NORTH EAST - Youngsville's softball team is rolling.
The team has played four games this week - and won them all - winning five in a row overall after a 7-4 victory over North East Thursday at North East High School.
Youngsville started the season 3-7, but has improved to 8-7 after Thursday's win. Against North East, the Eagles had to overcome some late adversity to win.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton
Fouled back
Sheffield’s Brittany Summers fouls a pitch back during a softball game with DuBois Central Catholic Thursday at Sheffield Area High School.
Youngsville appeared to be cruising after Amber Fox jacked a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to put the Eagles up 4-0. However, three Youngsville errors in the bottom of the sixth led to four unearned Grapepickers runs and the game was tied at 4-4 with one inning to play.
The Eagles quickly found themselves with two outs before rallying ahead. Judi Lewis started the rally with a double and Fox was walked intentionally. Nicole Ciukaj was up next and promptly tripled to plate both Lewis and Fox and make it 6-4 Youngsville. Moments later, Elise Dunn singled home Ciukaj to close out the scoring.
Ciukaj, the pitcher, breezed through the bottom of the seventh and Youngsville had its fifth straight win.
Fact Box
YOUNGSVILLE (7): Rex, c, 2-1-1-1, Lewis, lf, 4-0-1-0, Fox, ss, 3-1-1-2, Ciukaj, p, 4-1-1-2, Dunn, 1b, 4-0-1-1, S. Anderson, dp, 4-1-1-0, McLaughlin, 3b, 2-0-1-0, Gustafson, rf, 3-0-0-0, Jameson, cf, 3-1-1-0, K. Anderson, 2b, 0-0-0-0, Totals: 29-7-8-6
NORTH EAST (4): Prather, 3b, 3-0-1, Klenz, ss, 3-1-1, Gregory, cf, 4-1-1, Burns, lf, 3-1-1, Alcorn, rf, 3-1-0, Miller, p, 2-0-0, Rizzo, 2b, 3-0-1, Hecht, dp, 3-0-0, Snyder, c, 3-0-1, Grosch, 3b, 0-0-0, Totals: 27-4-5
Youngsville 110 020 3 - 7 8 3
North East 000 004 0 - 4 5 2
2b-Lewis (Y). 3b-Ciukaj (Y). HR-Fox (Y). WP-Ciukaj. LP-Miller.
EISENHOWER (3): Repke, cf 4-0-1-0, Byrd, ss 4-0-1-0, Stanton, c 4-0-1-0, Braddish, pr 0-0-0-0, Dinger, 2b 4-0-2-0, Sherry, 1b 3-1-2-0, VanOrd, rf 3-1-1-0, Ward, p 3-1-0-1, Barnett, 3b 3-0-3-2, Arford, lf 2-0-0-0, Totals 30-3-11-3
IROQUOIS (10): Cooper, 2b 4-1-1-1, Hollern, cf 3-1-1-0, Tombaugh, 1b 3-2-2-1, Martin, p 4-3-3-2, Johnson, lf 4-1-1-1, Hatton, c 3-1-1-2, McMillian, rf 2-1-1-0, Ragen, dp 3-0-1-1, Cavaday, ss 2-0-0-0, Fiwatti, 3b 1-0-1-0, Totals 29-10-12-8
Eisenhower 000 003 0 - 3 11 3
Iroquois 103 132 x -10 12 1
2b-Tombaugh (I), Hatton (I), Barnett (E), VanOrd (E). HR-Martin (I). WP-Martin. LP-Ward
Game one
DCC (16): Gulvas, ss, 2-3-2-3, Schaffer, cf, 2-3-1-0, Varcallo, p, 2-3-0-1, Tomko, cr, 0-0-0-0, Yabesky, lf, 2-1-0-1, Thomas, 3b, 2-1-1-3, Marchoni, 1b, 2-1-0-0, Ishman, c, 2-1-0-1, Burgeson, cr, 0-0-0-0, Hassan, rf, 3-0-0-0, Gillespie, ph, 0-0-0-0, Bittner, 2b, 3-3-3-2, Totals: 21-16-7-11
SHEFFIELD (0): J. Barr, 3b, 2-0-0-0, Moldovan, p, 2-0-1-0, Vile, 1b, 2-0-1-0, Steffan, ss, 2-0-0-0, Hoffman, c, 2-0-0-0, Baldensperger, cf, 2-0-0-0, A. Barr, lf, 1-0-0-0, Pratz, dh, 1-0-0-0, Summers, rf, 1-0-0-0, Pollock, 2b, 0-0-0-0, Totals: 17-0-2-0
DuBois Central Catholic 330 10 - 16 7 0
Sheffield 000 00 - 0 2 2
2b-Bittner (D) 2. HR-Gulvas (D). WP-Varcallo. LP-Moldovan.
