PHOTO GALLERY | Shade-Shanksville bats come to life in District 5-1A win over Rockwood
CAIRNBROOK, Pa. – The Shade-Shanksville High School softball team trailed Rockwood by three runs heading into the home half of the second inning Wednesday.
The third-seeded Panthers didn’t panic with their season at stake in the District 5 Class 1A quarterfinal round.
Shade bounced back with a five-run second inning and also batted around in a seven-run fourth to pull away from the sixth-seeded Rockets, 15-5 in five innings.
“We knew they were going to give us a fight,” Shade coach Craig Glessner said. “They knocked us down once earlier this year (17-10 April 29).
“We got down 3-0. (But) We know what we got.”
Shade had 14 hits in five innings, including a two-run double by Lindsay Frazier, a run-scoring triple by Olivia Rapsky and a game-ending double by Tara Corradini that drove in the 15th run in the bottom of the fifth.
“We definitely have batters through the whole lineup,” said Corradini, who had two hits and drove in three runs. “There is not one person who lets us down. That’s what you need in a team.”
In the circle, senior right-hander Corradini scattered eight Rockwood hits while striking out three and hitting one batter.
“I’ve played for seven or eight years and I definitely didn’t want to lose tonight,” Corradini said of what might be her final home game. “I’ve put so much love into this sport. I didn’t want to come out here and lose.
“We showed determination. That’s for sure.”
Shade (15-6) will play the winner of a Thursday quarterfinal game between second-seeded Berlin Brothersvalley and seventh-seeded Turkeyfoot Valley. The semifinal will be Tuesday.
Rockwood’s Miley Pletcher had two hits, with a double and two RBIs. Sydney Beals doubled and drove in a run for the Rockets (8-12).
“We had a little sickness today and a couple girls couldn’t play,” Rockwood coach Chad Lytle said.
“We had one of our starters in Hawaii, so we were down a couple players. We tried to battle through it but unfortunately we came out on the bottom.”
The Panthers sent 10 batters to the plate in the five-run second, but the most damage came in the seven-run fourth, an inning when Shade’s Kori Boozer singled twice, scored a run and drove in a pair.
“My leadoff hitter (Boozer) was a little frustrated after going 0-for-2,” Glessner said of the rally.
“I said, ‘You don’t get 121 career hits by not being a good hitter.’ She got two hits that inning.”
Payton Maddy and Kaylee Jamison also had two hits for Shade. Each Panthers starter and one reserve had at least one hit on Wednesday.
“We’re balanced,” Glessner said. “The bottom of the order, No. 9 hitter Lowen Mincek came through with the bases loaded (reaching on an error that led to two runs). That was huge. You’ve just got to keep putting runs on teams.
“They’re young. When you put them down, you’ve got to keep them down.”
Rockwood’s Lytle said his team will build on this season.
“The girls gave everything,” Lytle said. “We had some games that didn’t go our way, tough games, but they battled through them.
“We’ve got a young squad. We only lost one senior this year. They’re hoping to come back and have an impact next year.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
