Top seed BEA squeaks past P-O in district playoffs

By Walt Moody
wmoody@centredaily.com

MILESBURG - Bald Eagle Area softball coach Curt Heverly didn't get much sleep Sunday night.

Sure his team was the winner of the Mountain League's Big School Division, but that was no consolation because the Lady Eagles drew Jim Gonder's Philipsburg-Osceola squad in their first action in the Dictrict 6-9 Class AA Playoffs.

"You win the Big School Mountain League and you draw Philipsburg," said Heverly. "I'm going, 'Holy cow, maybe we should have lost the Mountain League and went somewhere.' Jimmy has over 350 wins and I just knew he'd have them all ready to go. They were here to beat us."

Heverly's fears were well-founded as P-O nearly pulled off the upset. His team needed an errorless performance and Sarah Hoover's RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to edge the Lady Mounties 2-1 Monday.

Top-seeded Bald Eagle (18-2) advances to the tournament semifinals and will play host to No. 5 Cambria Heights, which eliminated Lewistown 1-0 Monday on a one-hitter by Maria Carnicella.

Heverly is relieved his team gets a chance to play another game. Despite a pair of victories (5-0 and 6-5 in eight innings) over P-O this season, he knew beating a rival three times in one season would be difficult. Heverly's team had upset the Lady Mounties just two seasons ago in a similar playoff scenario.

"I didn't sleep at all last night," Heverly said. "I knew Jimmy had them ready. I knew he had them believing they could beat us and they could have."

Thanks to flawless defense, the Lady Eagles held P-O off the scoreboard while clinging to a 1-0 lead on pitcher Brittany Rees' RBI triple. But down to their last strike, the Lady Mounties rallied in the top of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.

With two outs, Tara Johns belted a triple over BEA right fielder Jackie Penland's head. Facing an 0-2 count, freshman Jen Marincko grounded a single past diving shortstop Janess Lyle to tie the score at 1-1.

"Our kids have a lot of character," said Gonder. "For a 10-9 ball team, it's not a bad team."

BEA loaded the bases after two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but could not score as Rees lined to first baseman Alyssa English to end the inning. Rees allowed a two-out single to Becky McCamley in the top of the eighth, but escaped unscathed.

In the bottom of the inning, Janess Lyle started the game-winning rally with a sharp single to left field. "I couldn't have wanted our eighth inning to start any better with her leading off," Heverly said of Lyle. "She came through."

Jen Koshko, BEA's leading hitter, then dropped a perfect bunt down the third base line that she beat out for a hit.

With runners now at first and second, Hoover was expected to bunt against P-O pitcher Becky McCamley, but McCamley's first three pitches were balls. After taking a strike, Hoover bunted the next pitch foul.

"I knew that I would be OK," said Hoover of failing to get down the bunt. "I could still pull through and do a good job."

After fouling off a pitch, Hoover drilled McCamley's next offering down the third base line for the game-winner.

"I just battled in there," said Hoover after receiving a bear hug from Heverly. "I knew as soon as I hit it that I had got all of it.

"I wanted to end this game. I didn't want my season to end."

"She's been hitting the ball," said Heverly of his senior first baseman, who has moved up from the bottom to fifth in the BEA batting order. "I'm so proud of her because she's worked hard this year."

Rees (11-2) tossed a six-hitter. She struck out two and had no walks against the Lady Mounties, who entered the game hitting .320.

She got excellent support from her defense, especially Lyle and second baseman Dani Price. Both made fine plays to throw out hitters on deflected liners off Rees' glove. The two also combined to turn a 4-6-3 double play in the sixth inning to stem a P-O rally.

We hit the ball hard, but they played good defense," Gonder said. "That's been their forte all year long. They lived up to it today."

BEA broke a scoreless tie in the third. Courtney Garner led off with a pop-up bunt single that deflected off the glove of diving P-O third baseman Jonelle Jones. After Dani Noll's sacrifice bunt, Rees belted a liner over the first base bag that rolled into the corner for a triple.

P-O avoided further damage as shortstop Bethany Burns threw out courtesy runner Ashley Maney at the plate.

McCamley (5-9) pitched well, tossing an eight-hitter, and along with Johns had two hits. Seniors Burns, Jones, Morgan Ammerman, Lauren Wilson and Kylee Straw completed the careers for P-O.

Garner had two hits for BEA.