Vatakis limits Union to 1 hit as Monessen reaches PIAA semifinals for 1st time

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, June 7, 2018 | 6:51 PM

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Dominant, phenomenal, explosive and dominant again.

Those are the words Union coach Anthony Conforti used to describe Monessen's Dana Vatakis following the PIAA Class A softball quarterfinal between the Scotties and the Greyhounds.

Unfortunately for the Scotties, Vatakis brought along her motley crew, too.

The top six hitters in the Greyhounds lineup combined to go 10 for 20 with six singles, three doubles and a home run to lead Monessen to a 5-0 win over Union at Peterswood Park to advance to Monday's PIAA semifinals against WPIAL champion West Greene.

One run would have been enough for Vatakis as the Robert Morris recruit dominated in the circle.

Vatakis allowed a lone hit and struck out 14, including eight in a row at one point.

“Everything was really working today,” Vatakis said. “I felt great and it seemed like every pitch did exactly what I wanted to do.”

Fellow Division-I recruit Sarah Seamans didn't fare as well on the other side.

Seamans threw 128 pitches in the game and seemed winded after a three-run bottom of the third for the Greyhounds.

Paige Kerestesi led off the inning with a walk. Sasha Kenney came in to pinch run and was moved to second on Sydney Caterino's slap single past the drawn in third baseman.

Destiny Habeck ripped a double over the head of Union left fielder Rachel Bowen.

Kenney and Caterino scored and Habeck ended up on third when Bowen overthrew her cut-off man.

“I had a full count, so I knew she had to come with a strike,” Habeck said. “She left a pitch right where I like it. It felt so good coming off the bat.”

Mattie Telegraphis followed with an RBI single to give the Greyhounds a 3-0 lead after three innings.

“When you're pressed like that, you'd like to think your girls are going to go out there and make the right plays,” Conforti said. “I think Sarah got a little winded after that inning, and she made a couple mistakes with her pitches, and we made a couple mistakes behind her.”

The Greyhounds tacked on, something teams in the past may not have been able to do when they needed to.

“We've really matured a lot,” Greyhounds coach Bo Teets said. “And now we have our best girls that are taking advantage of their opportunities when they arise. It shows how much we've grown as a team, even from earlier this year.”

Seamans struck out Carly Rock and Kenney to start off the fourth, but Vatakis stepped up after striking out in her previous at-bat and drilled the first pitch she saw deep over the left-field fence for a 4-0 lead.

“She's a great pitcher and I knew she wanted to get ahead, so she was kind of grooving that first pitch,” Vatakis said. “I went up there looking to attack the first pitch I saw.”

Caterino followed with a single, but was thrown out trying to steal second on a questionable call to end the inning.

The caught stealing call may have been a blessing, though, because Habeck got to bat again and drew a walk from Seamans in the fifth.

Telegraphis hit a sharp groundball to second baseman Julia Williams who fired to second to force out Habeck. Her throw sailed over the head of shortstop Shelby Ligo and Habeck took off for third.

Left fielder Gianna Trott took her time coming up with the throw and Teets waved Habeck home. Trott overthrew her cutoff and Habeck scored the final Monessen run, making it 5-0.

Union (18-4) looked to make some noise in the sixth as Seamans, who entered the game hitting over .700, led off with a line drive to third that Kenney muffed for an error.

Ligo followed with a hot shot toward the middle, but shortstop Guzzie turned a double play.

“That was a great play. Play of the game defensively,” Teets said. “That's another reason I'm so proud of these girls. We don't have many girls that play year round. Maddie is one of those January through June girls that come to practice every day and work hard to get better. That was definitely the play of the game defensively.

“We always preach taking the right angles to the ball. She did it there and made a great throw.”

Caterino reached on an error with two outs in the bottom of the sixth for the Greyhounds, but was thrown out trying to score on Habeck's second double of the day.

Guzzie finished with a pair of hits, including a double.

In the seventh, it took 15 pitches from Vatakis to end the game with a fly ball and two more strikeouts.

Now, it's on to the semifinals for the Greyhounds (17-4) as they continue adding to their newly-adopted moniker “making history.”

“It's the first time in Monessen history making it this far,” Vatakis said. “And we're looking to continue making history on Monday.”

Teets credited the maturity and cohesiveness of his team for continuing their trek toward a state championship, something Habeck pointed out, too.

“I'm so proud of these girls,” she said. “We've matured so much and the younger girls have really taken in what the older girls have preached to them. They know we have high expectations from them, and it's made us closer. We've grown up as a team.”

The family atmosphere is something Vatakis is the proudest of.

“We're all sisters. We're a big family, and we all love each other,” she said. “We wouldn't be where we are without each other. I love this team.”

With a fourth matchup against nemesis West Greene looming, the Greyhounds are looking for a little payback after a walk-off loss in the WPIAL championship game.

“I think this would be the 13th time we've played them in the last three years, or something crazy like that,” Teets said. “There's not a lot of study left to do on them, and I'm sure it's the same for them about us. The girls want them. They're not intimidated.

“What happened last time doesn't sit well with them.”

Jeremy Sellew is a Mon Valley Independent staff writer.

Tags: Monessen