Trib HSSN Softball Team of the Week for May 2, 2022

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 | 12:17 AM

Perennial softball power West Allegheny had hit a wall. After winning five of its first six games and tying for the top spot in Section 4-5A, the Indians dropped two out of three section games and fell into a tie for second place, two games out of first.

“Our biggest concern was our offensive run production,” West Allegheny coach Mindi McFate said of being blanked by Trinity and leaving 13 runners on base in a 8-7 loss to Chartiers Valley. “We had situations with bases loaded and runners on second and third and no outs, and we weren’t able to have productive outs that resulted in runs. We did have some concerns about how our very young team would respond in a high-pressure situation. We talked to our kids about resiliency and mental toughness and we are incredibly pleased with how they responded.”

The answer for the Indians came in the form of three straight section victories.

In back-to-back games against an Upper St. Clair team that appears to be playoff bound, the big hits on offense were plentiful for West A.

“The biggest adjustment that we made against USC is that our kids were patient at the plate,” McFate said. “They worked deep in the count during a lot of our at-bats. They were disciplined and didn’t chase. The USC pitcher has a very good off-speed pitch, and we were really good about laying off it.”

The Indians’ patience at the plate resulted in a lot of run production, including five home runs on Tuesday and having seven players with multiple hits on Wednesday, adding up to wins of 21-0 and 17-2.

“It was a team effort on back-to-back days, with everyone getting involved offensively and two different pitchers splitting the duties on the mound,” McFate said.

With the West A ship steadied by those two lopsided wins, the stage was set for a rematch with first-place Trinity on Friday.

Freshmen Aubrey Police was 2 for 2 with a pair of triples and an RBI while Ava Henke was 3 for 3 with a triple and two RBI as West Allegheny handed Trinity its first section loss with a 6-4 victory.

“I wouldn’t say it was a statement win,” McFate said. “I think it was something that our kids needed to prove to themselves. They needed to believe in themselves and know that we are capable of beating good teams, that we too are a good softball team. For us, this was the confidence boost that our kids needed.”

The victory not only moved West Allegheny a half-game ahead of Chartiers Valley for second place, one game behind Trinity, it also was career win No. 250 for Coach McFate.

Elly Vicari-Baker was the winning pitcher in two of the Indians’ three wins last week while Vicari-Baker and Emily Nolan have supplied the power to the West A offense. The two combined for three homers last week, including a Vicari-Baker grand slam.

The Indians have clinched a playoff spot and have one week left in the regular season to prepare for the perils of the postseason.

“Coming into this week, my biggest concern was confidence and our ability to stay in close games and overcome adversity,” McFate said. “Our win against Trinity really alleviated a lot of those concerns. Our kids played with a lot of confidence and composure. They played seven good innings of softball, made big outs, came up with timely hits and never got down when things didn’t go our way. All of these are things we will need if we want to be successful in the playoffs, so we are hopeful that we are hitting our stride at the right time and playing our best softball down the stretch.”

The young Indians will need to be playing their best softball in what will be a loaded bracket in Class 5A.

“The last time I remember this much competition in a classification would be back to the 2010-2012 seasons,” McFate said. “This was when there were still four classes and 3A was full of talented teams with great pitching and big hitters. Ambridge, Montour and so many other teams made every game close and almost every game was a playoff atmosphere.”

2022 Trib HSSN Softball Teams of the Week

Week 3 – Avonworth Antelopes

Week 2 – Pine-Richland Rams

Week 1 – Ligonier Valley Rams

Tags: West Allegheny