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Freshman Yorty comes up clutch, sends Monessen to WPIAL title

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McMURRAY – With Monessen trailing Leechburg 2-1 in the fifth inning Wednesday, freshman Hannah Yorty ripped a two-out single to tie the WPIAL Class A semifinal game.

One clutch hit would usually be enough for head coach Bo Teets to expect out of a freshman in her first WPIAL tournament.

But Teets knows Yorty isn’t like most freshmen.

Yorty came up again in a similar situation in the bottom of the seventh with the score tied 2-2, coming up clutch again-but in grander fashion-as Yorty crushed a three-run home run to send Monessen to the WPIAL championship.

The No. 2-seeded Greyhounds will play top-seeded West Greene in the final next week.

“For a freshman, she’s really been doing the job for us all year,” Teets said. “She’s really hitting the ball solid for us, and she was able to get around on that one. It was a nice way to end a helluva ballgame.”

Yorty said her approach in clutch situations has improved in her first season of high school softball.

“I just try and keep calm and not think about what’s happening” she said. “You can only control what you can do, so I just focus on which pitches (I am) going to swing at and which pitches not to chase.”

Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

Monessen’s Cara Wheeler celebrates a home run against Leechburg

Monessen (15-3) drew first blood in the fourth inning at Peterswood Park when Cara Wheeler roped a two-strike changeup over the left-center field fence for a solo home run. It’s the second home run of the season for Wheeler, who hit the game-winning home run to beat West Greene in the regular season.

“She has two huge home runs for us in two huge games,” Teets said. “She’s really turned herself into somewhat of a clutch player, and I hope we can continue that in next week’s game.”

Leechburg answered in the fifth, scoring two unearned runs on two hits and a Monessen error. Kristen Knapp, who broke up Dana Vatakis’ perfect game and streak of 11 no-hit innings dating back to Monday’s no-hitter against Riverview, scored on a wild pitch, and Emma Ritchie scored on an Aubry Skeel groundout.

Aside from the two-run fifth inning, Vatakis, a Robert Morris commit, didn’t allow a baserunner. She permitted two hits while walking one and striking out 11.

“I wasn’t nervous about giving up the two runs, because I knew we were due for hits this game,” Vatakis said.

Vatakis led off the seventh inning with a single, and Sydney Caterino slashed a groundball to third to advance her to second base. No one covered third after the groundball was fielded, though, and Vatakis didn’t break stride rounding second to slide in safely at third.

If not for Vatakis’ exemplary baserunning play, Yorty might not have had the opportunity to mash the walkoff home run.

“It’s experience,” Teets said. “She’s seen a lot of games. I was waving her on, because I saw that too, but she was breaking before I made eye contact with her. She knew exactly what she was doing.”

Vatakis said adding a bat like Yorty to this year’s team has been instrumental for the offense.

“From the beginning I knew she was a great player,” Vatakis said. “It was great to have her come on the team my senior year. I wish we could’ve had her before. … I knew she was going to get a hit that at-bat. I knew she had our backs.”

West Greene, 8-2

Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

West Greene’s Madison Renner runs home where she is greeted by her team after hitting a home run against Union.

Madison Lampe played one of the best games of her high school career in an 8-2 WPIAL Class A semifinal win over Union.

Lampe went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double and a walk, totaling four RBI and four runs scored.

Lampe wasn’t the only West Greene hitter to crack a home run in the win, as Madison Renner hit a two-run moonshot in the third inning.

“I hope the WPIAL reimburses us for the aggregate foot of home runs hit, because Madison Lampe hit two tape-measure shots,” said West Greene head coach Bill Simms. “Then Madison Renner’s almost cleared the road in left-center (field).”

Jade Renner was the winning pitcher, as the southpaw allowed two runs while striking out eight and walking none in the complete game. The sophomore was mixing in high fastballs and low changeups with excellent movement to keep the Union (16-3) hitters off balance.

“Sometimes it’s a two-seam and she actually cuts her change-up where it has a little bit of a dive,” Simms said. “I think she looked better than she did (Tuesday).”

Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

West Greene’s Jade Renner throwing a pitch against Union.

The Pioneers (18-4) now look to win their third straight WPIAL title next week against Monessen. The two teams split the season series and shared the Section 2-A title.

The game will be at Seton Hill University next week. The date and time are still to be determined.

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