By Scott Shindledecker
BROCKWAY, Pa. – The DuBois Central Catholic Lady Cardinals softball team started what it hopes is an extended state playoff run with a three-inning, 16-1 thrashing of Windber Monday evening at Brockway Area High School.
The Lady Cardinals ran their record to 23-0 as they racked up 11 hits and scored multiple runs in every inning in their PIAA Class A opener.
“I felt like coming into the game we were going to hit,” DCC head coach George Heigel said. “We’ve been hitting well in practice and real happy with the way we’ve hit up and down the lineup.
“When we get everyone hitting up and down the lineup, we’re a really good team. We become really effective and we can score a lot of runs. I was also happy with the small ball we played, we beat out a lot of bunts for hits and it was good to see.”
Listen to Heigel discusses the win.
The Lady Cardinals had two triples, one each by Macy Hanes and Steph Rossi. They had four infield singles, including three on bunts, one each by Hanes, Jordy Frank and Cait Drahushak.
And it’s not surprising considering how fast DCC is.
Rossi talks about the win.
But Windber, the District 5 runner-up, did strike first. An error and a walk set the stage for a sacrifice fly by Alivia Bassett to score Kaitlyn Carney.
But the 1-0 lead didn’t hold up for very long.
DCC scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead for good, then piled on 10 in the second and four in the third to invoke the 15-run mercy rule.
Every Lady Cardinal player scored at least once and eight of nine had at least one hit and one RBI.
Third baseman Steph Rossi, playing softball for the first time this year, continued to impress with a 2-for-2 day and three runs batted in. Libby Maurer, hitting in the No. 9 spot, was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Tessa Sayers had a two-run single while Hanes also had a two-hit game.
And Windber (14-10) helped out with six errors, most coming on throws to the infield or home plate after DCC had hit safely.
DCC didn’t even need a hit to tie the game at 1-1. With one out, Frank walked, stole second and scored after throwing errors by the catcher and centerfielder allowed her to score. The speedy Frank would have scored anyway as winning pitcher Riley Assalone followed with a single.
But Assalone’s single started another rally as Ashley Wruble followed with a walk and Rossi’s first single scored Assalone. The senior Lady Cardinal hurler settled in during the second inning and finished the game by retiring six of the last eight batters she faced. Assalone is 18-0 with 125 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 102 2/3 innings.\
The floodgates opened in the second inning as the Lady Cardinals sent 13 batters to the plate as 10 crossed home plate.
Drahushak reached on a one-out, infield single. Hanes bunted for a hit, then Frank did too, loading the bases. Assalone grounded to third, but the throw home was low and Maurer scored to make it 3-1. Wruble also grounded to third and this time, Hanes beat the throw to make it 4-1.
With the bases still loaded, Rossi was hit by a pitch by Windber’s Baylee Roxby and that scored Frank. Alyssa Bittner grounded to third and Assalone was thrown out at home. Sayers’s single to left plated Wruble and Rossi for a 7-1 lead. Sayers took second when the left fielder let the ball get by her. Drahushak’s ground ball scored Bittner to make it 8-1, then Maurer ripped a single to score Sayers and Drahushak for a 10-1 lead.
Hanes batted for the second time in the inning and she ripped a triple to the gap in right-center to bring Maurer home and on an error by the shortstop on a throw to third, Hanes scored to make it 12-1.
In the bottom of the third, DCC came to the plate looking for four runs to get the mercy rule and the Lady Cardinals had no trouble doing so.
With one out, Wruble rapped a single and scored on Rossi’s triple to the gap in right-center. Bittner’s groundout scored Rossi to make it 14-1. Sayers walked and Drahushak bunted for a hit with Sayers hustling to third base. Drahushak then stole second and Maurer reached on an error as Sayer scored.
With Hanes at the plate, a wild pitch allowed Drahushak to score to end the game.
DCC will take on District 6 champion Conemaugh Valley (20-0) Thursday at a site and time to be determined. Conemaugh beat WPIAL runner-up Charters Houston, 12-7, Monday.
DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 16, WINDBER 1, 3 innings
Score by Innings
Windber 100 – 1
DCC 2(10)4 – 16
Windber – 1
Player, Pos, AB, R, H, RBI
Kaitlyn Carney cf 2110, Baylee Roxby p 2000, Jackie Toki ss 2000, Taylor McKee 2b 2000, Alivia Bassett lf 1001, Ashton White c 1000, Peyton Collins rf 1000, Kyle Rummell dp 1000, Rachel Campbell 3b 0000, Mara Chappie 1b 1010. Totals: 13-1-2-1.
DCC – 16
Player, Pos, AB, R, H, RBI
Macey Hanes cf 3221, Jordy Frank c 2210, Riley Assalone p 3111, Ashley Wruble 2b 2211, Steph Rossi 3b 2223, Alyssa Bittner 1b 3101, Sabrina Spencer cr 0000, Tessa Sayers rf 2212, Cait Drahushak dp 3211, Madi Nasuti lf 0000, Libby Maurer ss 3222. Totals: 23-16-11-12.
Errors: Windber 6, DCC 1. LOB: Windber 2, DCC 3. SF: Bassett. 3B: Hanes, Rossi.
Pitching
Windber
Baylee Roxby-2.2 IP, 11 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 3 BB, 1 HB, 3 SO.
DCC
Riley Assalone-3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.
Winning pitcher: Assalone.
Losing pitcher: Roxby.
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