May 5, 2007 By The 6 min read

Pratt, Ludrosky lead Lady Mikes to section-clinching win Morgan Pratt homered, and Laci Ludrosky laced a two-run triple, to lead visiting Carmichaels past West Greene, 7-3, Friday afternoon in Section 2-A action.

With the victory, the Lady Mikes (13-1, 12-1) clinched the Section 2-A championship. West Greene (11-5, 10-4) has also secured a WPIAL playoff berth.

The Lady Pioneers scored twice in the bottom of the second inning, but the Lady Mikes tied the game in the top of the third with the help of Pratt’s solo home run.

“Morgan Pratt is one heck of a ball player,” said West Greene coach Bill Simms. “We had taken a 2-0 lead, but when she yanked the ball out of the park, that gave them some jump. I swear she’s a female Brooks Robinson. My hat’s off to that little girl.”

After West Greene grabbed the lead back with a run in their half of the third inning, Carmichaels blew the game open with five runs in the top of the fifth.

Beth May and Pratt led off the frame with back-to-back singles. After a popout, Courtney Newland reached on an error which also allowed May to score and tie the game.

Ludrosky then smacked her two-run triple down the left field line.

West Greene put a runner on with one out in its half of the fifth when Sarah Veltre single. But Newland snagged Chelsey Jones’ liner and doubled off Veltre to end the threat and the inning.

“Courtney made a heck of a play on that ball,” Simms said. “That really killed any momentum we had. We had some runners on during the game, but we couldn’t get them across the plate. My hat’s off to Courtney.”

Newland allowed just four hits, struck out four and walked two.

Rachel Burns suffered the loss, allowing 10 hits. She struck out five and walked three.

Ludrosky, Pratt and Memry Jordan each had two hits, with Ludrosky driving in three runs. For West Greene, Veltre had two hits and two RBIs.

“Winning a section isn’t anything to be sneezed at,” Simms said. “I know Carmichaels has done it several times, but they are very deserving.

“We lost a section championship in the last game of the regular season last year. That’s two years in a row we’ve either come down to the last game or the next to last game. It was a heavyweight fight and Carmichaels got the knockout punch when they needed it.”

Beth-Center 6, South Fayette 0 – Geri Whitman struck out 13, and Amanda Higinbotham tripled twice, as the Lady Bulldogs blanked the visiting Lady Lions in Section 2-AA action.

Whitman (10-2) allowed just a pair of singles and two walks.

Higinbotham had three hits, the biggest being a bases-clearing triple during Beth-Center’s four-run sixth inning.

Beth-Center’s Jessica Schinkovec and Tonya Carroll added doubles.

The Lady Bulldogs (11-5, 9-4) jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Whitman and Rachael Zane laced RBI-singles in the bottom of the third inning.

Lakayla Desmet suffered the loss, allowing eight hits. She struck out four and walked two.

Beth-Center occupies second place in Section 2-AA, one and one-half games ahead of third-place Burgettstown. The Lady Bulldogs travel to section-leading Washington today at 2 p.m.

Albert Gallatin 12, Laurel Highlands 2 – Megan Angelo drove in four runs, and Gabbie Ross won her first game as the Lady Colonials breezed past the Fillies in non-section action.

Ross went the distance, striking out one and walking one.

Angelo had a pair of hits, including a double, and Jessica Lint, Ross and Ashley Petrone also doubled.

Leading 5-2, Albert Gallatin scored seven runs in the sixth inning to end the game. Johnna Pleben had the big hit of the inning, a two-run single.

Burgettstown 9, Brownsville 6 – The Lady Blue Devils scored three times in the top of the eighth inning to defeat the host Lady Falcons in Section 2-AA action.

Chelsea Rommes, Wendi Bandi and Elysia Orison had three hits apiece, with Rommes and Orison both recording doubles.

Orison picked up the victory, while Stacy Know (6-10) suffered the loss.

Brownsville falls to 6-10 overall and 5-9 in section play.

Boys Baseball

California 11, Mapletown 0 – Six Trojans had two hits each, and left-hander Zack Jeney allowed just one hit over five innings as California breezed to a Section 1-A victory.

The game was called after Mapletown batted in the top of the fifth inning because of the 10-run rule.

Jeney struck out nine and walked just one. He allowed Ashly Menear’s one-out, fourth-inning triple, but kept the Maples off the scoreboard when he retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Ben Carson, Mike Galis, Matt Hartman, Wade Stinnett, Zach Edminston and Jeney had two hits each, with Hartman and Travis VanOlst knocking in two runs apiece.

Galis and Dominic Roach each scored a pair of runs.

Don Hilenbrant suffered the loss, allowing 15 hits over four innings.

California (15-2, 9-2) now leads Section 1-A by one-half game over Bentworth.

Beth-Center 7, Albert Gallatin 6 – Ryan Butka’s two-out single brought home John Lowden with the winning run as the Bulldogs rallied for a non-section win over the visiting Colonials.

After Albert Gallatin tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh inning, Beth-Center went to work in its final at bat with one out. Lowden and Matt Stotka laced back-to-back singles, before a fielder’s choice left runners at the corners with two outs. After Todd Chisler walked to load the bases, Butka delivered a sharp single to left field to end the game.

Lowden and Stotka both had three hits, with Stotka scoring two runs.

Sean Veatch picked up the victory in relief of Chisler. Chisler worked the first four innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits. Veatch tossed the final three innings, allowing two runs on two hits.

Gene Franks suffered the loss in relief of starter Elmer Engle. Engle went the first 5 2/3 innings, and allowed three runs on seven hits. Franks worked an inning, allowing four runs on six hits.

Trailing 5-1, Beth-Center took the lead with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the big blow of the frame being Nathan White’s three-run home run.

Engle had given AG a 5-1 lead with a solo home run to lead off the top of the fifth inning, and Franks tied the game at 6 with a solo shot leading off the top of the seventh.

Yough 8, Uniontown 2; Indiana 8, Uniontown 7, 8 innings – The Red Raiders fell to the Cougars in Section 2-AAA action, a day after losing in eight innings to the Indians.

Uniontown is 4-10 overall and 3-8 in Section 2-AAA.