By HUNTER O. LYLE
PORT ALLEGANY, PA – Returning home after their stiffest competition of the season, the Port Allegany softball jumped back in the win column as they dominated Kane 11-1 in five innings behind a barrage of big hits.
The Lady Gators opened this week of play with a tough task ahead of them. Traveling to Ulysses, PA on Monday, they faced Northern Potter, a team they have consistently battled against over the past few years for the top spot in the North Tier League. In their second meeting with the Lady Panthers, Port once again fell, being shut out 7-0 as they tallied their second loss of the season.
“We basically saw the same team. It didn’t go how we wanted it to. Credit to their pitcher, she’s an incredible softball player. She came to play and she pitched a great game,” said Port Allegany head coach Mark Wilcox, of NoPo’s Jaylyn Williammee, who tallied 13 strikeouts. “It just didn’t go our way.”
Looking to shake off the loss and get back to business, they welcomed the Lady Wolves to the Swamp. However, production at the plate was not immediate. While both teams found contact through the opening two innings, neither managed to garner that last clutch hit that would bring a runner across home plate. Port left one Lady Gators stranded on first after Kane turned a crisp double play, before leaving another standing on third in the bottom of the second with three consecutive outs made in the infield.
Being led by their defense, which saw ace Bria Wilcox tallying a trio of strikeouts through as many frames, Port finally found a breakthrough during their next trip to the batters’ box.
Opening the inning was Addison Taylor, who notched her first hit of the day in the form of a single, ultimately making her way to third on back-to-back Kane overthrows. Seizing an opportunity, Taylor then streaked across home plate on a passed ball during the next at-bat. Finally making it onto the scoreboard, the next three Lady Gators loaded the bases with two walks and a single from Breah Fillhart, setting the stage for Brynn Evens to record the first RBI of the day via sac-fly.
Maintaining pressure on the baseline, the next two Lady Gators, Jaidyn Mahon and Madison Errick, also drove in runs, hitting a single to left field and a double to center field that put Port up by five.
“Starting postgame yesterday, we talked about our performance against NoPo and I basically told them that this is our rebound game,” said Mark Wilcox. “We had to get back to who we were and they showed it tonight. They came back to playing the game tough and it paid off.”
Eventually finding themselves down by seven, Kane’s retaliation was short-lived. Madyson Wilson kicked off the inning with a hard-hit triple before Sara Ely drove her in with a sacrifice grounder one batter later. However, Port then put on the breaks as Bria Wilcox nabbed two more strikeouts to send the Lady Wolves back to their dugout.
Sitting just four runs away from a potential mercy-rule win, Mahon delivered. After picking up the first out in the first batter, the Lady Gators put two runners on base with a double from Kendra Ayers and a walk from Evens. Already recording two hits in as many trips to the plate, Mahon kept her perfect performance alive, barreling up and crushing a shot over the centerfield wall, registering her second home run of the season and three runs for the Lady Gators.
“(Mahon) brings a lot of confidence. Anytime she’s in the box, you know she’s going to make some kind of contact with the ball,” said Mark Wilcox. “She’s a very powerful hitter, she’s played softball for a long time and that’s why I have her at the four hitter. She does good things when she makes contact.”
Putting the finishing touches on win No. 10, Gianna Glasgow brought in the eleventh run of the afternoon with an RBI-single, putting Port up by double-digits before dispatching the Lady Wolves for the final time in just four.
Mahon ended the win with three hits in three appearances at the plate, scoring twice and driving in a game-high four runs. Errick finished with two RBIs and one run during her 1-for-3 afternoon while Fillhart went 2-for-3 with one run. In the circle, Bria Wilcox came away with five strikeouts while giving up just three hits.
Having just seven more games left in the regular season, the Lady Gators are ready and willing to make a push in the District 9 Class 2A postseason. With still a few challenges left on the docket, including a matchup against Elk County Catholic on Thursday, May 14, they welcome any chance to sharpen and hone in their skills.
“I’m highly confident (in this team.) They know what they need to do now to be competitive and they showed it tonight,” said Mark Wilcox. “I have 100 percent confidence and faith in them that they’re going to end the season at a high level.”
AT PORT ALLEGANY
Kane 000 10 R:1 H:3 E:4
Port Allegany 007 4X R:11 H:12 E:0
Kane: McGuire (0 SO, 2 BB) and Mix
Port Allegany: Wilcox (5 SO, 2 BB) and Errick
