May 15, 2007 By Jim Wexell For The 4 min read

MONROEVILLE – A two-out, two-run homer by pinch-hitter Ashley Chappell in the bottom of the seventh inning tied the game and set Greensburg Salem up for a 6-5 WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff win over Waynesburg Central Monday in eight innings. Down to its last out, Greensburg Salem sent Chappell to the plate to bat for the Lady Golden Lions’ No. 7 hitter, Kayle Gerhard, with two runners on and Waynesburg holding a 3-0 lead.

Greensburg Salem scored a run when the Waynesburg catcher threw the ball away in a pickoff attempt, and then Chappell crashed the next pitch over the left-center field fence.

“Oh, my gosh. That girl clubbed that,” said Waynesburg coach Lou Giachetti. “Don’t know if I’ve ever seen one hit that far. That was about a 240-foot shot.”

Chappell has shown that kind of power as a part-time designated hitter for the Lady Lions this season.

“But she sometimes can be all or nothing,” said Greensburg Salem coach Jody Morgan.

Yesterday, Chappell was everything on the long drive. It tied the game, but Waynesburg came back to take a 5-3 lead with two runs in the top of the eighth inning. A two-run double by Molly Henderson put Waynesburg back ahead and in control.

Greensburg Salem opened the bottom of the eighth with a double by Nina Marino, and, after one out, No. 3 hitter Jillian Croce singled her home.

A single by cleanup hitter Rachel Roddy put the tying run on third and Roddy, the winning run, was allowed to steal second by the indifferent Waynesburg defense.

The Lady Lions were the indifferent team on Andrea Thompson’s long fly to center field. The tying run should’ve scored, but the runner didn’t tag up when the ball went in the air.

It didn’t matter because, after an “unintentional” walk to load the bases, brought up a second pinch-hitter in the No. 7 spot. That pinch-hitter, Mallory Earle, singled to right field. The Waynesburg right fielder threw to third base instead of home and the winning run scored without a challenge.

It kept Greensburg Salem, the No. 4 seed in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, undefeated at 15-0-1 and knocked Waynesburg home with a 14-6 record.

“When we had them 3-0, I thought we were in control,” said Giachetti. “Hey, they’re undefeated for a reason. I give all the credit to them. They fought hard and came back. That was very impressive on their part, and the pitcher, who took a line drive, to come back and suck it up and do what she did.”

Greensburg Salem freshman pitcher Carrie Maier, was hit in the hip by a wicked line drove off the bat of Alyson Johnson to open the eighth inning. Maier stayed in the game and allowed the two runs, but stranded a runner at second to set up the last Greensburg Salem rally.

“We’ve been pitching two pitchers and she hasn’t pitched as much as (Ashley) Duke but she can step it up in a big game,” said Morgan. “We know that. We’ve seen that before. She’s my closer, but today she was my starter.”

It was one of three important decisions by Morgan, the Greensburg Salem coach. She was asked about the two pinch-hitters who came through in the No. 7 spot of her order.

“That’s the coaching,” Morgan joked. “No, believe me, those kids have been sitting on the bench watching all year. They know that’s their role.”

Their role was to break Waynesburg’s heart. Losing pitcher Lauren Minor went into the seventh inning having allowed only two hits. But an infield hit, an infield error, two strikeouts and one long home run sent Waynesburg reeling. The eighth inning was more of the same.

“That was a great game,” Giachetti said. “I’m proud of them. We only started one senior. To move up to triple A this year like we did, we did well. But we should’ve won that one.”