Pac action.
North Star (4-2) took a 2-0 second-inning lead, and added four more runs in the top of the third. The visitors then broke the game open with eight runs in the fourth inning.
The game was halted after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
Brittany Danel picked up the win, starting and working the first four innings. She allowed Turkeyfoot’s only hit, Cassie Metheney’s second-inning leadoff-single. Danel struck out five and walked two.
The Lady Rams’ Nicole Beachy suffered the loss, allowing 12 runs on 11 hits over the first 3 1/3 innings. Beachy didn’t record a strikeout, but walked seven.
Turkeyfoot returns to action Thursday, traveling to Shanksville for 4:15 p.m.
Jefferson-Morgan 7, California 6 – The Lady Rockets rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pick up a non-section win over the visiting Lady Trojans.
Tammy Willis and Emily Cottle walked with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning off losing pitcher Liz Shaw. The pair moved up on a wild pitch, then scored on Ashley Phillip’s two-run single.
The Lady Rockets then scored what turned out to be the winning run when Phillips scored on a dropped fly ball.
Cottle (2-3) picked up the win, working a complete game and allowing six hits and striking out 11.
Shaw suffered the loss, working six innings and allowing six hits with eight strikeouts.
Both pitchers walked six batters.
California put up two quick runs in its first at bat, but J-M rallied to score three of its own in the bottom half of the first inning.
Charity McCann had the big blow for Jefferson-Morgan, smacking a two-run triple.
California took the lead with three runs in the top of the third inning, and added a run in the fourth before J-M answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the fourth.
McCann paced the Lady Rockets with three hits, while Cottle added a pair.
Danielle Painter led California with two singles.
Belle Vernon 3, Mount Pleasant 2 – The Lady Leopards scored an unearned run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning en route to a non-section win over the visiting Lady Vikings.
With two outs, losing pitcher Jaime Kromer walked a pair of Belle Vernon hitters before Sarah Jolley’s ground ball was thrown away at first base to allow the winning run to score.
Ashley Merella improved to 3-1, going the distance and allowing just two hits. Merella struck out eight, walked two and didn’t allow an earned run.
Kromer worked the final five innings, didn’t allow a hit, struck out five and walk two.
Allison Homulka started and went the first five innings, giving up five hits, striking out two and walking three.
Belle Vernon (4-1) took a 1-0 first-inning lead when Kayla Nuccetelli walked, moved to second on Emily Scapes’ ground ball and scored on Ashley Dawson’s double.
The hosts increased their lead to 2-0 an inning later when Dena Mornak reached base on an error, was sacrificed to second by Briana McClintock, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Heather Sellew’s sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Mount Pleasant tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. Jenna Snyder reached base on an error and advanced on Allison Homulka’s single. Snyder came all the way around to score when Homulka’s hit was mishandled in the outfield.
Homulka was then sacrificed to third base and eventually scored the tying run on an error.
The Lady Vikings loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the 10th inning, but were turned away. Merella got Lenise Hause to line out to Scapes at third base, and Scapes quickly went and forced the runner off third base for the inning’s second out.
Merella then induced Mount Pleasant’s Grace Ritenour to ground out to end the inning.
West Greene 8, Mapletown 2 – Rebecca Burns tossed a complete game five-hitter as the Lady Pioneers remained unbeaten with a Section 2-A victory over the Lady Maples.
Burns allowed two runs, struck out nine and walked four. She also helped her own cause with three hits, including a triple.
Maggie Fike, Rachel Burns and Alyson Clark had two hits apiece for the winners, while Sarah Veltre added a triple and Sarah Burns a two-base hit.
Mapletown’s Heather Shook had two hits, including a double, and Tiffany Pincavitch added a pair of singles.
Ashley Chory suffered the loss, starting and working four and a 1/3 innings. She allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits with no strikeouts and five walks.
West Greene (3-0, 1-0) jumped out to a 1-0 first-inning lead, added three more in the third and two more in the top of the fifth.
Mapletown scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Boys Track and Field
Albert Gallatin 78, Elizabeth-Forward 72 – The Colonials won 10 of 17 events, including two victories by Brad Trump, en route to a Section 2-AAA victory.
Trump topped the field in the shot put (41-2) and discus (121-6).
Albert Gallatin’s Brent Vaccarro (110 hurdles, 16.74), Adam Morris (1,600 meters, 5:25.48), Stephen Champlin (200 meters, 25.13), Donald Dodson (3,200 meters, 11:45.72), Eric Stump (javelin, 113-4) and Nathan Desmorne (long jump, 16-6) each captured first places.
The Colonials’ 3,200-meter relay team of Morris, Dodson, Bryant Garland and Rick Mazzocco teamed for a victory with a time of 9:52.32, while the 400-meter relay squad of Vaccarro, G.J. Miller, Desmorne and Champlin topped the field with a mark o 51.45.
Southmoreland 98, Yough 52 – The Scotties won all but four events in capturing the Section 3-AA meet over the Cougars.
