First loss ends Commodores’ season
Looking rusty following a 12-day layoff, Frazier fell to West Greene, 13-5.
Having not played a game since May 8, the fourth-seeded Frazier softball team showed plenty of rust against fifth-seeded West Greene in a WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinal Monday afternoon at Peterswood Park.
The Commodores committed seven errors, were held to seven hits and suffered their first loss of the season, a 13-5 setback to the Pioneers. The loss ends the season for Frazier, while West Greene moves on to play top-seeded Union Wednesday at Montour High School.
“I’m not happy that we haven’t played since May 8,” Frazier coach Don Hartman said, noting that Frazier’s prom, scheduled for this past Thursday, interfered with the game being played on its originally scheduled date. It was rained out Friday, which left the Commodores without a game for 12 straight days. Hartman believes there was a lack of focus on his team’s part.
The problems for the Commodores (13-1) started early as the Pioneers (13-7) put up four runs in the first inning and never trailed.
Marissa Tharp and Payton Gilbert each reached base to start the game and Emmaline Beazell got aboard on a fielder’s choice to load the bases.
With one out, Kendra Tharp was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Madelyn Roberts ripped a two-run single before an error allowed West Greene to go on top, 4-0.
After a rough start, Frazier pitcher Addison Hiles settled in and kept the Pioneers off the board for the next four innings. That allowed the Commodores to get back in the game with a run in the second and another in the fourth.
In the second, Emi Bednar singled and courtesy runner Delani Anderson stole second before scoring on a groundout by Claire Domonkos. In the fourth, Grace Vaughn, who led the Commodores with three hits, smacked her second double of the game. She scored on an error to make it 4-2.
The Pioneers looked to put the game away with three runs in the sixth. Ella Scott and Ali Goodwin each reached on a fielder’s choice and a run scored on an error before Gilbert ripped a two-run single to make it 7-2.
However, the Commodores fought back with three runs of their own in their half of the sixth.
Grace Vaughn reached on an error before Grace Polkabla singled her in. Jayanna Ciferno walked and Bednar laced a two-run single to make it 7-5.
Bednar’s second hit of the game was enough to knock West Greene starting pitcher Gilbert out of the circle. However, reliever Sammi Zimmerman came on and got the final two outs of the frame to help the Pioneers maintain their two-run lead.
In the seventh, the game got away from the Commodores. Four costly errors and four West Greene hits allowed the Pioneers to build a comfortable eight-run advantage.
Back-to-back errors to start the inning put West Greene in business before Goodwin and Marissa Tharp came through with back-to-back RBI singles. Another error allowed another run to score before Beazell singled. A fourth error in the inning pushed another run across for West Greene before Kendra Tharp closed the scoring with an RBI double.
Gilbert had five strikeouts and earned the win. Zimmerman gave up one single and struck out two. She kept the Commodores off the board in the seventh to earn the save and seal the victory for West Greene.
For Frazier, it was a disappointing end to the season, but for Hartman and his team, it was a memorable one that included an undefeated regular season and a section title. All this with just 11 players on the roster.
“We had a lot of fun this season,” Don Hartman said. “We weren’t even sure we were going to have a season. I had to grab a couple of volleyball players out of the stands (to complete the roster).
“This game is no way indicative of how we’ve played. We just hit a wall. I knew that if we got down by one or two runs, it would be tough to come back. We just haven’t hit in May. I give West Greene a lot of credit. Their pitcher did a nice job and they had some timely hits. They put the ball in play and they pressured our defense.”
