Local roundup
Lady Raiders knock off another big opponent How’s this for a storyline?
It’s just two games into a very long Section 3-AAA slate, but Waynesburg Central has already knocked off last year’s two title game participants.
On Tuesday, senior Lauren Minor tossed her third career no-hitter, and second in as many seasons against Elizabeth-Forward, as the Lady Raiders eked out a 1-0 Section 3-AAA win.
Waynesburg improves to 2-0, having also defeated last year’s WPIAL Class AAA champions, Belle Vernon, a week ago in its opener.
“Our first two games came against the two teams in last year’s WPIAL championship and we know they’re great teams,” said Waynesburg coach Lou Giachetti. “My kids showed a lot of heart, and scratched and clawed their way to two wins.
“Unfortunately, in our section we have to play 15 section games. We’ll take this win, but we’ll worry about Ringgold tomorrow. We know the games will probably be like this the whole year.”
Minor (2-0) retired the first 16 batters she faced before an Elizabeth-Forward hitter reached base on an error in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Waynesburg committed three errors in the final two innings, forcing Minor to work out of two jams. Still, she didn’t allow a hit and finished with 10 strikeouts.
The Lady Raiders scored the game’s lone run in the top of the fourth inning. Alyson Johnson reached base on an error to lead off the inning, and moved to second base when losing pitcher Kristen Hawkins walked Courtney Orndoff.
Nikki Coleman than reached base on a fielder’s choice grounder to load the bases, before Breanna Morris’ grounder to second base brought home Johnson.
Hawkins was also impressive, striking out 10 and allowing only a one-out triple to Emily Bosworth in the top of the sixth inning. Bosworth was later thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice.
Elizabeth-Forward drops to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in Section 3-AAA.
Waynesburg hosts Ringgold today at 4 p.m., travels to West Mifflin Thursday, and hosts McGuffey at noon Saturday.
“There’s nothing like playing a section game every night,” Giachetti said.
Albert Gallatin 5, Penn-Trafford 2 – Ashley Petrone reached base four times, and Jen Lewellen scattered seven hits as the Lady Colonials topped the Lady Indians in Section 1-AAAA action.
Petrone had two hits, including a double, and walked twice.
Nikki Lovett added two hits and two RBIs, including a two-run home run with two outs in the top of the fifth inning.
Lovett’s blast gave Albert Gallatin a 3-0 lead.
The Lady Colonials’ Gabbie Ross also reached base four times, with three singles and a walk.
Albert Gallatin’s Deanne King added a double.
Lewellen (2-1) scattered seven singles, and struck out 10.
Kelly Lemmon suffered the loss. She struck out 10 and walked four.
Albert Gallatin returns to action Saturday, hosting Connellsville at 12:30 p.m.
West Greene 15, Mapletown 5 – Three Lady Pioneers had three hits apiece, as West Greene breezed past the Lady Maples in Section 2-A action.
Chelsey Jones, Katie Tuttle and Samantha Milliken each had three hits, with Tuttle doubling twice and knocking in three runs. Jones also tripled and scored three times, with Milliken smacking a three-base hit as well.
Leading 1-0, West Greene (1-1) blew the game open with a five-run third inning.
Rachel Burns picked up the win. She struck out nine and walked one.
Miranda Shipley suffered the loss. She fanned four batters and walked one.
Heather Shook paced Mapletown (1-2, 1-1) with three hits, while Shipley, Christa Grim and Wendy Dickerson had two hits each. One of Grim’s hits was a double.
Jefferson-Morgan 7, Geibel Catholic 1 – Heather Herbert paced the Lady Rockets with three hits in a Section 2-A victory over the visiting Lady Gators.
Herbert added two RBIs, as did J-M’s Sara Stepp.
Emily Cottle allowed just two hits for her first win of the season. Cottle (1-2) picked up her 300th career strikeout when she fanned White in the top of the third inning.
Cottle finished with 12 strikeouts against three walks.
Ashley Phillips and Herbert doubled for J-M, while Geibel’s Meagan Beck added a two-base hit.
Jefferson-Morgan scored twice in its first at bat, then added a run an inning later. The hosts broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning.
