Antelopes leap into semis by beating South Allegheny

By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR.

MVI Sports

The South Allegheny softball team pulled many upsets down the stretch of its 2021 season. 

The Gladiators were in a similar spot on Thursday with an opportunity to knock off the Section 3 champions from Avonworth at Gateway High School.

The opportunity, though,  literally slipped just past their gloves.

A four run fourth inning for the Antelopes ended up being the difference in the ballgame as the ball seemed to have eyes and South Allegheny’s  season ended with a 10-6 loss in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.

Avonworth (12-5) loaded the bases thanks to a couple near misses by SA (12-6) fielders and a critical fielding error by third baseman Kayla Richel on a bunt. The Antelopes’ Meg Fissore cleared the bases with a double then scored on a single that Ava Martorelli just missed fielding.

“(Avonworth) had that one inning and we had some errors,” Gladiators coach Jessica Stockett said. “I told the girls that we needed to come with our A-game defensively and offensively, and we didn’t.”

The Antelopes tacked on three more in the fifth with three infield singles aiding the rally.

“They hit the ball and their defense was good,” Stockett said. 

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