Ellwood City 12U Softball Team Falls Short In Championship; Mohawk Wins County Title

Many say that one of the hardest tasks in sports is to defeat a team three times in the same season. The Lady Wolverines experienced it the hard way as Mohawk led from wire to wire and defeated Ellwood City 14-0.

After both teams went quietly in the first inning, Mohawk got things started in the second inning as they went up 1-0 on an error and RBI single.

Mohawk expanded their lead with a five spot in the third inning to make it 6-0. The first four batters reached base safely. 5 runs scored on 4 hits, 2 errors, and a hit batter.

The lead became 9-0 after the Warriors plated 3 runs in the fourth inning. Mohawk did all of their work with two outs as the first two batters were retired by a strikeout and pop up. Two walks, an error, and a bases clearing double did the damage.

The mercy rule ended the contest in the fifth inning as Mohawk struck for 5 runs. With Ellwood City able to record just one out, the Warriors decided matters with 3 hits, 2 walks, and an error.

Offensively, the Lady Wolverines were only able to manage two hits. Both were two out singles provided by Amber McQuistion and Kaylee Palombi.

McQuistion got the loss in the circle as she went 3 and two thirds innings. She gave up 8 runs, 3 earned with 6 strikeouts, 1 walk and 5 hits. Emma Bogacki came on with 2 outs in the fourth inning. She went two thirds of an inning and yielded 5 runs on 3 hits. She struck out two and walked two. Sara Schwarz entered with 1 out in the 5th inning and faced just two batters without collecting an out.

Although falling short in the title game, Ellwood City had a phenomenal season as they finished with a record of 14-3, won the regular season title, and finished as playoff runner ups. It should also be noted how hard this group has worked and how much they have improved over the past couple seasons. It was only a few short years ago that this core group did not win a single regular season game. The results of this season are a true testament to the heart, work ethic, and confidence of these fine young student athletes.