White suffered the loss. She struck out four but walked 12.
Jefferson-Morgan host Brownsville today at 4 p.m.
Bentworth 9, California 0 – Brynne Bashioum allowed just three hits, to go along with 12 strikeouts, as the Lady Bearcats shut out the Lady Trojans in Section 1-A action.
Shelby Dziak had two hits to pace the winners, which improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in section play.
Loni Gibson and Nicole Hudak added doubles for Bentworth. The Lady Bearcats’ Lindsay Bostich smashed a two-run, two-out home run in the top of the fourth inning.
Leading 2-0, Bentworth scored four times in the fourth inning to break the game open.
Elizabeth Shaw suffered the loss. She struck out six and walked seven.
Chrissy Pankratz had two hits for California, including a double.
California (0-2, 0-1) travels to Chartiers-Houston today at 4 p.m.
High School Baseball
Jefferson-Morgan 11, Waynesburg Central 3 – David Montibeller and Noah Pust paced the Rockets’ offense, while four J-M pitchers combined to allow just three hits in a non-section win over the Raiders.
Montibeller and Pust had two hits each and drove in three runs apiece, and Montibeller also scored three times.
Winning pitcher Justin Falcon had three hits, including a double and triple, and scored three runs. Mike Mox added two hits and two runs.
Falcon worked the second and third innings, didn’t allow a hit and struck out three hitters. Mox started for J-M.
Cory Titchnell started, worked two innings and suffered the loss.
Waynesburg’s Kenny Schoen had the Raiders’ lone extra-base hit, a double.
Jefferson-Morgan opens section play today when it hosts California at 4 p.m.
Girls Track and Field
Uniontown 98, Elizabeth-Forward 52 – Dara Reeves captured two individual events to lead the Lady Raiders past the Lady Warriors in Section 2-AAA action.
Reeves captured the 100 and 300 hurdles, with respective times of 18.4 and 55.0.
Uniontown (3-0, 1-0) captured the 400 and 3,200 relays, with Chelsi Festa, Erica Stanish, Stacy Lloyd and Kelsie Herring combining to win the 3,200 with a time of 10:38.6, and Michelle Carolla, Abbie Altman, Annie Hodge and Anabell Mosco teaming to take the 400 with a mark of 54.1.
The Lady Raiders’ Michelle Naymick captured the mile with a time of 5:46, while Herring topped the field in the 800 meters with a mark of 2:39.8.
Uniontown’s Colleen O’ Neil won the 3,200 meters with a time of 13:08.3.
In field events, the Lady Raiders’ Lativia Lee captured the long jump with a leap of 13 feet, one-half inch, while Mosco’s distance of 31 feet, 3 inches topped the triple jump.
Uniontown’s Emilee Madison won the high jump at four feet, 10 inches, while the Lady Raiders’ Lindsay Jesko vaulted seven feet, six inches to take first place.
Derry 105, Connellsville 45 – The Lady Trojans’ Victoria Hamerski and Julie Downs won three events each in a Section 2-AAA victory over the Lady Falcons.
Hamerski captured the 100 meters (13.4), 200 meters (27.8) and the 400 meters (1:03.9), while Downs was victorious in the 100 hurdles (17.6), 300 hurdles (51.7) and long jump (13 feet, 91/2 inches).
Tiffany Downey won two events, the high jump (4-10) and triple jump (29-8).
Connellsville’s 3,200 relay team of Jenna Luczka, April Shultz, Kayla Booher and Mia LoNigro topped the field with a mark of 11:23.4.
Luczka won the 800 meters with a mark of 2:46, while LoNigro captured the 3,200 meters with a mark of 14:13.6. In the shot put, Connellsville’s Kayla Barkley took first place with a toss of 28 feet, 61/2 inches.
Connellsville drops to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in section play.
McGuffey 85, Brownsville 56 – The Lady Highlanders cruised past the Lady Falcons in Section 6-AA action.
For Brownsville (0-2, 0-1), Erica Coffey claimed victory in three events, winning the 800 meters (2:46), the 1,600 meters (6:02) and 3,200 meters (13:11).
