NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Allegheny softball team won a pair of elimination games Friday (May 3) at the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament, collecting 3-2 wins against both Bethany and Grove City.
Game One - Allegheny 3, Bethany 2
The Bison struck first as they scored a run in the first off a leadoff hit.
Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central) was walked to start the second before
Sophia Godzak (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) singled to right center. After they moved up on a wild pitch,
Halle Book (Wexford, Pa./North Catholic) laid down a bunt that allowed Genareo to slide safely into home and tie the game.
Bethany threatened again in the fourth, putting two runners on. However,
Madison Hulse (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo) got the Gators out of the jam unscathed, picking up the third out on a strikeout looking.
Audrey Blarr (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence) singled up the middle to begin the bottom of the fifth, and moved up on a
Cameron Long (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian) sacrifice bunt.
Samantha Phillips (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) followed up with an RBI single to right field, taking second on an error as Allegheny jumped ahead, 2-1.
Aleya Belardinelli (Melbourne, Fla./West Shore) kept it going with a bloop single to centerfield. An
Olivia Devries (Kent, Ohio/Field) single to center scored Phillips to make it 3-1.
The score stayed 3-1 heading into the seventh inning. The Bison had a leadoff infield single before a single up the middle put runners on the corners. After a pair of outs, the Bison pulled within one, scoring on a throwing error and putting runners back on the corners. The next batter hit a liner to shallow centerfield, but
Hadley Horensky (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Seton LaSalle Catholic) charged in and made a sliding catch to seal the playoff win.
Inside the Box
- Devries had a pair of hits with an RBI.
- Phillips had an RBI single while Book brought a run home.
- Belardinelli, Godzak and Blarr also had hits.
- Hulse earned the win for the Gators. In the complete game, she surrendered just one earned run while striking out four.
Game Two - Allegheny 3, Grove City 2
The Wolverines started the game with a pair of infield hits before pushing a run across the plate.
The Gators made up the run in the bottom of the inning. Phillips led off with a double and scored on a Grove City error to tie the game.
Grove City regained the lead in the third with one out before a lengthy rain delay temporarily halted the game.
Once again, the Gators answered in the bottom of the frame. Phillips tripled to start the frame before a Devries double drove her home to tie the game. Later in the inning, Godzak hit into a two base error that brought Devries home and gave Allegheny a 3-2 lead.
Belardinelli shut the door on the Wolverines the rest of the way, closing out the game by limiting the Wolverine opportunities as the Gators staved off elimination for the second time, advancing to the third day of the tournament.
Inside the Box
- Phillips had a triple and a double while scoring twice.
- Devries had an RBI double.
- Genareo also tallied a hit.
- Belardinelli earned the win in the circle, going the full seven innings and allowing just one earned run.
News and Notes
- Allegheny is now 19-14 all-time against Bethany and 30-9 all-time against Grove City.
- The win against Bethany marked the Gators first playoff win since 2013.
Up Next
The Gators have another elimination game Saturday morning (May 4) at 11 am, a rematch against Waynesburg.