Game two
DCC (18): Gulvas, ss, 4-2-0-0, Schaffer, 3b, 1-4-0-1, Burgeson, cr, 0-0-0-0, Varcallo, 2b, 3-4-3-4, Yabesky, lf, 2-3-2-1, Thomas, 3b-c, 4-1-1-2, Marchoni, 1b, 2-0-1-0, Ishman, cf, 1-1-0-0, Hassan, rf, 1-1-0-1, Gillespie, ph, 1-0-0-0, Bittner, p, 1-1-1-1, Tomko, cr-ph, 1-1-0-0, Totals: 21-18-8-10
SHEFFIELD (0): Pratz, rf, 1-0-0-0, Moldovan, p, 1-0-0-0, J. Barr, 3b, 2-0-1-0, Vile, 1b, 2-0-1-0, Steffan, ss, 1-0-0-0, Hoffman, c, 1-0-0-0, Mead, dh, 1-0-0-0, Summers, cr, 0-0-0-0, Fry, 1b-rf, 1-0-0-0, Baldensperger, cf, 1-0-0-0, A. Barr, lf, 0-0-0-0, Pollock, 2b, 0-0-0-0, Totals: 11-0-2-0
DuBois Central Catholic (11)43 - 18 8 1
Sheffield 000 - 0 2 5
WP-Bittner. LP-Moldovan.
TCCS (2): York, p, 3-1-1, Shields, c-cf, 2-1-0, Hallas, 1b, 3-0-3, A. Lindemuth, cf-c, 3-0-0, Lester, ss, 0-0-0, L. Lindemuth, 3b, 2-0-0, Buckley, lf, 2-0-0, Burris, 2b, 2-0-0, Kitelinger, rf, 2-0-0, Johnson, rf, 0-0-0, Totals: 19-2-6
KENNEDY CATHOLIC (13): Moure, ss 3-1-1, Benson, p 1-3-1, Ritchey, 1b 3-2-2, Delasandro, c 3-1-1, Burns, 3b 3-1-2, Derrick, 2b 3-1-1, Summers, cf 2-2-2, Ammann, rf 3-0-1, Messina, lf 3-1-0, Totals 24-13-10
TCCS 002 00 - 2 6 3
Kennedy 122 71 - 13 10 0
3b-Ritchey(K), Summers (K), Delasandro (K). WP-Benson. LP-York
"It was a great win for the team," said Youngsville coach Mark Nyquist. "The girls got ahead, faced some adversity and battled back. The season has really turned around as of late."
Youngsville tries to make it five wins in five days Friday when it hosts Iroquois.
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Iroquois 10, Eisenhower 3
LAWRENCE PARK - Some unlucky bounces derailed what was otherwise a productive day at the plate for Eisenhower's softball team as it suffered a 10-3 defeat to Iroquois on Thursday.
Seven of the nine batters for the Knights (2-12) got at least one hit, but they weren't able to take advantage. With one out in the top of the first inning, Jessica Byrd hit a single. She was then picked off at first base. Brooke Stanton followed with a single of her own and Rachel Dinger then hit a ground ball to the right side which hit Danielle Bradish (a courtesy runner for Stanton). By rule, Dinger was credited with a single, but the third out was recorded on the play.
"In the first inning we get three singles, but no runners get past second base," said Eisenhower coach R.J. Williams. "It's just been one of those seasons of whatever can go wrong will go wrong."
Iroquois took advantage of two Eisenhower errors in the bottom of the first inning to get a run across. The Braves would score three more in the third, another run in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to open an 8-0 lead.
Ashley Barnett had a great day at the plate going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Halie VanOrd added a double and Taylor Ward had an RBI for the Knights.
"Some of the girls that hadn't been hitting well are now making pretty solid contact," Williams said. "They're still playing ball and that's encouraging."
Eisenhower will look to get back on the winning track Friday when it plays host to North East.
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DuBois Central Catholic 16, Sheffield 0, 1st game
DuBois Central Catholic 18, Sheffield 0, 2nd game
Sheffield had a rough day at the office on Thursday, dropping both games of a doubleheader against Dubois Central Christian by scores of 16-0 and 18-0.
DCC came out early in both games, scoring three in both the first and second innings of the opener to gain a comfortable lead. In game two, the visitors scored 11 runs in the opening frame before Sheffield even came to the dish.
The Wolverines had two hits in game one - singles by Paige Moldovan and Hannah Vile. In game two, Sheffield recorded two hits as well - singles by Justine Barr and Vile.
Sheffield visits Port Allegany on Monday.
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Kennedy Catholic 13, TCCS 2
HERMITAGE - The Tidioute girls softball team had trouble keeping runners off the bases as the Bulldogs dropped their season finale to Kennedy Catholic, 13-2, on Thursday.
The Lady Bulldogs committed three errors which led to runs for the Golden Eagles, but even when TCCS was able to make plays, Kennedy had enough runners on to score.
Makayla Hallas (3-for-3) and Jen Buckley (2-for-2) accounted for five of the Bulldogs' six hits on the day. Hallas and Anna Lindemuth each had an RBI for TCCS.
Thursday's outing was originally scheduled to be a doubleheader, but lighting caused the second game to be canceled in the second inning. The game is not going to be made up which means that the Lady Bulldogs will finish the 2011 campaign with a 2-10 record.