SOFTBALL Ursuline wins 2nd SVC title

Maureen Cearfoss won her 14th game of the season.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- Ursuline High's softball team arrived late for Friday's contest with Warren Harding, then the Irish didn't play very well, either.
But when all was said and done the Irish still managed to walk away with a 5-1 victory and their second straight Steel Valley Conference championship at Packard Park.
The Irish, coached by Michael Kernan, won the school's first SVC softball title a year ago and this year repeated with a 6-0 record.
"This was the first year where we only played everybody one time," Kernan said. "I'm happy for the girls because they deserve the title, but I'm not happy with the way we played today."
The Irish (14-6) went to the wrong field and finally arrived at the game just after the 4:30 scheduled start.
"The late arrival didn't help our play either," Kernan said. "Our whole pregame routine was changed or eliminated.
"I guess it was good for them to get this bad one out of their system today because I told them we have a big tournament game [against LaBrae] next week," he added.
Breaking it open
It took the Irish four innings to get untracked against the Raiders, who were coming off a poor performance in an 11-0, five-inning loss to Fitch on Thursday.
Ursuline's senior pitcher, Maureen Cearfoss, kept the Raiders in check for six innings, then pitched her way out of a big jam in the final inning to preserve her 14th win.
Harding pitcher Lindsay Blazek kept the Irish under control through the first three innings, but Ursuline scored four times in the fourth on four hits and a Harding error to break the scoreless tie.
Natalie Palermo, Ashley Siembieda and Alessandra Parry all singled to load the bases to start the fourth and Blazek then walked Jessica Yarab to force in the game's first run.
The Raiders then got an out at home plate on a ground ball to third by Ashley Koval, but Kelly Podolsky singled up the middle driving home two runs and Koval came across with the fourth tally when the Raiders threw wildly to third base trying to throw her out.
Lone run
Harding got its lone run in the sixth inning when Tempest Zeigler doubled to left field, only the second hit off Cearfoss, and then took off for third when the throw from the outfield got past second base. She came around to score when the throw to third base got past the third baseman and rolled out of play.
Ursuline added a run in the seventh without getting a hit as Podolsky walked, was sacrificed to second by Jolanta Carkido and scored on an error.
Harding's shortstop Chris Cribley saved another run when she made a diving catch of a line drive off the bat of Palermo for the third out.
Harding opened the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles. Then with one out Cribley singled to right field, but Carkido threw out Belinda Hernan at the plate for the second out.
Chris Guzan then hit a single to short center to load the bases, but Cearfoss struck out Zeigler on a changeup to end the game.
Cearfoss and Palermo had two hits for the Irish. Guzan had two hits for Harding (7-10).
mollica@vindy.com