Southmoreland rallies past Gladiators

By JEREMY TEPPER

For the MV Independent

As South Allegheny and Southmoreland went back and forth, trading run for run, it became apparent the slightest miscue would make the difference in a big game.

That miscue came in the form of a Taylor Lucas pitch left high in the zone. That ball was pounded over the fence by Charity Henderson for a three-run homer, giving Southmoreland an 11-9 lead in the top of the sixth. That score held up and was the final, as Jess Matheny cooled South Allegheny’s hot bats for the final two innings to secure a Section 3-3A victory against one of the top teams in the section.

“We have swagger, they have swagger. Someone’s got to win, and someone’s got to lose,” said South Allegheny coach Hal Minford. “I wish we were on the other end of it, but we weren’t.”

Minford lamented the decision to pitch to Henderson in that spot. With an open base and a one-run lead, Minford and Lucas debated whether or not to walk Henderson, ultimately deciding not to.

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