Linhart walks it off for SA
By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR.
MVI Sports
The South Allegheny softball team dedicated its game against Southmoreland Wednesday to a fellow classmate who is battling cancer.
Then, the Gladiators did some battling of their own against the previously unbeaten Scotties.
SA came away bruised and bloody but not beaten, tallying three runs in the bottom of the seventh to come away with a 13-12 win in Section 3-3A play.
The game-winning run was scored by Ava Martorelli on a sacrifice fly by Payton Linhart. Breena Komarnisky and Morgan Mosqueda delivered the other run-scoring hits in the final frame.
The team collectively donned t-shirts with the phrase, “Tony Strong” adorned on the front during pregame and yellow ribbons in their hair and on their uniforms in honor of Tony Cook’s battle. Then, the Gladiators endured seeing three batters get hit by pitches and an injury and a bloody nose to center fielder Olivia Stetz, which put a young player in the outfield.
South Allegheny (7-4, 3-3) came back from a 7-2 deficit in the fourth inning and trailed 12-10 heading into their last at-bat.
“I’m on cloud nine, I don’t even know what to say,” Gladiators coach Jennifer Stockett said. “We haven’t been able to keep it going for a whole game. Finally, they just kept it going and never gave up. It was such a good feeling that they never gave up.
“Even with huge bruises, blood streaming off their faces, each and every one of them just battled.”
The Scotties (7-1, 3-1) were coming off a nearly two-week shutdown and had not allowed more than five runs in any game this season.
But starting pitcher Jess Matheny struggled with control and SA scored two runs without getting a hit. Komarnisky walked with one out and Lily Dranko came in as a courtesy runner.
Dranko stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Martorelli was then hit by a pitch and stole second. Stetz grounded out back to the pitcher but Dranko took advantage and scored. Martorelli came across on another wild pitch.
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