EC Varsity Softball Team Defeats Shenango; Improves to 2-1 on the Season

After a losing effort on Thursday against Ambridge, the Lady Wolverines got back to their winning ways on Saturday afternoon as they beat Shenango 14-2 on the Wildcats home turf.  The game was much closer than the final score as the Wolverines held a slim 3-2 lead until the fifth inning.

Leadoff batter Ariana Garroway got the scoring started in the first inning.  She walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third, and then scored on a dropped third strike as Anna Ferrucci was thrown out at first.  Shenango tied things up in the home half of the first with a single and a throwing error.

The Wolverines went ahead 2-1 in the top of the third as Garroway hit a bloop double into left-center with 1 out.  She promptly moved over to third on a Ferrucci groundout and scored on a passed ball.

Ellwood City increased the lead to 3-1 in the fourth as Makinley Magill hit a one-out triple into right-center field and scored on a dropped third strike to Maura Agostinelli. Shenango cut the lead to 3-2 with two hits and an error in the home half of the fourth.

The offensive fireworks started in the fifth as the Wolverines sent 9 batters to the plate and scored 4 runs.  Once again, Garroway was the catalyst as she laid a bunt single down the first base line with one out.  She stole second and moved to third on an infield single by Ferrucci.  Maria Ioanilli followed with a squeeze bunt single bringing home Garroway and advancing Ferrucci to third.  After Ioanilli moved to second on defensive indifference, Natalia Greco brought both Ferrucci and Ioanilli home with a sacrifice fly into deep center field.  Angie Nardone closed out the fourth inning scoring as she reached on an error and moved to second on a wild pitch.  She would come around to score on a single by Magill.

The Wolverines put the game away in the sixth as they chased Shenango’s starting pitcher and scored 7 more runs.   Kyla Servick started the inning off with a triple off of the base of the centerfield wall.  Kali Barnett brought Servick in with a perfectly executed bunt down the first base line.  Barnett would score on a Garroway double high off of the wall in left-center field.  Garroway would score her fourth run of the game on a Ferrucci double.  Ferrrucci would score after three consecutive walks to Ioanilli, Greco, and Magill.  After Ioanilli scored on a wild pitch, both Greco and Magill would score on a single by Servick.

Junior lefty Madi Krugh got the win in the circle as she went three and a third innings.  She gave up 2 runs, none earned, on 3 hits with 1 walk and no strikeouts.  Freshman Nardone closed things out with 2 and two-thirds innings of scoreless pitching.  The lanky righthander gave up just one hit while striking out 3 and issuing 3 walks.

The Wolverines (2-1 overall) will start section play on Tuesday as the Beaver Falls Tigers come to Stiefel Park for a 5:00pm start.