WEST MIFFLIN — Trailing by a manageable three-run decifct with the bases loaded and two outs, the Ellwood City softball team was just one big play away from escaping a potential season-ending inning and having one more shot to tie things up in the top of the seventh in their quarterfinal matchup against South Park in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.
But the big play the 9-7 Wolverines needed never arrived as the Eagles (16-1) would go on to score five runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to build a 17-9 lead that they would ultimately hold onto for the victory.
“They’re a good hitting team,” said Ellwood City coach Gary Rozanski. “We knew it was going to be a battle that went back and forth. Their hits just seemed to find some holes, and we couldn’t get the final out.”
The play that sparked the big inning for South Park was perhaps one that the Wolverines would want back. With a runner on second and two outs, Ellwood City elected to pitch around Kaitlyn Morrison and intentionally walk Kaitlyn Pavlick, who both had hit solo home runs earlier in the game.
But the Eagles' scoring parade began off of a fielder's choice where Pavlick beat a late throw to second base that would have allowed the Wolverines to escape the inning unscathed.
“Pavlick and Morrison are great players,” said Rozanski. “We were hoping to create a situation where we could take a force out and get out of the inning. We had everything work, but we just couldn’t execute cleanly.”
The sixth inning was not the only frame in which South Park was able to build a lead. Earlier in the game, the Eagles were able to erase Ellwood City’s early 6-1 lead by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the second.
South Park would then add two more to their total in the next inning, scoring what was then nine unanswered runs. However, Ellwood City never faded away thanks to strong efforts at the plate from Ariana Garroway, who had two hits and two runs and Zoe Kalantzis, who drove in two runs.
“I am proud of the girls,” said Rozanski. “We told them that this game was going to be one that went back and forth, which it was. We were able to score on them early and never completely went away. Unfortunately we just couldn’t capitalize on every opportunity and had a few too many zeros on the scoreboard.”
With the win, top-seeded South Park will advance to the WPIAL class 3A semifinals to take on Avonworth at a time, date and location that has yet to be determined.