Lady Commodores rally for 13-3 victory
Frazier's Kathryn Barch (22) takes the throw at third base but not in time for the out against Lakeview's Joanna Hooker (23) during Tuesday's first round of the PIAA Class AA softball playoffs at North Allegheny High School.
Darnell Graham
Frazier’s Megan Celaschi (19) slides across home plate as Lakeview pitcher Ashley Watts (19) covers during Tuesday’s PIAA Class A first- round playoff game at North Allegheny High School.
Darnell Graham
Frazier’s Kathryn Barch (22) catches a pop up in front of home plate during Tuesday’s PIAA Class A first round playoff game against Lakeview at North Allegheny High School.
WEXFORD — The Lady Commodores didn’t allow a 3-0 deficit rattle them Tuesday evening, rallying for a 13-3 victory in six innings over Lakeview in the opening round of the PIAA Class AA softball playoffs at North Allegheny High School.
Frazier (19-2) advances to play a familiar foe, Chartiers-Houston, in the PIAA quarterfinals on Thursday. The Lady Bucs defeated Moniteau, 1-0. Fairview ends the season at 12-8.
Losing pitcher Ashley Witt’s long home run over the right field fence spotted the Sailors to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
“Logan (Hartman) left one out over the plate and (Witt) put it into the trees,” said Frazier coach Don Hartman. “That didn’t rattle her. It didn’t shake her, then her teammates picked her up.”
Frazier responded in the bottom of the inning with a run. Megan Celaschi opened the inning with a single. Kayla Matway hit a comebacker to Witt, but her throw sailed into center field to give the Lady Commodores runners on the corners.
Celaschi then scampered home on a wild pitch.
“When we scored the run, I saw some inflation come back into my players. The refuse to lose,” said coach Hartman.
The fourth inning was the only problem for Hartman. The freshman retired the side in the second, third and fourth innings, and faced only four batters in the first and sixth innings. She struck out three, walked one and allowed five hits.
While Hartman and her defense were keeping Lakeview in check, the Lady Commodore offense warmed to the task.
“Going into this, we’ve never been to a state playoff before. We had a layoff for a week. We had a lot of distractions, graduation and then rain delay,” explained coach Hartman. “I felt like we might take time to get into the routine of playing ball. We were flat.
“The bats really came alive after four innings.”
Not only did the Frazier bats come alive, the jolted into action when the Lady Commodores sent 11 batters to the plate and scored eight runs.
Kathryn Barch tripled the first run home. She scored when she beat the throw to the plate on Celaschi’s squeeze bunt. Lauren Mastowski walked with the bases loaded.
Julianna Johnson had an RBI single. Kara Mastowski’s bases-loaded pop was called for the infield fly rule, but it still produced a run when the ball hit the ground.
Savannah Berklovich capped the inning with a two-run triple.
“We were pressing to crack that nut,” said coach Hartman of the big rally.
Frazier closed out the game with four runs in the sixth inning. An error, Emi Curcio’s two-run double and Mastowski’s game-closing single accounted for the runs.
Hartman reminded his team what he’s been telling them all season, saying, “Go play the game and go have fun. We need to get in the moment in this game.”