Bishop Shanahan’s season ends in state quarters

ALLENTOWN >> Everything that could go wrong for the Bishop Shanahan softball team did go wrong Thursday night.

The Eagles season came to an end with a 7-3 loss to Abington Heights in the PIAA Class AAA state quarterfinals at Patriots Park in Allentown.

(1-2) Shanahan did itself no favors in the field in its season-ending defeat. It committed four errors and walked 10 batters.

Offensively, it wasn’t much better. All three runs came in the final two innings when the Eagles were already behind 7-0. They left runners on base in five of the innings and had a runner thrown out at home plate in the sixth.

Head coach Ron Savastio put it all on his shoulders.

“I guess I didn’t have the kids prepared,” he said. “I have to take it all on myself — I really do. I always tell these kids coaches don’t win, they lose games. That’s the truth. I don’t think I had them prepared enough. They are a young team and I should have had them more prepared because I’ve been there and know what it takes.

“We lost to a really good team. Their coach was telling me they have practice at five o’clock, the kids are there at 4:30. They’re done at 6:30 and the kids wait til seven. It showed out there today.”

Devon Miller pitched the entire game for Shanahan. She struck out eight batters to go along with her 10 walks over seven innings. She surrendered seven runs on seven hits.

(2-1) Abington Heights got its scoring started in the top of the second inning. The first four batters reached base and all of them scored to take a 4-0 lead.

Naudia Solan led off with a triple and scored on a Marissa Lewis single. Lewis advanced to second when her base hit got away from the left fielder. An identical play followed when Nina Kozar singled. The ball got away from the left fielder to score Lewis and put Kozar on second base.

After Cassie Toth walked to put runners on first and second with no outs, Cassidy Bartkowski laid down a sacrifice bunt. She was thrown out at first, but a throw across the diamond to try to catch Kozar napping at third was wide, scoring Kozar and sending Toth to third. Alison Kane grounded out to shortstop to bring home Toth and make it a 4-0 game.

“So many errors today,” Savastio said, “but that’s all part of learning. We made mistakes today that we won’t make in the future.”

The Comets added one run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings. Toth walked to forced home a run, Solan hit a sacrifice fly and Paige Harris had an RBI single.

Harris did a lot more than just that. She frustrated Bishop Shanahan batters for seven innings in the circle. She surrendered eight hits, struck out four batters and walked two.

Before the game got out of hand, the Eagles best scoring chance came in the top of the first inning. Miranda Bedics and Katy Newton started the game with back-to-back hits, but neither got past second base. Miller flew out to center and, with the runners moving, Marley Weston flew out to left and Bedics was doubled up at second base.

The Eagles scored one run in the sixth and two in the seventh.

In the sixth, Anne Weyand hit a double with runners on first and second. Kelsey Fitzpatrick scored and Weston, after colliding with Savastio coaching third, was thrown out at the plate.

In the seventh, one run scored on an error and the other on a Miller — who went 3-for-4 — RBI double.

Bishop Shanahan’s season — one in which it finished second in District 1 and reached the state quarterfinals — comes to an end.

“It’s an exceptionally young team,” Savastio said. “Five freshman and sophomores and we only had one senior.

“It is a good year for the kids, but not good enough,” he added with a laugh.

Abington Heights will face (3-2) Lampeter Strasburg in the semifinals Monday.