Sewickley Academy’s late rally foils Lady Maples’ upset bid
Mapletown shortstop Taylor Vanata (left) puts the tag on Sewickley Academy’s Olivia Ryder just a tad late on a play at second base during Monday’s WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game at Peterswood Park. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Sewickley Academy’s Alexis Barlock delivers a pitch to Mapletown’s Macee Chesney with the Lady Maples’ Taylor Vanata at second base during their WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game at Peterswood Park on May 14. Chesney was named to the All-Greene County Messenger Softball Diamond Cutters team. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Mapletown first-base coach Chris Bates gives instructions to the Lady Maples’ Faith Burkholder-Walter during Monday’s WPIAL Class A playoff game against Sewickley Academy at Peterswood Park.
Mapletown pitcher Madi Blaker goes into her wind-up against Sewickley Adademy during last year’s WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game at Peterswood Park. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Mapletown’s Faith Burkholder-Walter bats against Sewickley Academy as Lady Maples head coach Gina Perry looks on from the third-base coaching box during Monday’s WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game at Peterswood Park.
VENETIA — Mapletown made plenty of noise in its first WPIAL softball playoff appearance since 2008, but Sewickley Academy foiled the Lady Maples’ upset bid at Peterswood Park on Monday.
Kaylee Patterson’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh brought in Kamryn Lightcap with the winning run and capped a three-run rally to give the Lady Panthers a 13-12 victory.
The clutch hit capped a 4-for-4 day for Patterson that included a pair of doubles and a sacrifice fly.
It was sixth-seeded Sewickley’s first lead of the game as it came back from deficits of 7-0, 9-2 and 10-5 to earn a trip into the quarterfinals.
Mapletown had broken a 10-10 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh on Macee Chesney’s RBI single and Katherine Fox’s sacrifice fly.
“It’s a heart-breaking loss,” Mapletown coach Gina Perry said. “It was a very spirited effort. These girls came out here to play today. I think they showed what they’re capable of doing.
“I told them do not hang your heads. We’ve come a long way. Ten years is a long time for us not to be in this.”
It looked at first like the 11th-seeded Lady Maples would make a triumphant return to the postseason.
Mapletown jumped on Sewickley pitcher Alexis Barlock for three runs in the first inning and four in the second with both rallies starting with two outs and none on.
In the top of the first, the Lady Maples parlayed singles by Makenzie Cree and Madoleen Grim with two errors and three stolen bases into three runs.
Taylor Vanata started Mapletown’s second-inning rally with a single and stolen base. She took second on a wild pitch and scored in a passed ball. Sara Chory followed with a walk, Chesney singled, Elisa Clark delivered a run-scoring double, and Makenzie Cree smacked an RBI single to make it 7-0.
The turning point in the game may have come in the bottom of the second when Patterson singled and Theresa Wilson followed with a searing line drive that skipped off third baseman Clark’s glove and hit her in the head for a single.
The scary moment resulted in Clark leaving the game, forcing Perry to shuffle her lineup. Olivia Ryder’s two-run double began the Lady Panthers’ comeback.
“That hurt a lot when Elisa went out,” Perry said. “She’s got a pretty good goose egg on her head.
“I think having to move our people around and not having Elisa’s leadership out there affected us.”
Even so, the Lady Maples scored twice more in the third on Vanata’s RBI single and Chory’s run-scoring triple to center to make it 9-2.
Sewickley countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on Barlock’s RBI single and Patterson’s sacrifice fly to pull within 9-4.
Cree made it 10-4 in the fourth when she was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Faith Burkholder-Walter’s single to right.
Again, the Lady Panthers countered in the bottom of the frame Ryder singled, stole second and scored on an error to make it 10-5.
Sewickley evened the score with five runs in the bottom of the sixth. The inning including a triple by Ryder, who was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI, a double by Patterson, singles by Alyssa Winters and Barlock, and an RBI ground out by Maggie Geobel.
That set the stage for the roller-coaster final frame.
“We started out strong and we battled hard,” Perry said. “Unfortunately, there were some plays that should’ve been made and they weren’t, and there were a couple balls that got past us that shouldn’t have. That cost us in the end.”
Vanata led Mapletown’s hitting attack, going 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs and an RBI.
Chory had two hits, including a triple, two runs and an RBI. Chesney contributed two hits, two runs and two stolen bases, and Cree also had two hits and two runs, with two RBIs. Clark chipped in with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs before leaving with her injury.
Perry sees a bright future the Lady Maples’ program.
“It definitely looks encouraging,” Perry said. “Our junior high team is 9-1 right now so they’re going to be sending us some players to build off of as well as what we have coming back.
“I’m looking forward to it.”