KC’s fight fall short
ADAMS TWP — The fight was there. The desired outcome was not.
Karns City’s softball season — arguably the best in school history — ended with a 7-4 loss to WPIAL champion Avonworth in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal roud Thursday at Mars.
“We all go through ups and downs in life,” KC coach Mike Stitt said. “The important thing is how hard you fight through it. We fought hard today.”
The Gremlins (15-4) fell behind 5-1 in the third inning when Cat Barie delivered a two-out, two-run double to right and Cassie Heinauer followed with a RBI single. Six of Avonworth’s seven runs crossed the plate on two-out hits.
“Timely hitting was everything to us today,” Avonworth coach Jenna Muncie said. “All of those two-out hits were huge, especially the ones by (No. 9 hitter) Layne Shinsky.”
Shinsky had a two-out RBI double in the second inning for the Antelopes (19-5) — who began the frame with a tqwering home run to left by Rylee Gray — and a two-out, two-run single in the fifth.
But trailing 5-1, Karns City went to work.
Jess Dunn tripled off the base of the left field fence to begin the Gremlins’ fourth inning, scoring on Megan Whitmire’s groundout. The Gremlins added two more runs in the fifth as Ashley Fox and Zoe King walked with one out and Rossi McMillen lined a two-run double down the left field line.
The double pulled KC within 5-4, but the Gremlins could get no closer.
McMillen had three hits and three RBUI in the contest. The Grenmlis managed only five total hits against winning pitcher Alivia Lantzy, who struck out eight. She entered the contest with 162 strikeouts on the season.
KC entered the game with a .372 team batting average.
“Their pitcher did a great job,” Stitt said. “She kept our bats at bay. We just couldn’t make much happen against her.”
Karns City’s first run scored in bizarre fashion. Fox reached on a two-base error in center field. With two outs, McMillen hit a pop fly just a few feet down the first base line. Lantzy lunged for the ball, which deflected off her body and trickled into foul territory. Fox crossed the plate ahead of the throw to score on the play.
Muncie said she never felt comfortable with the early 5-1 lead.
“I knew that team (Karns City) could hit the ball and I told our kids to keep playing hard,” she said. “That team wasn't going to just fold up and go away.”
Karns City is saying goodbye to seven seniors — Fox, King, McMillen, Whitmire, Allison Walker, Sarah and Marra Patton — each a solid member of the team’s starting lineup al;l season.
“We are going to miss those seven dearly,” Stitt said. “They were tremendous leaders. They helped get two monkeys off my back, winning the District 9 championship and getting the first state tournament win in program history.
“They should be proud of what they’ve done here.”
“All I can say is this all went by so fast,” McMillen said of the season. “We had a great year and we’ve got some good underclassmen here who can keep it going next year.”
Fox said all seven seniors have been “playing ball together since we were little kids. Having a season like this is a fitting way for us to go out.”
Karns City0011200 — 450
Avonworth 023020x — 792
W: Alivia Lantzy 7IP (8K, 4BB). L: Marra Patton 3IP (1K, 4
Karns City (15-4): Ashley Fox 2-R, Zoe King 1B, Rossi McMillen 2B 2-!B 3-RBI, Jess Dunn 3B
Avonworth (19-5): Sydney Savatt 1B, Meghan Fissore 1B, Leah Kuban 2B, Rylee Gray HR 1B 2-R, Cat Barie 2B 2-RBI 3-R, Cassie Heinauer 1B RBI, Layne Shinsky 2B 1B 3-RBI.
