Lady Mikes fall short
Preuhs outduels Barnyak in WPIAL softball title game, 3-0
CALIFORNIA 无毛视频� Mia Preuhs outdueled Bailey Barnkyak in Union无毛视频檚 3-0 victory over Carmichaels in the WPIAL Class A softball championship game last Thursday afternoon at PennWest California无毛视频檚 Lilley Field.
The Lady Scottie senior threw a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts, four walks and hit one batter in helping her team to a third district title in four years. Union lost to Chartiers-Houston, 9-5, in last year无毛视频檚 championship game. The Lady Scotties defeated West Greene, 3-2, in Preuhs无毛视频� freshman season.
Thursday无毛视频檚 contest was a rematch of the 2023 final, which Union won, 10-8.
无毛视频淚 think my improvement from the last time we played them comes with age,无毛视频� Preuhs said. 无毛视频淚 practiced a lot of my spin pitches that I threw today, and that really helped me out with the strike calls and the swing and misses.
无毛视频淚 just feel like we grew as a team from last year. We felt how it was to lose, and we didn无毛视频檛 want to feel that again. Carmichaels is a really good team, so we may see them again in the state tournament.无毛视频�
Preuhs has Fayette County connections. Her mom is Geibel Catholic graduate Marney (Steich) Preuhs and her aunt is Connellsville graduate Amy (Steich) Witt.
While Preuhs threw a no-hitter, Barnyak had a strong outing in allowing three earned runs on four hits over six innings. She had 12 strikeouts, walked two and hit two batters.
无毛视频淪he (Preuhs) killed it,无毛视频� Barnyak said. 无毛视频淚 went up to after the game and made sure to tell her that, and she did the same for me, and I greatly appreciate that from her.
无毛视频淲e may see them again in the state playoffs, and we proved last year that you can get to the state title game even if you don无毛视频檛 win the WPIAL title.
无毛视频淲hen we have the right mindset going into a game, and we are calm in the batter无毛视频檚 box and calm in the field, everything ends up turning out our way, and that无毛视频檚 what we had last year during states.无毛视频�
Both teams played in the first round of the PIAA Class A tournament on Monday, the Lady Mikes (16-1) against District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley and the Lady Scotties (19-2) against.
Carmichaels made a run to the state title game a year ago.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a tough haul,无毛视频� Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs said. 无毛视频淚 have had some very good teams not get up there (to the state title game). We have to regroup this weekend and get ready to go on Monday because, to me, the first one is always the toughest.无毛视频�
The Lady Mikes无毛视频� best opportunity to score came in the top of the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with one out but were unable to come away with a run as the game remained scoreless.
After Preuhs recorded a strikeout, Carmichaels无毛视频� Ke无毛视频橪ani Chun was hit-by-pitch, and Avery Voithofer and Payton Plavi walked on 3-2 counts before a strikeout got away from the catcher and Chun was tagged out at home by Preuhs.
There was some confusion as to whether contact was made on the strikeout, but Briggs believed the call of a passed ball was correct.
无毛视频淚t was loud and there was some confusion,无毛视频� Briggs said. 无毛视频淚t was one of those things where maybe we could have gotten the lead and things would have turned out differently. I thought it was a passed ball, and I was yelling for her (Chun) to go.无毛视频�
Barnyak carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but after recording a strikeout for the first out, Maddie Settle singled to right field for the game无毛视频檚 first hit. Barnyak forced a flyout to Chun in left field and got out of the inning unscathed with a strikeout.
无毛视频淚 thought Bailey was great today, and she pitched well enough for us to win,无毛视频� Briggs said. 无毛视频淲e just couldn无毛视频檛 generate anything offensively. Obviously, Mia (Preuhs) pitched well. She had good command of her pitches, and got her changeup over, which makes her even more effective. It was just a pitchers无毛视频� duel, and one team needed a break somewhere.无毛视频�
Preuhs sent down the Lady Mikes in order in the top of the sixth.
Union broke through in the bottom of the frame with three runs after two outs were recorded.
Olivia Benedict doubled to left-center field on the first pitch she saw and scored on an error when the throw to get Maggie Joseph out at first base was errant. Joseph, who was credited with an infield single, advanced to second on the error.
Joseph scored on Korynee Shannon无毛视频檚 two-run home run to center field for a 3-0 lead.
无毛视频淲ith two good teams like that, you have to take advantage of any little thing, and it showed today,无毛视频� Union coach Doug Fisher said.
Carmichaels didn无毛视频檛 go down without a fight, as Ali Jacobs led off the seventh with a fly ball to center field that was misplayed, and she raced into second base on the error. Malanna Hertig came on as a pinch runner for Jacobs and advanced to third before Barnyak walked to put runners at first and third with nobody out.
Preuhs struck out the next three batters to end the threat, inning and game.
无毛视频淢ia (Preuhs) has been around for so long and the maturity has helped evolve into a better pitcher,无毛视频� Fisher said. 无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 even realize she had a no-hitter. Mia has been a four-year starter for us, and it will be sad to see her go, but we hope it can be after a nice run in the state tournament.无毛视频