May 14, 2008 By Jim Wexell For The 3 min read

MONROEVILLE – Connellsville made only one error, walked no one, threw two runners out at the plate, turned two double plays and struck out only twice Tuesday, but lost to North Allegheny, 2-0, in the first round of the WPIAL Quad-A softball playoffs at Gateway High School. “They got a couple more hits,” explained Connellsville coach Max Bukovac.

North Allegheny out-hit Connellsville, 9-2, even though its pitcher, Deanna Tritinger, didn’t throw nearly as hard as Connellsville’s Erica Bartholow.

“She moved the ball inside and out and mixed it up,” said North Allegheny coach Joe Pereira. “She doesn’t have that 63-64 mile-an-hour fastball but she can keep you off-balance.”

“That’s the type of pitcher that’s given us problems all year,” Bukovac said. “Sixty-five miles an hour? We bust them. But not these off-speed pitchers.”

Tritinger, with the exceptional NA infield behind her, was perfect through three innings. She misplayed a hard grounder in the fourth to allow Connellsville’s first baserunner. The first Connellsville hit was in the fifth inning when Alena Dragovich got the call at first on an infield grounder to second. The third and final Connellsville baserunner, Kylie Sage, singled sharply to center with two outs in the seventh. She was stranded by the next batter as NA celebrated the win.

It didn’t come easy for NA against Bartholow and an outstanding Connellsville defense.

Bartholow stranded leadoff runners at second and third with a pair of strikeouts in the first inning, and in the fourth inning, with an NA runner at first, shortstop Brooke Hoffer turned what looked to be a sharp single up the middle into a 6-3 double play.

NA broke the scoreless tie in the sixth with a run on two singles, a throwing error, and a double. The NA No. 9 batter, Mary Demmoss led off the sixth with a bunt single. She stole second and went to third on Jane Miner’s single to left. The next batter, Christy Cotter, faked a bunt and catcher Tommi Nickelson threw past the charging third baseman and the ball went into left field. The game’s first run came home easily.

“We had a play on and a girl didn’t pick it up,” said Bukovac.

With Miner at third, Connellsville executed a 1-4-2 double play. NA attempted a safety squeeze – as opposed to a suicide squeeze – and that the passive-aggressive play resulted in second baseman Cassie Show gunning to Nichelson at home for the out after making the putout at first base. The next NA batter doubled, but was thrown out stealing third.

NA ran itself into more trouble in the seventh when Show took a relay from center fielder Alexis Dolde and threw to Nickelson again for an out at the plate. But NA managed a run on three singles in the seventh to double its insurmountable lead.

“It was a good ball game to be a part of. Good for the girls,” Bukovac said after the game. “I’m proud of them. They have nothing to be ashamed about. Our defense and pitching were right with theirs. We just couldn’t get any offense.”