Punxsutawney Softball Comeback Falls Short in Loss to West Allegheny

By Scott Shindledecker

BROCKWAY, Pa. – The Punxsutawney Lady Chucks softball team’s season came to end Monday in the first round of the state Class AAA playoffs in Brockway, 3-2, to WPIAL runner-up West Allegheny.

Punxsy (13-7) made it interesting in its last at-bat, scoring two runs to nearly tie the game.

But West Allegheny (20-2) had just enough defense to hold off the District 9 champions.

West Allegheny pitcher Ashley Seamon no-hit Punxsy through 4 2/3 innings and didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position until the sixth inning.

West Allegheny scored its first two runs on passed balls, one each in the fourth and sixth innings.

Lady Chucks sophomore pitcher Kylee Lingenfelter didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning when Mackenzie Partyka doubled to the right-center gap. Two passed balls later, Partyka scored for a 1-0 lead.

In the sixth, West Allegheny nearly copied its run-scoring method of the fourth. Lexi Cogis doubled to the right-center gap with one out. Partyka followed with a walk, then both runners moved up a base on a deep fly to center by Carli Egger. Then Cogis scored on another passed ball to make it 2-0.

But the game-winner came in the top of the seventh as Taylor Cummings led off with a single and moved to second on Char-Leigh Bates’s sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Amy Nolte’s single scored Cummings and it was 3-0.

Punxsy then came alive as its first four batters singled. Hits by Alli Ishman and Samantha Satterlee set the stage for an RBI single by Morgan Adamson. Morgan VanLeer’s single scored Satterlee to make it 3-2.

The Lady Chucks needed one hit to tie it, but three straight ground balls resulted in three forceouts as West Allegheny held on.

Seamon pitched well for the winners as she didn’t walk a batter and struck out four in the complete game.

Lingenfelter threw well too, striking out six and walking just one in seven innings. Of the three runs she allowed, just one was earned.

West Allegheny will play Donegal in the second round Thursday.

WEST ALLEGHENY 3, PUNXSUTAWNEY 2
Score by Innings

West Allegheny 000 101 1 – 3
Punxsutawney 000 000 2 – 2

West Allegheny – 3

Player, Position, AB,R, H, RBI
Brooke Wilson c 3000, Lexi Cogis 1b 3110, Mackenzie Partyka 3b 2110, Carli Egger lf 3000, Ashley Seamon p 3000, Taylor Cummings ss 3120, Char-Leigh Bates dp 1000, Angie Dale rf 0000, Taylor Goldstrohm cf 3000, Amy Nolte 2b 3011. Totals: 24-3-5-1.

Punxsutawney – 2

Player, Position, AB,R, H, RBI
Kylee Lingenfelter p 4010, Kim Shoemaker lf 3010, Grace Aikens dp 3000, Toya Jones c 0000, Alli Ishman 1b 3110, Kate Horner cr 0000, Samantha Satterlee ss 3110, Morgan Adamson cf 3021, Morgan VanLeer 2b 3011, Mallory Cameron 3000, Brayden Woodrow 3b 3000. Totals: 28-2-7-2.

Errors: West Allegheny 0, Punxsy 4. LOB: West Allegheny 4, Punxsy 5. 2B: Partyka, Cogis. SAC: Bates 2.

Pitching

West Allegheny
Ashley Seamon-7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO.

Punxsutawney
Kylee Lingenfelter-7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO.

Winning pitcher: Seamon.
Losing pitcher: Lingenfelter.