Lady Vikings advance to Class AAA semis
Mount Pleasant’s Kayla Queer is safe at home before Southmoreland’s Adeline Nicholson (23) and Lexie Klatt (21) can make the out Monday during their WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal game at Latrobe.
Holly Tonini
Holly Tonini
Mount Pleasant’s Nikki Klejka gets the out against Southmoreland’s Olivia Porter (22) at first during their WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal game Monday at Latrobe.
Holly Tonini
Southmoreland’s Briana Bunner misses the out on the foul ball during their WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal game against Mount Pleasant on Monday at Latrobe.
LATROBE — Meadow Uncapher belted a two-run home run and then made the late lead stand as Mount Pleasant downed rival Southmoreland, 9-5, Monday night in the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals at Greater Latrobe High School.
The game was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. as the second game of a doubleheader, but the opening Penn-Trafford-Hempfield game was delayed by a storm and didn’t start until 6:30 p.m.
As a consequence, the Mount Pleasant-Southmoreland game didn’t start until 8:51 p.m. and finished two hours later.
Mount Pleasant advances to play Thomas Jefferson, a 3-2 winner against Knoch, in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Leading 7-5 after five innings, Chloe Poulich opened the Lady Vikings’ top of the sixth inning with an infield single and promptly stole second base. Katie Troisi-Clark struck out Nikki Klejka, but Uncapher belted the first pitch of her at-bat well over the left field fence to extend Mount Pleasant’s lead to 9-5.
Uncapher then stifled the Lady Scots’ offense by retiring the last six batters in order, not allowing a ball leave the infield. She struck out one, Poulich made a nifty sliding grab in foul ground along the third base line and then Uncapher finished the game with a comebacker to the mound.
The Lady Vikings (11-5) scored an unearned run without the benefit of a hit in the top of the first inning. Kayla Queer walked, moved to second on Ava Gnibus’ sacrifice bunt, to third on Poulich’s ground out to second and came home on a passed ball.
Mount Pleasant stranded a couple runners in the second inning, but added to its lead in the top of the third.
Queer opened the inning with a single, but was forced at second on Gnibus grounder to shortstop. Poulich singled and Klejka walked to load the bases, and Queer came home on Uncapher’s sacrifice fly to left field. Poulich and Klejka crossed the plate on Christiana Czegan’s double.
The Lady Scots (13-3) finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Briana Bunner walked to start the inning and then stole second and third base. She scored on Adeline Nicholson’s double.
Nicholson advanced to third on a passed ball. Kylee Wisolosky smacked a sharp one-hopper to third base with Nicholson breaking on contact. Poulich snagged the ball and threw to home. Nicholson was thrown out a home two throws later in the rundown, with Wisolosky moving to second. She was stranded there with a fly ball to center field.
Mount Pleasant batted around in the top of the fifth inning, plating three unearned runs.
Poulich started the inning with a double and Klejka followed with a walk. Uncapher’s sharp ground ball was mishandled, allowing Poulich and Klejka to score. Czegan kept the inning alive with an infield single. Kromer’s comebacker to Katie Troisi-Clark was the first out, and second baseman Carissa Cyphert’s throw was on the money to get Uncapher at the plate.
Addy Kubasky’s infield single loaded the bases and Queer got an RBI the easy way with a bases-loaded walk. Troisi-Clark got Gnibus swinging to end the inning.
Mount Pleasant coach Lauren Shaheen was proud of her squad and complimented the Lady Scots, who split a pair of section games with the Lady Vikings.
“I knew it was going to be a good game, a close game,” said Shaheen.
Pointing to the Southmoreland dugout, Shaheen said, “That is a well-put together team.”
Turning her attention back to her Lady Vikings, Shaheen added, “They deserved every ounce of that win. The win was an all, collaborative team effort. The girls worked so hard. That’s the best thing, to see them do something like this today.”