Tyrone and Lewistown waged a long battle at the Harry K. Sickler Athletic Complex on Wednesday afternoon. The two soft ball squads went 13 innings before a victory was realized. Lewistown took advantage of two passed balls to scored a pair of runs in the 13th inning to pull out a 4-2 win over the Lady Eagles.
Both teams scored early and then went another 11 frames before finally putting an end to the marathon.
After Lewistown got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, Tyrone came right back to knot the score at 2-2.
Megan Turiano singled to start the action for the Lady Eagles in their half of the second. Turiano moved up to second base on a Heather Stanton groundout. Ashley Ripka was safe on a pitcher’s error to put Tyrone runners at the corners. Then with two out, senior center fielder Katie Whitby ripped a clutch triple down the left field line to clear the bases and tie the score.
The Lady Eagles also had an opportunity to score in the first, but made a base running mistake and ultimately paid dearly for that as the game progressed through a dozen more innings.
“We had a chance to score in the first. We had a chance early, but poor base-running cost us a run,” explained Tyrone coach Lois Loncher.
Whitby, Ripka, Kim Cherry and Ashley Pennabaker all contributed two hits for the Lady Eagles.
Angie Rocco shut the Eagles down on the mound for Lewistown with five strikeouts and one walk, and added two hits and Brittany Hower had two hits and an RBI for the Lady Panthers.
Hilary McNelis fanned six and walked one for the Lady Eagles in picking up a tough loss.
“It wasn’t hits,” lamented Loncher, whose team had the bases loaded in one inning with no outs and couldn’t score. “We answered them in the second and we had opportunities. Against a quality opponent, you have to take advantage when you get the chance. It was back and forth until one team broke. This time it was us who broke. We just have to regroup and see what happens next week.”
Lewistown 4 Tyrone 2, 13 inn.
Lewistown – Reynolds, 2b, 5-0-1; Gearhart, ss, 5-0-0; Stimely, 3b, 5-0-0; Rocco, p, 5-1-2; Moist, 1b, 5-0-0; Hower, cf, 5-2-2; Condron, lf, 4-0-0; Young, dp, 4-1-0; Bailor, c, 5-0-1; Stott, rf, 0-0-0. TOTALS 48-4-8.
Tyrone – Whitby, cf, 6-0-2; McNelis, p, 5-0-1; Stager, 2b, 5-0-0; Cherry, c, 5-0-2; Bryan, ss, 5-0-0; McAllister, ph, 1-0-0; Turiano, 3b, 6-1-1, Stanton, 1b, 6-0-0; Ripka, lf, 6-1-2; Pennabaker, rf, 6-0-2. TOTALS 51-2-10.
Lewistown 020 000 000 000 2 4-8-2.
Tyrone 020 000 000 000 0 2-10-2.
3B: (T) Whitby 1.
RBI: ((L) Hower 1, Condrin 1, (T) Whitby 2.
Multiple hits: (L) Rocco 2, Hower 2, (T) Whitby 2, Cherry 2, Ripka 2, Pennabaker 2,
SO: (L) Rocco 5, (T) McNelis 6.
BB: (L) Rocco 1, (T) McNelis 1.
WP: Rocco LP: McNelis.
