Future Looks Bright for Cranberry Softball Despite Season-Opening Loss

| March 31, 2016

Malliah-Schreck-Cranberry
CLARION, Pa. (D9Sports) – If Wednesday’s season opener is any indication, the Cranberry softball team will be in good hands for the next four years despite a 10-8 loss at Clarion.

Photo of Malliah Schreck

(A story with a Clarion take can be found here at ExploreClarion.com)

That’s because a couple of freshmen – Andrea Watson and Malliah Schreck – played very well in key spots in the Lady Berries lineup going a combined 4-for-6 with three runs scored, three RBIs and two walks.

The three RBIs belonged to Schreck, the shortstop, hitting out of the No. 5 spot and they all came on one swing of the bat, a third-inning home run that helped erase a 5-0 deficit and tie the game at five.

“I’ve coached Malliah in other sports through junior high,” Cranberry head coach Shawn Bean said. “She is an ultra-competitor. What she did tonight, is actually not shocking and wouldn’t be shocking to anyone on the team. She is a solid player.”

Schreck was also the catalyst for Cranberry getting back into the game in the second inning after giving up five first-inning runs leading off the inning with a single before coming around to score on a Rachael McCauley groundout.

Meanwhile, Watson nearly had an RBI double in the first inning settling for just the double when Natalie Barcinas was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first. She then singled with one out in the third to start a rally that eventually put the Lady Berries ahead, 7-5, by the end of the inning.

Watch Watson double in the first

Rallying from the five-run deficit didn’t surprise Bean, who said his team is resilient.

“My team understands the task at hand,” Bean said. “They are willing to respond to those situations, for sure. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish that job.”

Clarion gets some credit in not allowing Cranberry to complete the rally.

The Lady Cats found ways to score despite being limited to just five hits, all infield singles, taking advantage of eight Lady Berries walks and three errors, two of them costly.

Four of the walks came in the first inning and were issued by starter Sarah Barcinas, who lasted just a ⅓ of an inning giving up five runs.

Natalie Barcinas came in and settled things down pitching well the rest of the way yielding five runs, only two of them earned, on three infield singles while walking four, two of them late, and striking out seven. She only allowed one inherited runner to score in the first despite taking over with one out and the bases loaded.

“She did a very nice job,” Bean said. “She came in in a tough situation. She did exactly what we asked her to do. She threw strikes. We needed strikes. We needed to quit walking girls/ There is no defense for a walk.”

While Cranberry held a 7-5 lead after 2 ½ innings, Clarion tied the game in the bottom of the third when Maya Thornton, who scored twice, scored all the way from first on a throwing error by Natalie Barcinas and Carly Best, who also scored twice, came home on a wild pitch.

The Lady Cats then used pretty much the same script to take the lead in the fifth with Thornton again scoring all the way from first on a Natalie Barcinas error, and Best scoring on a wild pitch. MacKenzie DiTullio came across with a third run on a sacrifice “fly” pop-out to the catcher in foul territory halfway up the first-base line by Anna Reed when no one covered home.

Cranberry tried to rally in the seventh with pinch hitter Kaylee Weaver singling leading off before scrogin on a one out single by Libby Kiefer to make it 10-8.

“It’s just one loss,” Bean said. “We have to make sure we stay disciplined, learn from our mistakes and move forward.”

CLARION 10, CRANBERRY 8

Score by Innings

Cranberry 025 000 1 – 8
Clarion 502 030 x – 10

CRANBERRY – 8

Natalie Barcinas lf/p 4010, Andrea Watson rf 3120, Bree Swartzfager 3b 4110, Kendra Schreck c 3000 Kaylee Weaver ph 1110, Malliah Schreck ss 3223, Libby Kiefer 1b 4211, Hannah Duncan pr 0000, Lakyn Vonada cf 4110, Rachael McCauley dp 2001, Nicole Hutchinson ph/dp 2000, Tori Flinspach 2b 3012, Sarah Barcinas p 0000, Kaila Yashinski lf 0000. Totals 33-8-10-7.

CLARION – 10

Keanna Over ss 2111, Anna Reed 2b 2111, Johnna Rapp c 3100, Sadie Rudesyle 1b 4111, Cora Zerfoss 3b 4101, Alexis Constantino p 3001, Maya Thornton lf 3220, Carly Best cf 2201, MacKenzie DiTullio dp 3100, Liz Sarver rf 0000. Totals 26-10-5-6.

LOB: Cranberry 5, Clarion 7. 2b: Watson. HR: M. Schreck. SB: Zerfoss. E: N. Barcinas (2), Vonda, Over (3), Reed, Zerfoss. SF: Reed.

Pitching
Cranberry – S. Barcinas 0.1 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 1 K. N. Barcinas 5.2 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 7 K.
Clarion – Constantino 7 IP, 8 R, 4 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 3 K.

Winning pitcher: Constantino
Losing pitcher: N. Barcinas


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