The battle raged for nine innings, but the Lady Eagles couldn’t manage the runs they needed to fend off the Lady Rockets on Friday, resulting in a 3-2 Southern Huntingdon victory. The score remained tied for most of the game with a total of only five runs for either side.
Senior Hilary McNelis led off the day with a double in the first inning, moved to third on a single by senior Megan McAllister and scored on a base hit by Megan Turiano to end the inning at 1-0.
McNelis doubled again in the top of the third, went to third on a single by McAllister and scored on another single by Kim Cherry, the final point of the game for Tyrone. The Lady Eagles kept the entire crowd on their toes through the end of the third, but the strong fielding game by the Lady Rockets kept the Eagles at bay.
Finally, Pam Foor of Huntingdon was safe on an infield single, stole second base and came home on a double from Emily Wible of Southern Huntingdon that set the game at 2-2 going into the fourth inning.
The mood inside the Lady Eagle dugout was intense as coaches tried to rally the girls into action.
The outs from either side just kept coming, stretching the game into nine innings.
Finally, at the bottom of the ninth, despite a definite change of direction in Lady Eagle strategy, Katie Hockenberry of SH doubled and pinch runner Tiffany Zinoble scored when Foor dropped a base hit down the first base line Foor, ending the game abruptly at 3-2.
Hilary McNelis struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter, in addition to slamming two doubles. Megan McAllister led the Tyrone attack with four hits in five trips to the plate and Kim Cherry, Megan Turiano and Ashley Pennebaker each added two hits.
Erica Hockenberry fanned three and walked one fo the Lady Rockets.
The loss dropped the girls record to 2-5, the Lady Eagles third extra-inning loss of the year.
When asked for a comment on the day’s events, Coach Lois Loncher stated simply, “It was ugly, a four letter word.”
The Lady Eagles hit the field again Tuesday, April 19 at home against Huntingdon with the first pitch set for 4:30 PM.
Southern Huntingdon 3 Tyrone 2
TYRONE – Whitby, CF, 5-0-0; McNelis, P, 5-2-3; McAllister, DP, 5-0-4; Cherry, C, 5-0-2; Bryan, SS, 4-0-0; Turiano, 3B, 4-0-2; Stanton, 1B, 4-00;Ripka LF, 4-0-1; Pennebaker, RF, 4-0-2.TOTALS 40-2-14
SOUTHERN HUNTINGDON – Schmidt, CF, 4-0-1; Price, 3B, 4-0-1; Wible, LF, 4-0-1; Woodward, DH, 4-1-2; Snyder, 2B, 4-0-0; Goshorn, RF, 4-0-0; Sunderland, SS, 4-0-2; H. Hockenberry, C, 4-1-2; Foor, 1B, 4-1-2. TOTALS: 36-3-11.
TYRONE 101 000 000 2-14-1.
S. HUNTINGDON 011 000 001 3-11-1.
Multiple Hits: TY: McNelis (3), McAllister (4), Cherry (2), Turiano (2)), Pennebaker (2), S.H.: Woodward (2), Sunderland (2), H. Hockenberry (2), Foor (2).
2B: TY: McNelis (2), S.H.: Wible (1), Foor (1).
RBI: TY: Turiano (1), McAllister (1), S.H.
SO: TY: McNelis (7), SH E. Hockenberry (3).
BB: TY: McNelis (0), SH E. Hockenberry (1)
WP: E. Hockenberry LP: H. McNelis.
