Lady Raiders keep rolling
Steve Forsythe saw one key problem when he took over as Uniontown’s softball coach last year.
His team was not a “team.”
“When I first came here I saw some animosity, I didn’t see a true team,” Forsythe said. “The first thing I did when I took over was tell them you have to be 19-20 sisters. Before you can pitch, catch or hit, you have to do is build the concept of a team.
“They’ve finally bought into that. There aren’t the little groups I saw before. Now they back one another and support one another.”
Uniontown not only has a team that sticks together, but one that’s very, very good as well.
The playoff-bound Lady Raiders finished off an 8-3 Section 4-AAA victory over rival Laurel Highlands on Tuesday in a game that was suspended by lightning in the fourth inning on Monday.
That victory and an 11-10 night win over visiting Albert Gallatin, along with Brownsville’s 10-9 win over Mount Pleasant, secured sole possession of second place for Foysythe’s squad.
In the game against the Mustangs, Jenna Nypaver smacked three hits, including a double for Uniontown, which also got two hits apiece from Jordan Gibson and Milissa Lucas.
Winning pitcher Leighlyn Guthrie, who is closing in on the school record for career strikeouts, allowed three runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks. She also reached base three times with two walks and a single, scored twice and drove in a run.
Losing pitcher Alexa Peton gave up five earned runs on 11 hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Uniontown took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tia Forsythe singled and eventually scored on Nypaver’s single to right.
The Lady Raiders had one on in the second but were foiled when LH center fielder Haley Moreland made a sparkling running catch of Forsythe’s sinking line drive.
The Mustangs took the lead in the bottom of the second. Moreland singled, stole second and scored on Peton’s double. Peton stole third and scored on Kristina Hudock’s single to make it 2-1.
Uniontown went ahead for good with two runs in the third when Guthrie walked, Nypaver singled and both scored on Jordan’s two-run single to left.
The Lady Raiders made it 6-2 with three runs in the fourth. Lindsey Frey was hit by a pitch and, one out later, consecutive singles by Lucas, Guthrie and Nypaver brought in two runs. Trista Crise followed with a sacrifice fly.
The Mustangs got one run back in the bottom of the inning when Peton singled, stole second and scored on Hudock’s single.
Forsythe drove in Emily Frazee in the fifth to make it 7-3. Crise singled, stole second and third and scored on Gibson’s single to cap the scoring in the sixth.
Forsythe was pleased to beat his cross-town rivals, but has no animosity towards coach Joe Pergar and the Mustangs.
“They beat us twice last year so it was good to get two from them this year,” Forsythe said. “But they have a good coaching staff and we have a good relationship.”
Forsythe also pointed out a couple supposed milestones for Uniontown.
“As far as I know, it’s probably been 35 years since Uniontown last had a softball playoff game, and I believe this is the first time both the baseball team and the softball team went to the playoffs in the same season,” Forsythe said.
“So a lot of records are being set this year.”