In the long jump, Michelle Mickey topped the field with a distance of 14 feet, 11 and 1/4 inches, while Brownsville’s 3,200 relay team of Betsy Johnson, Charhea Strickland, Justin Tarpley and Coffey was victorious with a time of 11:50.9.
Boys Track and Field
Uniontown 95, Elizabeth-Forward 54 – Brodie Kelley, Brian Grady and Darius Reeves captured two events each, as the Red Raiders ran past the Warriors in Section 2-AAA action.
Kelley captured the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, with respective times of 5:07 of 11:45, while Grady topped the field in the 300 hurdles (41.9) and the javein (123-1).
Reeves won the long jump with a distance of 18 feet, 11 inches, and also topped the field in the triple jump (43 feet, 71/2 inches).
Uniontown’s Mark Natural won the 400 meters with a time of 53.4, while Kameron Schaefer captured the 800 meters (2:12).
The Red Raiders’ Blair Howarth claimed first in the discus with a heave of 117 feet, four inches, with Logan Crayton topping the field in the shot put with a toss of 39 feet, six inches.
Kelley, Dez Teets, Schaefer and Keanu Glisan teamed to win the 3,200 relay with a time of 9:14, while Jon Phelan, Tyler Holt, James Pratt and Natural combined to win the 1,600 relay with a mark of 3:52.
Elizabeth-Forward’s Tim Dixon won the 100 and 200 meters with respective times of 11.2 and 23.0.
Uniontown improves to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the section.
Southmoreland 89, Burrell 61 – Scotties coach Bill Schrecengost figured the Bucs would be among the contenders for the Section 4-AA crown, and Southmoreland now has the upper hand after defeating Burrell on the road.
Southmoreland won 12 of the 18 events, and carried enough second and third places to cruise past the Bucs.
Mike Prinkey won the 110 high hurdles in 17.38 seconds and the 300 intermediate hurdles in 44.82 seconds. Tyler Vivio won a pair of events, the 100 in 11.60 seconds and the 200 in 23.82. Austin Willis won the 800 in 2:16.32, and Justin Najewicz finished first in the 1,600 with a time of 5:11.85.
The Scots also won the 400 and 1,600 relays.
Southmoreland improves to 2-0 in the section and overall.
Connellsville 111, Derry 39 – Nathan and Rodney Richter captured two events each, as the Falcons cruised past the Trojans in a Section 2-AAA meet.
Nathan Richter captured the 800 and 1,600 meters, with respective times of 2:14.3 and 5:02, while Rodney Richter was victorious in the shot put (54-4) and discus (150-6).
Jerel Coles, Jeremy Molinaro, Drew Adams, Jarrett McCutcheon, Arlo Helms, Nick Zurawski, Mason Leos and Rich Miller won single events.
Coles won the 100 meters with a mark of 11.4; Molinaro captured the 400 meters with a time of 54.9; Adams topped the field in the 300 hurdles with a mark of 42.9; McCutcheon ran a best time of 23.8 in the 200 meters; Helms’ mark of 11:28.8 took first in the 3,200 meters; Mason Leos won the high jump with a mark of 10 feet even and Rich Miller captured the long jump with a distance of 19 feet, four inches.
Connellsville’s 3,200 relay team of Nathan Richter, Helms, Andrew Cramer and Nick Miller topped the field with a time of 9:14, while Nick Miller, Zurawski, Nick Cicio and Adams teamed to win the 1,600 relay with a mark of 3:56.
Sean Keffer, Nick Miller, McCutcheon and Coles won the 400 relay with a time of 44:50.
Connellsville improves to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the section.
McGuffey 113, Brownsville 36 – The Highlands had no trouble with the Falcons, breezing to a Section 6-AA victory.
Brownsville’s J.J. Stoken captured two events, winning the 100 meters with a time of 12.08 and the long jump with a distance of 16 feet, six and 1/2 inches.
Andrew Jackson claimed victory in the 200 meters with a mark of 26.92, and Cameron Coffey won the 3,200 meters with a mark of 12.07.
No names were given for McGuffey’s winners when the meet was phoned in.
Brownsville drops to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the section.