Lady Rams nip unbeaten Wildcats

Walt Moody

SPRING MILLS — No softball team in Centre County does more with a little than Penns Valley and just a little was enough Thursday for the Lady Rams to knock off their second consecutive unbeaten team.

Penns Valley (5-2) used two of its four hits to score the winning run in the bottom of the sixth as the Class AA Lady Rams rode the right arm of Rachel Myers to a 2-1 victory over Class AAAA Central Mountain.

Myers (4-2) scattered seven hits and struck out 10 as she out-dueled the Lady Wildcats’ Taylor Lesser. Myers also plated speedy Katie Deardorff with the game-winning run on a groundout in the bottom of the sixth.

“It feels great beating an undefeated team,” said Myers, who no-hit then-unbeaten Bellefonte last week.

“They’re a really good team, too. Every time you get a win it’s great.”

Central Mountain (7-1) had rallied from a one-run deficit to finally break through against Myers in the top of the sixth. With one out, Megan Rupert and Sara Hawksworth had consecutive infield singles. Brittany Kunes then laced an RBI single up the middle with Hawksworth getting thrown out at third on a cutoff peg from Penns Valley first baseman Steph Struble. A groundout ended the inning.

Penns Valley, being two-hit by Lesser, bounced right back.

While most teams play a special defense against Deardorff, Lady Wildcats coach Dave Peters elected to keep his infield in its normal spot. Deardorff took advantage with a grounder past Lesser to lead off the sixth with her second infield hit of the game.

“I just knew that I needed to get on any way that I could,” Deardorff said.

Alicia Leitch then tried to get down a bunt, but failed. On a 1-2 pitch, she lined a single into right field. Deardorff raced to third and Leitch took second on the throw.

“What a huge hit,” Penns Valley coach Don Lucas said. “She hit that ball hard.”

With the potential winning run at third, Peters chose not to bring in his infield. “We’re pretty aggressive on the ball and the bloop single kills you just as much as the ground ball there,” he explained.

It worked as Lesser got Kasey Packer on a short fly to center, with Lucas deciding to hold Deardorff against Hawksworth’s strong arm.

Lucas said he could have gambled sending Deardorff, but he had Myers up next. “I like my chances with Rachel Myers,” he said. “She’s a veteran, handles the bat well, doesn’t strike out a whole lot. She’s going to get the ball in play.”

Myers made the Lady Wildcats pay for playing back. Her grounder in the hole at shortstop easily scored Deardorff as Rupert narrowly got Myers at first.

“I didn’t notice,” Myers said when asked about the Lady Wildcats’ infield being back. “I just knew that I had to get the ball past the defense somehow or at least get a grounder that Katie could score. She’s really fast so I knew she could get home.”

Myers retired the side in order in the seventh on strikeout and two groundouts.

It was a calm inning compared to the fourth and fifth, when she stranded five runners. Several reached on bloop singles, infield hits and pop-ups that the Lady Rams could have caught.

“For whatever reason, there were four or five balls that should have been caught,” Lucas said.

Myers struck out Kunes with the bases loaded in the fourth and got out of a jam in the fifth on a fine play by shortstop Deardorff, who forced a runner at second after fielding a hot grounder by Heidi Shoemaker.

“It was a close one,” Myers said. “I was biting my nails out there. I knew we’d come through. I always have confidence in my team.”

Myers also beat Central Mountain, the District 6 Class AAAA runner-up, last season. “I thought she pitched a good game,” Peters said. “I thought she had a better (strike) zone than we did. She was around the plate and if you’re going to get that zone you take advantage of it. ... She pitched a good game and she pitched a good game against us last year.”

Penns Valley’s other run came without a hit. Alisha Jordan walked, stole second and went to third on Janelle Welch’s bunt. Brittany Dashem then laid down a two-strike bunt that Lesser fielded and threw home, but Jordan knocked the ball out of catcher Tierra Miller’s glove to score.

Lesser walked one and struck out one. She induced 12 groundouts.

“We’re slowly starting to come along,” Lucas said. “I think that the latter part of the season, we’re going to surprise some people. ... A game like this is going to pay dividends down the road.”