Lady Leopards rally to win 3rd WPIAL title in four years
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Belle Vernon’s Mekenzie Sokol brings home the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning in Wednesday’s WPIAL Class AAAA championship against Elizabeth Forward at Seton Hill University.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Belle Vernon’s Allison Pacak (left) and Jordan French applaud during the medal ceremony after the Lady Leopards defeated Elizabeth Forward, 5-4, in last year’s WPIAL Class AAAA championship at Seton Hill University. Pacak and French are both back for the 2019 season.
Belle Vernon's Bailey Parshall strides to the plate before releasing a pitch in Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship against Elizabeth Forward at Seton Hill University.
Belle Vernon's Bailey Parshall strokes a double to open the WPIAL Class AAAA championship against Elizabeth Forward on Wednesday at Seton Hill University.
Elizabeth Forward's Kailey Larcinese winds up before firing a pitch during Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship against Belle Vernon at Seton Hill University.
Belle Vernon catcher Allison Pacak catches the ball to force out Elizabeth Forward's Mackenzie Kearns at the plate in the top of the seventh inning in Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship at Seton Hill University.
Elizabeth Forward shortstop Cassidy Kern secures the ball after making a diving catch in the top of the second inning in Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship against Belle Vernon at Seton Hill University. Kern threw to first from her knees to complete an inning-ending double play.
Elizabeth Forward's Brianna Sersevic slides across the plate as Belle Vernon catcher Allison Pacak awaits the throw in the bottom of the fifth inning in Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship at Seton Hill University.
Elizabeth Forward shortstop Cassidy Kern tags out Belle Vernon's Sophia Godzak after Godzak attempted to take second on a sacrifice fly that scored Bailey Parshall in the bottom of the first inning in Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship played at Seton Hill University.
Belle Vernon second baseman Natalie French hangs onto a fly ball into short right field as she is bumped by right fielder Casey Weightman in Wednesday's WPIAL Class AAAA championship at Seton Hill University.
GREENSBURG — Down to its last strike and trailing 4-3, Belle Vernon Area pulled out a thrilling 5-4 win over Elizabeth Forward to win its second consecutive WPIAL softball championship, and its third in four years when Mekenzie Sokol hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh Wednesday.
“The pitch was right down the middle and I was surprised because typically they don’t put it there,” said Sokol with a smile immediately after the game. “I swung hard and we always kid around in practice (about having a championship winning hit) and now that it happened, it feels great.”
Both coaches talked about the exciting contest that took place at Seton Hill University.
“This was the first time we have come back from being down this year, I told the girls that this would not be easy and we came through with key hits today,” said Belle Vernon coach Tom Rodriguez, who has now led the Lady Leopards to four WPIAL softball crowns. “When we have struggled this year, we have made errors and not gotten big hits.
“We had errors today but made just enough big hits to be able to win, and it was the bottom of the order who came through.”
Elizabeth Forward coach Harry Rutherford spoke about his team’s loss.
“I cannot be any prouder of this squad,” he said of his team. “We are starting four freshmen, and it shows what we have coming up for the next few years.
“We can be in this position again.”
Belle Vernon southpaw Bailey Parshall, who finishes with a WPIAL playoff record at 11-0 in the circle, struck out 11 to bring her career record to 963.
“What a win,” said Parshall with a gleam in her eye that was only matched by the shiny WPIAL championship medal around her neck. “I am so proud of the team because we never quit and fought hard.”
Elizabeth Forward (19-4) won the pregame coin flip so Belle Vernon (21-3) was the road team, and it didn’t take long for the Lady Leopards to get on the board.
Rodriguez changed his lineup around so that Parshall would lead off, and it worked immediately.
She doubled to lead off the game, and after advancing to third on a passed ball, she scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield off of the bat of Sokol.
The 1-0 lead held until the fourth.
Parshall had retired the first nine hitters she faced, but then Elizabeth Forward scored three runs in the fourth with help from three Belle Vernon errors.
The lone Elizabeth Forward RBI of the inning came on a fielder’s choice off of the bat of Kaylee Ludwig.
“I think it was some jitters early,” Rutherford said of Parshall retiring the first nine batters. “(Parshall) is a D-1 recruit for a reason and is the talk of the town.”
Belle Vernon countered with a run in the fifth to make the score 3-2.
Alex Sokol led the inning off with a walk, and she scored on a fielder’s choice when Parshall grounded out to second.
The Lady Warriors answered with another unearned run in the bottom of the inning.
With two outs, Jordan Pinneri singled in Kailey Larcinese to make the score 4-2.
The score held until the top of the seventh.
Natalie French walked to lead off the inning for Belle Vernon, and Vanessa Porter followed with a walk of her own.
A passed ball advanced the runners to second and third, and after Larcinese struck out Casey Weightman, Rutherford decided to intentionally walk Parshall to load the bases.
“I wasn’t letting Bailey beat us,” Rutherford said. “Someone else was going to have to beat us.”
Kourtney Gavatorta followed with a walk to bring in French to make the score 4-3, but Larcinese struck out Sophie Godzak for the second out.
Mekenzie Sokol stepped to the plate and Larcinese quickly got an 0-2 count on Sokol.
On the second strike, Sokol popped the ball up down the first base line but first baseman Kaitlin Fournier and Ludwick, the catcher, collided into each other against the first base dugout fence, and neither could hold the ball.
On the next pitch, Sokol drilled it into left centerfield to score Porter and Parshall.
“I saw where the catcher set up and it was Mekenzie’s bread and butter,” Parshall said. “I knew I would score on the play as soon as she made contact.”
The drama did not end there.
Larcinese singled to start the bottom of the inning and Anna Resnik doubled off the right field fence.
With runners on second and third, Rodriguez chose to intentionally walk Pinneri to load the bases and put the winning run on second base with no outs.
With ice water in her veins, Parshall, who is headed to Penn State, didn’t flinch and showed why she is considered one of the best pitchers in WPIAL history.
She struck out Brianna Sersevici, and then on a grounder off of the bat by Cassidy Kern, she threw out courtesy runner Mackenzie Kearns at the plate for the second out.
Parshall then got Ludwick to fly out to Porter in left field to end the game and the Belle Vernon championship celebration began.
“Bailey pitching out of that, come on,” Rodriguez said with a smile. “Bailey is Bailey.”
The way the game ended was eerily similar to how Belle Vernon’s 2015 championship win over Yough ended, although the circumstances were a little different.
In that game, Belle Vernon entered the seventh down, 4-1, but scored four runs to win on a walk-off double off of the bat by Parshall.
Did Parshall think about her hit as a freshman at all during this game?
“It was going through my head the whole game after they scored their first couple of runs,” she said while smiling. “This win is up there after the freshman win because it was in walk-off fashion.
“To win this how we did though, it is special.”
Rodriguez, who has led BVA to WPIAL titles in 2007, ’15, ’17 and this year, also talked about the bookend championships during Parshall’s four-year run.
“It is unbelievable,” he said. “This is almost equal to that, they are so similar yet different.”
Belle Vernon faces District 6 champion Bellefonte in the first round of the PIAA tournament Monday, while Elizabeth Forward plays District 9 champion Punxsutawney.