FAYETTEVILLE — The showdown between two undefeated teams in a Mid Penn Commonwealth softball clash came down to power.
Cumberland Valley showed more power at the plate and more power in the pitching department and came away with a 7-3 victory over Chambersburg on Thursday afternoon at Norlo Park.
Addison Gsell
The Eagles (6-0, 4-0 MPC) blasted three home runs and ace pitcher Sydney May allowed just three hits and struck out 11.
"I'm very proud of our girls — we could have just stopped playing when we got down early," Trojan coach Chris Skultety said. "But we battled against a state-championship caliber team. This is the first time we saw pitching that good this year, so we'll make some adjustments for the next time."
The game opened with a blast … literally. CV's Annika Shearer hit the second pitch of the game from Chambersburg starter Kori Leedy just over the centerfield fence for a home run. After a walk, Emma Morgan cracked another long ball to center, and just like that Cumberland Valley held a 3-0 lead.
In most games, that would be enough of a cushion for May, who is likely the best pitcher in the Mid Penn.
But in the bottom of the first, the Trojans' Bree Paetow led off with a single to center. Two outs later, Addison Gsell turned on a 1-2 May fastball and smoked it well over the fence in left-center to make it 3-2.
"That ball was crushed," Skultety said.
Gsell, acknowledging that it was her first career home run, said, "I'm not a home run hitter, so I didn't know it was going out. I was just trying to get on base."
In the top of the second inning, Shearer came up with two outs and nobody on base thanks to a double play. This time she connected on Leedy's first pitch to her and blistered her second homer to deep left field, making it 4-2. That made it four home runs in 15 at-bats in the game.
Leedy (4-1) settled down after that and gave up only one more hit and no more runs through four innings.
May also settled down. She ended up giving up three hits, three earned runs, walked two and struck out 11. The bottom four batters in the lineup for Chambersburg (5-1, 3-1 MPC) had 11 at-bats and struck out 9 times.
Gsell said of May, "She is very respected as a pitcher and her rise ball is really good. But we did put the ball in play against her and I think we gained some confidence for the next time we see her."
The Eagles made it 6-2 off reliever Saleen Null in the fifth, on a single by Shearer, an RBI double by Morgan and a grounder hit by May. In the seventh, CV got its last run on a walk, a wild pitch and a throwing error.
Chambersburg scored its final run in the sixth when Bree Paetow hit a curving line drive to left and the Eagle outfielder, looking into the sun, could not come up with it; it was scored as a triple. Karley Skultety drew her second walk, but Sam Paetow's hard grounder to short — while it scored a run — led to a double play.
The only other Chambersburg threat came in the third when Skultety walked and Sam Paetow ripped a low liner to center. But Shearer got on her horse and caught the ball near her shoe laces for a big out.
Coach Skultety said, "We got three runs off May — that's not bad. We'll make some adjustments, because we're going to be seeing some pretty good pitchers in the next two weeks. But none of our girls backed down today. We'll figure it out."
