Belle Vernon scores 4 runs in wild 7th inning to capture WPIAL title
After two less-than-stellar at-bats earlier in the game, Belle Vernon senior Emily Frederick sat alone in the dugout collecting her thoughts knowing her time would come.
When it did, she delivered.
Frederick smacked a two-run single to right-center field to score the winning runs as Belle Vernon stunned Yough, 5-4, to win the WPIAL Class AAA softball championship Thursday at Cal (Pa.).
The top-seeded Leopards (20-2) scored four runs in the home half of the seventh to claim the school's second softball crown.
What made it even sweeter to the Leopards was that it came against their bitter rival.
“There was some smack talk going on from the Yough side,” Frederick said. “But we let it go and figured we'd take care of it on the field.
“It's awesome that it was them. We've always had a serious rivalry with them.”
For six innings, Yough hurler Macy Mularski was on cruise control. She didn't allow a hit until the Leopards broke through with a run in the sixth.
Winning pitcher Bailey Parshall, a Penn State recruit, picked up the win despite walking nine. The freshman struck out 10 and only allowed three hits.
Following an Aubrie Mance single for Yough in the sixth, Parshall walked Rachel Mlinek to load the bases, earning Parshall a visit from coach Tom Rodriguez.
“I was getting really frustrated. He told me not to be frustrated and to feel good about myself,” Parshall said.
Following the visit, Parshall struck out Mularski looking and induced a groundout to get out of the inning.
In the seventh, BVA leadoff hitter Megan Christner dribbled a hit up the middle and Kaitlyn Faiola hit a bleeder just past Mularski for an infield hit.
Parshall scorched one toward Yough shortstop Hannah Bach who failed to get her glove down for an error. Christner scored to make it 4-2.
Senior catcher Nicole Ashcraft blooped a single into right which scored Faiola from second. The throw from right fielder Olivia Miller missed the cut off man and went into the Yough dugout which allowed courtesy runner Lexie Church to move to third and Ashcraft to second.
That set up Frederick's heroics.
“I was just looking for a pitch over the plate to hit,” Frederick said. “I knew when it hit the grass that Nicole was going to score. No doubt.”
Ashcraft, a team captain, relished an opportunity to hoist the WPIAL trophy.
“I've never been on a team so close. … This team has never given up,” she said.
“Beating Yough is a great way to go out.”
Yough coach Dutch Harvey was disappointed in his team's defensive effort in the final inning.
“Those two hits, the ones up the middle, those are right in the circle. Macy has to field those balls. That was just ridiculous,” Harvey said. “They let the game dictate them and didn't make the plays. We had one out on the board, you get those two outs and you won the game.”
Alona Sleith had a solo home run and Miller had two RBIs for the Cougars (17-4).
Faiola and Ashcraft each had a pair of hits for the Leopards.
Mularski allowed seven hits and four earned runs.
Belle Vernon resumes play Monday in the first round of the PIAA playoffs against the District 9 champion Punxsutawney at 5 p.m. at North Allegheny. Yough will play the champion of the District 5 and 6 region Monday.
Jeremy Sellew is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jsellew@tribweb.com.
