Hometown Softball Recap – Latrobe Wildcats – 04/25/2017

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, April 25, 2017 | 9:36 PM

Greater Latrobe finally got back to what they know best. Winning. After a four game slide that dropped the Wildcats to under .500 overall and already two section loses, Greater Latrobe rebounded for a 12-2 victory over Penn Hills on Tuesday in Class 6A Section 2 matchup Graham Sabota Field in Latrobe.

Greater Latrobe (5-5, 4-2 in section) had lost consecutive games to Hempfield, North Allegheny, Yough and Norwin, with the most recent loss coming this past Monday and found themselves on a losing streak heading into the game against Penn Hills.

Behind a six strikeout, 5 hit performance by Greater Latrobe starter Ashley Pagliei and a six-run second inning, the Wildcats had little trouble controlling this game from start to finish, which was called in the top of the 5th inning due to the 10 run rule.

Pagliei overpowered the Penn Hills lineup and was able to work out of first inning jam in which the Indians had runners at second and third with no outs, before getting Kiana Drahusz to ground out, clean-up hitter Makayla Delo to line out and striking out her fellow starting pitcher Sarah Salego to end the threat.

Latrobe tacked on just one run in the bottom of the first but exploded in the second inning behind a lead off double from Pagliei, followed by a Sammi Holsopple walk and one of three Penn Hills errors on a ball hit by centerfielder Angela Diorio. That loaded the bases for Sarah Blair who hit a two run double, followed by a two run single by Aimee Siecinski, and then a double by Makayla Munchinski.

Blair finished with four runs batted in, including that two run double, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Munchinski was 3 for 3 in the game as well, including two singles and a double.

Penn Hills (1-8, 1-6 in section) never recovered, despite answer with a run in the top of the third. The Indians managed to score a second run in the top of the fifth, but that wasn’t enough to extend the game.

Part of the second and third inning outbursts from Greater Latrobe were due to control issues from Penn Hills pitchers, including starter Sarah Salego and Jasmine Woodley. Both pitchers fell behind early in counts and the astute and talented Latrobe lineup pounced on pitches that were over the plate to help push nine runs across in total in the second and third innings.

This completes the season sweep of Latrobe over Penn Hills. The Wildcats also defeated the Indians 16-0 on April 5.

Latrobe has games against Allderdice and Fox Chapel on April 27 and May 2, respectively before the Wildcats get a second chance against Section leading Hempfield on Thursday, May 4 at Greater Latrobe.

Box Score:

Penn Hills        001-01—2-5-3
Latrobe            163-2x—12-10-0

WP: Ashley Pagliei. LP: Sarah Salego. 2B: Yasmine Logan (PH), Sarah Blair (L), Makayla Munchinski, Ashley Pagliei. 

Tags: Latrobe