DUBOIS, Pa. Otto-Eldred scored three runs with two outs in the fourth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit and keep its hopes of a PIAA playoff berth alive with a 7-4 victory over A-C Valley in the District 9 Class 1A softball consolation game Wednesday afternoon at Heindl Field in DuBois.
(Photo of Abby Wolfe. Photo by Nancy Rounsville)
The Lady Terrors victory coupled with DuBois Central Catholic beating Clarion, 7-2, in the D9 title game Wednesday night means Otto-Eldred will play Clarion in the true second-place game at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at Heindl Field in DuBois. The winner will stake claim to the second and final PIAA playoff berth awarded to District 9 in Class 1A and will play District 10 champion Commodore Perry in the opening round of the PIAA Tournament Monday, June 3.
Otto-Eldred trailed 3-2 going to the bottom of the fourth after A-C Valley broke a 2-all tie on a two-out RBI double to right by Emily Wetzel which scored Meah Ielase, who had singled with one out.
In the bottom of the inning, a one-out infield single by Britney Greeley was followed by a pair of two-out walks issued by Baylee Blauser to Autumn Smith and Gabby Nickerson.
Reilly Raught then singled to center, and when the ball went through the legs of Ielase, the centerfielder, the bases cleared giving Otto-Eldred a 5-3 lead.
The error was one of three committed by the Lady Falcons, leading to a pair of unearned runs.
A-C Valley fought back with a run in the sixth when Ielase doubled to right-center with one out and scored on a two-out single to center by Brogan Armagost, who took second on the throw. Armagost then went to third on an infield single by Emily Wetzel, who was 3-for-3 in the game with a double, a triple and was also hit by a pitch while scoring twice. But Blauser popped out to second to end the inning.
Otto-Eldred, though, all but put the game away in the bottom of the inning, though, when it scored twice with two outs on a two-RBI single to center by Kayley Heller, the only hit out of the infield in the inning for the Lady Terrors.
A-C Valley took a 1-0 lead in the first on a hit batter, back-to-back singles and an error on Otto-Eldred centerfielder Harlee VanScoter, who for some reason, following a base hit to center by Cami McNany, elected to hold the ball even after Wetzel stopped a third base on the hit. With VanScoter holding the ball, Wetzel sprinted home.
Otto-Eldred used an A-C Valley error to take the lead in the bottom of the first.
After a one-out triple by Smith, Nickerson lofted a ball to right field that was deep enough to score Smith. Nickerson, however, also ended up on third after right fielder Paige Klinger missed the ball. Nickerson then scored on an infield single by Raught.
A-C Valley tied the game in the third when Wetzel tripled down the left-field line leading off and then stole home plate after a lengthy rundown after it appeared Greeley, the Lady Terrors, catcher, had picked her off third base.
Otto-Eldred had a great chance to retake the lead in the third when the Lady Terrors loaded the bases after one out on a walk and two singles. But McNay bailed out her pitcher, Blauser, by picking Raught off third base.
OTTO-ELDRED 7, A-C VALLEY 4
Score by Innings
A-C Valley 101 101
Otto-Eldred 200 302
A-C VALLEY – 4
Emily Wetzel ss 3231, Baylee Blauser p 4020, Cami McNany c 4010, Andrea Meals 3b 4010, Kylee Eaton 1b 3000, Kelsie Terwilliger 2b 3000, Meah Ielase cf 3220, Sydnie Schmidt dp 3010, Paige Klinger rf 0000, Brogan Armagost rf 2011. Totals 29-4-11-2..
OTTO-ELDRED – 7
Emmalee Sheeler ss 4000, Autumn Smith 3110, Gabby Nickerson lf 1101, Reilly Raught rf 3023, Kaylee Rhinehart pr 0100, Abby Wolfe p 4030, Megan Taggert cr 0100, Haylee Frederick 2b 3010, Kayley Heller 1b 4012, Harlee VanScoter cf 3020, Britney Greeley c 1010, Suzie Rounsville cr 0000, Alexis Nickerson cr 0100. Totals 26-7-11-6.
LOB: A-C Valley 9. Otto-Eldred 8. Errors: A-C Valley 3. Otto-Eldred 1. 2B: Wetzel, Blauser, Ielase. 3B: Wetzel. Smith. HR: XX. SB: Wetzel. CS: Blauser, VanScoter, Frederick. PO: Raught (by McNany). SAC: XX. SF: Nickerson. DP: A-C Valley (Eaton to Terwilliger). HBP: Wetzel by Wolfe. Runner Left Early: A-C Valley 1 (Blauser)
PITCHING
A-C Valley
Baylee Blauser 6 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 7 BB, 5 K
Otto-Eldred
Abby Wolfe 6 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP
Winning pitcher: Abby Wolfe
Losing pitcher: Baylee Blauser
We had a few miscues out in the field a couple of different times. We have to be able to put that behind us and go after it next. We always preach its not the last play. Its the next play. I guss you have to live with that. We made a couple of more errors than they did. That is the way it works.
We hit the ball. We got after it. A couple of little things here and there.
Got within one
We have a pretty solid tea,m . we are going to miss a couple of seniors next year, but on the whole we have a pretty decent team coming back … the girls on our bench work hard.
13-4
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