Remember When?: Making history: ‘Hounds to Final 4

By Jeremy Sellew

jsellew@yourmvi.com

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 the PIAA Final Four and a semifinal meeting with West Greene on Monday, likely at Peterswood Park.

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 perfectly placed slap single past the drawn in third baseman.