May 15, 2008 By Dave Stofcheck 3 min read

FINLEYVILLE – Carmichaels’ inability to catch up to Brynne Bashioum’s fastball led to an even faster postseason exit for the Lady Mikes Wednesday. Bashioum struck out 14 and held Carmichaels to just four hits, as No. 12 Bentworth upset the fifth-seeded Lady Mikes, 4-1, in a WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game at Finley Middle School.

Although she’s a junior, Bashioum is a rookie on the mound and was pitching in her first-ever playoff game. She allowed a leadoff single to Morgan Pratt in the bottom of the first inning, and after retiring Ashley Chernisky on a comebacker, whiffed Shayleigh Busti to begin a string of six consecutive strikeouts.

Bashioum struck out at least two batters in every inning but one, and she kept Carmichaels off the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth.

“She threw her best stuff out there today,” said Bentworth coach Kathy Mitchell. “I tell her what to throw and she throws it; we have a lot of faith in each other.

“They (Carmichaels) couldn’t catch up with her fastball, so we didn’t need her to throw anything but that.”

The Lady Mikes came into the postseason averaging 15.6 runs per game over their previous five contests, but couldn’t get a timely hit off Bashioum and wound up stranding seven runners.

Carmichaels left two runners on base three times.

“She shut us down,” said Lady Mikes coach Dave Briggs. “We had too many strikeouts. We’d help her out early in the count, and then later in the count we’d watch strikes go by.”

With the help of two Carmichaels’ miscues, Bentworth (14-6) scored twice in the top of the first inning. With one out, Lindsay Bostich reached base when Pratt couldn’t handle a grounder at third base.

Bostich scored when Laurel Marshalek followed with a single, and the ball got past Carmichaels centerfielder Alyssa Workman. Marshalek wound up at third base on the play, and she scored when Brittany Kurowski followed with a rare ground out to right field.

Two sacrifice flies, the first by Bostich in the third inning and the second by Marshalek in the sixth, gave Bentworth a 4-0 lead.

Freshman Kasey Osborne pitched well, but suffered the loss. She allowed just three hits, struck out four and walked one.

Carmichaels finally broke through against Bashioum in the bottom of the sixth inning.

With two outs, Memry Jordan reached base on an infield single and Taylor Nichols walked. Workman then drove in Jordan with a single to centerfield, but Jade McCann took a called third strike to end the rally.

Five of Bashioum’s strikeouts came on called third strikes.

“We tip our hat to her,” Briggs said. “Our strength all year has been our hitting, but today it let us down.”

With the victory, Bentworth advances to the quarterfinals, where it will meet Avonworth, which upset No. 4 seed Serra Catholic, 2-0, Wednesday.