Southmoreland (4-1, 3-0) won three relays, while Chris Kiefer picked up a pair of victories, winning the 1,600 (5:14) and the 3,200 meters (11:36).
Kevin Snyder (110 hurdles, triple jump) won a pair of events, while Jim Bell (400 meters), Jimmy King (1,600 meters), Dan Huygens (200 meters), Ben Poorbaugh (discus) and Mike Coleman (javelin) also picked up victories.
Waynesburg Central 107, Beth-Center 39; Waynesburg Central 88, Bentworth 58 – The Raiders won a pair of Section 5-AA meets behind the strong overall efforts, once again, of Jake Raddish and Jereme Yoders.
Raddish defeated all comers in the jumps, sweeping the long (18-9), triple (38-2) and high (5-8). Yoders did the same in the shot put (46-9) and discus (143-3).
The Raiders’ Dominick Denicola was unbeatable in the hurdles, defeating everyone in the 110 high (17.46) and 300 intermediate (47.71). Keith Higginbotham did the same in the sprints, winning the 100 (11.08) and 200 (23.78).
Waynesburg improves to 4-0 in the section and 5-0 overall.
Girls Track and Field
Elizabeth-Forward 124, Albert Gallatin 23 – The Lady Warriors captured all but three events in breezing to a Section 2-AAA victory.
For the Lady Colonials, Sarah Fyock (400 meters, 1:06.00) and Brittany McKay (shot put, 28 1½) brought home first-place finishes, while the AG 1,600-meter squad of Abby Newman, Jordyn Reagan, Christina Rivera and Fyock teamed to win with a mark of 4:37.71.
Waynesburg Central 86, Beth-Center 53; Bentworth 71, Waynesburg Central 70 – The Lady Raiders split their Section 5-AA home meet with the Lady Bearcats using a large advantage in first-place points for the difference.
Bentworth swept the relays, six of eight events on the track and three of seven field events. The Lady Bearcats also four second places and three third places for the slim victory.
Freshman Tiffany Stansberry had one of the few victories for the Lady Raiders (3-1, 4-0) against Bentworth in the 100. Morgan Bland vaulted 7-6 for first place. Meredith Winters won the shot put with a throw of 28-7.
The Lady Bulldogs had strong efforts against Waynesburg from Jocelyn Dickey (100, 200, 400) and Candace Gould (long jump, triple jump, high jump).
Boys tennis
Franklin Regional 5, Connellsville 0 – The Panthers are traditionally one of the better teams in Class AAA, and the visiting Falcons discovered why with a non-section shutout loss.
Alex Bonfiglio started the day for Franklin Regional with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles over Scott Campbell. Robert Chewy dropped only two games in his victory over Brandon Stafford at No. 2 singles while the Panthers’ Kevin Carter completed the singles sweep over Blake Michaux, 6-2, 6-2.
The Falcons’ Dave Witt and Storm Grimm took Franklin Regional’s top doubles team to a second set tiebreaker, but lost in two sets, 6-1, 7-6 (4). Tony Pallazdo and Albert Tackie won at No. 2 doubles, 6-0, 6-4, against Jon Ambrisco and Joe DeBerry.
Men’s baseball
Penn State Fayette 4, Penn State Harrisburg 3 – Jim Prosser’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie to lift Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus over visiting PSUAC foe Penn State Harrisburg for its third consecutive victory.
Harrisburg led 2-1 after five innings. The Roaring Lions pulled even with a run in the sixth, but the visitors came right back with a run in the top of the seventh to go back on top 3-2.
Fayette knotted the score once again in the bottom of the frame. Chad Shroyer singled and went to second on Prosser’s sacrifice bunt. After a walk to Jamie Kowalczyk, John Pochron delivered a two-run RBI single to make it 3-3.
Coach Ray Smitley’s Roaring Lions took the lead in the eighth. Richie Schleihauf and A.J. Ardabell singled, Shroyer bunted both runners up and Prosser followed with his clutch sacrifice fly to bring in the go-ahead tally.
Winning pitcher Justin Corso gave up two earned runs on nine hits with six walks and five strikeouts before tiring with one out in the ninth. Bob Madison finished up from there, allowing one walk with one strikeout in recording the save.
Pochron had two hits for Fayette (3-7, 1-2), including a double. Schleihauf, Ardabell and Shroyer each also had two hits.
The Roaring Lions travel to CCAC Boyce on Thursday, then play a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend, hosting Penn State York at 1 p.m. Saturday and Penn State Hazelton at noon Sunday.
Women’s Tennis
California 9, Shippensburg 0 – The Vulcans swept three doubles matches, then turned the trick in singles play also en route to an easy PSAC-West victory over the host Raiders.
Inga Chilingaryan, Katie Anderson, Melissa Anderson, Jessica Brown, Lauren Hovey and Lindsay Mathieson each picked up singles wins, with Brown and Mathieson not allowing a point.
California (11-7, 2-0) are ranked third in the FILA/NCAA Division II Northeast Region.
The Vulcans return to action Saturday, traveling to Clarion for an 11 a.m. match.