Trib HSSN softball player of the week: May 30, 2022

By: Don Rebel
Monday, May 30, 2022 | 3:21 PM

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The way the WPIAL softball postseason schedule set up, with a first-round bye for top seed and defending champion Beaver in the Class 4A playoffs, the Bobcats had 22 days between their season-ending win over Laurel and their quarterfinal opener last Monday against Freeport.

“With some of the players coming back from last year’s team and some freshmen, it was a very interesting experience,” Beaver coach Amy Haggart said. “The freshman really didn’t know what to expect as it’s the biggest stage to be on and they delivered. We were ready for sure. It was a long break; however, it was good to have the time to work on things at practice and to also watch teams we knew we could be playing to prepare for them as well.”

All season long, opponents of the Bobcats have discovered it’s no fun playing in Payton’s place.

Senior Payton List continued her dominant season by delivering two hits at the plate and throwing a complete game five-inning no-hitter as Beaver beat Freeport in the quarterfinals, 10-0.

“Payton was on fire,” Haggart said. “She was able to move her pitches around the zone, which left the hitters off balance the entire game.”

It was List’s second no-hitter of the season after keeping Montour hitless in a 3-0 win late in the regular season.

In a third meeting with section rival Montour in the district semifinals Wednesday, the Spartans were able to scratch home an unearned run on four hits, but List struck out eight as the Bobcats punched their ticket for a return to the WPIAL finals with a 6-1 victory.

“Her intensity and the fact that her teammates had her back,” Haggart said when asked about the keys to List’s performance on Wednesday. “We played solid defense behind her.”

It doesn’t hurt that the circle isn’t the only place List dominated on the softball diamond. Her offensive prowess was on display when in four at-bats, she hit two home runs and was walked twice.

Overall this season, List is hitting .615 with a .692 on-base percentage.

There is no question Payton is at the top of the List of a very talented Bobcats team.

“She is one that leads by example,” Haggart said. “Her presence raises the play of others on the team.”

Beaver has now won 39 games in a row and is headed back to Lilley Field at Cal (Pa.) for a second straight year. Last spring, the Bobcats edged Highlands in a thriller, 3-2, to win their second WPIAL softball crown and first since 2014.

Haggart was asked about her first memory from last year’s finals.

“If you ask the team, it would be me falling coming out to celebrate the win,” she said. “If you ask me, it would be the teamwork and overall team effort it took to win that game. So many individuals made things happen that makes me as a coach proud because they played and fought together as a team. It was a true team win.”

On Thursday at noon, the last two district 4A champions collide as 2021 title winner Beaver faces No. 2 seed and 2019 champion, Elizabeth Forward.

“We take one game at a time and know that this is no different,” Haggart said. “They have an excellent program with a history of doing well in the post season.

“We will be ready for them.”

2022 Trib HSSN Softball Players of the Week

Week 7 – Mia Smith, Penn-Trafford

Week 6 – Casey Barton, Seton LaSalle

Week 5 – Addy Frye, Neshannock

Week 4 – Abby Scheller, North Hills

Week 3 – Bella Hess and Paige McAvoy, Chartiers-Houston

Week 2 – Emma Augustine, Yough

Week 1 – Abby Quickel, Bethel Park

Tags: Beaver