SENECA, Pa. (D9Sports) – Maybe it was fitting that on a day with two 30-minute thunder delays that the Moniteau softball team produced six runs with two-out lightning of its own on its way to an 11-1, five-inning win over Cranberry Thursday afternoon at Cranberry.
(Photo of Moniteau’s Gabby Stewart. Photo by Mike Schnelle. Check out more of Schnelle’s work here)
“You can’t (give them runs with two outs),” first-year Cranberry head coach Glen Barcinas said. “It’s going to come back to haunt you. You can’t give teams like this second chances. You have to get them because they will make you pay.”
Gabby Stewart played a big role in two-out rallies for the Lady Warriors, the three-time defending District 9 champions and the PIAA Class 2A runner-ups last year.
Stewart drove in Moniteau’s first run when she tripled to left in the second driving in Dolcey Shunk, who started the rally with a two-out walk. Stewart then scored what turned out to be the deciding run on a wild pitch.
Two innings later it was Stewart’s turn to start the two-out lightning for the Lady Warriors when she tripled again, this time to right-center, one of four hits on a day that saw her go 4-for-4 with and RBI and three runs scored.
Her second triple was the first of three straight two-out hits in the inning as seven consecutive Lady Warriors reached base helping Moniteau put up four more runs to take control of the game with a 6-0 lead.
Cortney Claypoole followed with an RBI single to right, and Kennedy DeMatteis blooped a base hit to right that moved Claypoole to third. A wild pitch then scored Claypoole and put Kennedy DeMatteis at second. Kennedy DeMatteis then stole second and scored when shortstop Malliah Schreck had the throw to third go right through her glove.
Kristina DeMatteis followed with a walk, and that ended the day for Cranberry starter Natalie Barcinas, who went 3 ⅔ innings allowing six runs, all earned, on nine hits and three walks while striking out two.
Sara Hull greeted reliever Andrea Watson with a single to left, and Megan Hepler and Bailey Hoffman both walked scoring sixth Moniteau run.
Stewart talked about the two-out hitting of the Lady Warriors and how her speed helped her in the contest among other things.
While Moniteau was scoring in bunches with two outs, Kennedy DeMatteis was doing what Kennedy DeMatteis does — keeping the Berries out of the hit column.
The Lady Warriors star pitcher, who is headed to NCAA Division II Gannon next year, didn’t allow a hit until Bree Swartzfager two-out, run-scoring double in the fifth innings, and she quickly struck out Barcinas to end the game. She retired the first eight batters she faced and ended up giving up one earned run on one hit and three walks while striking out eight.
Despite his team’s struggles offensively, Glenn Barcinas took solace in the Swartzfager double.
“It’s huge,” Barcinas said. “Not even so much the run, but we put the bat on the ball and it was a solid hit. That’s what you have to do with this team. You have to hit the ball and put it in play.”
Moniteau put itself in a position to 10-run the Berries with a five-run fifth in which they took a different tact and scored the runs with no outs.
Claypoole, who was also 4-for-4 two RBIs and two runs scored, had an RBI single to left, Kennedy DeMatteis, who finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, then smacked a two-run double to right before scoring when her twin sister, Kristina, reached on an error. Kristina DeMatteis scored the 11th run on a groundout by Megan Hepler that turned into an unconventional 6-3-5 double play that saw Hull, who had singled, her third hit of the game, erased trying to go to third.
“We have to take it as a learning experience,” Barcinas said. “Hopefully, we will see them again. Hopefully, we make adjustments and go from there, and, hopefully, a better showing the next time.”
MONITEAU 11, CRANBERRY 1, 5 INNINGS
Score by InningsMONITEAU — 11
AB-R-H-RBI
Gabby Stewart cf 4341, Cortney Claypoole ss 4242, Kennedy DeMatteis p 4222, Kristina DeMatteis c 2200, Sara Hull 1b 4030, Megan Hepler 3b 3011, Bailey Hoffman lf 3001, Madisyn Clark dp 3000, Amanda Dailey cf 0000, Dolcey Shunk 2b 1200. Totals 28-11-14-7.
CRANBERRY — 11
AB-R-H-RBI
Natalie Barcinas p/lf 3000, Jenna Huegel cf 1000, Libby Kiefer c 2000, Rachel McCauley 1b 2000, Nicole Hutchinson 2b 1000, Kaylee Weaver ph 0100, Andrea Watson lf/p 2000, Hannah Duncan rf 2000, Bree Swartzfager 3b 1011. Totals 14-1-1-1.
LOB: Moniteau 8. Cranberry 3. Errors: Cranberry 2. 2B: Ke. DeMatteis, Swartzfager. 3B: Stewart 2. SB: Ke. DeMatteis. DP Turned: Cranberry 2 (Schreck unassisted; Shreck to McCauley to Swartzfager).
PITCHING
Moniteau
Kennedy DeMatteis 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
Cranberry
Natalie Barcinas 3 ⅔ IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Andrea Watson 1 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Winning pitcher: Kennedy DeMatteis
Losing pitcher: Natalie Barcinas
