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Jan 06, 2024

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Reporter WEXFORD, Pa. – Outside of a pair of hiccups during Thursday’s PIAA

Reporter

WEXFORD, Pa. – Outside of a pair of hiccups during Thursday's PIAA Class 3A softball quarterfinal at North Allegheny High School, Chestnut Ridge pitcher Britni Motter lived up to the nickname given to her by coach Greg Lazor while gritting through a 125-pitch outing that saw her strike out 13 Jamestown batters while scattering seven hits.

Though the Muskies topped the Lions 3-0, Lazor had few complaints about Motter or his squad.

"It's a very hard-working group," Lazor said. "It's a very tight group. They’ve come a long way to become what they are. We fell short a little bit.

"Some things went against them and that's the way it goes.

"The effort that they give day in and day out is unbelievable."

And about Motter's bulldog-like performance?

"That's her nickname, ‘Bulldog,’ " Lazor said. "She's a grinder. She's like that every day. That one girl caught one in the first inning, put one over, and then she struck her out every other at-bat. Britni pitched well. We played defense well."

District 10 champion Jamestown (22-2) jumped ahead in the top of the first when Savannah Thurber swatted a two-run home run to straightaway center with Reese Schaller aboard. The junior first baseman noted that she simplified her approach on the full-count delivery from Motter.

"It was a 3-2 count. I knew it was either going to be a strike or a ball," Thurber said. "It was in my zone and I said, ‘You know what? I’m swinging.’ I swung and it just went."

The Muskies’ other two extra-base hits off of Motter belonged to Kiley Matters, who doubled in the third and then produced a run-scoring two-bagger in the seventh to chase in Claire Jones.

Motter's counterpart, Jamestown sophomore hurler Miranda Biles, was also tough to solve as she limited Chestnut Ridge (17-4) to four singles on her way to a nine- strikeout performance.

"She is focused," Jamestown coach Rodney Callahan said.

"She is absolutely doing her best job. I couldn't be happier for her. She's holding her nerves good. A couple of hits, and she's right back at it."

Biles’ deception on off-speed pitches was a key contributor to keeping Chestnut Ridge out of its rhythm.

"I noticed with a lot of the hitters that once (Biles) got ahead with two strikes, she's throwing an off-speed pitch," Lions senior catcher Alyssa Henderson said, "but it wasn't off-speed enough that it looked like a changeup, so it was hard for us to recognize the first couple of innings."

That isn't to say that Chestnut Ridge was without its chances to break through. With runners at second and third in the fifth, Maya Wingard's grounder to third pushed Grace Lazor into a rundown between third and home, leading to an eventual tag-out, but the Lions kept runners at second and third before Lexyn Corle was called out on strikes a batter later.

Another rundown between third and home during the sixth happened when Ella Whysong reached first on an error at third. Nikki Shippey was cut down during the ensuing chaos after initially reaching base on a single and moving to second as Motter drew a base on balls.

"The first time, that's no big deal," Lazor said. "Both girls ended up at second and third so we didn't change positions.

"I’d rather get in a pickle than get thrown out at first because it's a higher percentage (play).

"The second time was a running error on the young lady.

"She thought the ball went by first base and was trying to be aggressive."

The sharp defense by the Muskies in both rundowns reflected on the team drilling similar situations.

"You work on that stuff and you tell them, ‘It's gonna happen,’ " Callahan said. "With competition like this, you know it's going to happen. It's just a matter of when."

The Lions put a runner on in the seventh as Jenna Mauck reached on an error at third, but Biles coaxed a flyout to center from Wingard and a pop-up to second by Corle to end any threats of a late uprising for the District 5-9 subregion champions.

While the season drew to a close, the Lions’ run through the postseason was a memorable one for Corle, one of two seniors in their starting lineup who knew exactly what the team's class of 2023 members passed to the underclassmen.

"No matter the end result, if you go out and have fun and play how you know how to play, it’ll be a win in your own book," Corle said, "because you accomplished something in yourself every time."

Shawn Curtis is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5085. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnCurtis430.

Shawn Curtis is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5085. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnCurtis430.​

Jamestown 3, Chestnut Ridge 0

Jamestown 200 000 1 — 3 7 2

Chestnut Ridge 000 000 0 — 0 4 0

Biles and Schaller; Motter and Henderson.

Records: Jamestown 22-2; Chestnut Ridge 17-4.

Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference members Chestnut Ridge and Forest Hills both advanced to Thursday's PIAA Class 3A softball quarterfinals in different ways in Monday's first-round contests.

Reporter

Shawn Curtis is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at (814) 532-5085. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnCurtis430.​

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