Seventh-inning uprising keys win

The Cardinals' 11-4 win over the Irish may determine the SVC title.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- When Cardinal Mooney's softball players ran off the field following Ursuline's last at-bat, the Cardinals didn't display any excessive celebration.
That's probably because they did most of it during the first half of the inning when Mooney poured on eight runs in a come-from-behind 11-4 win at the Thunderplex.
Trailing 4-3, freshman pinch-hitter Meghan Williams stepped to the plate with no inkling that she's be the first of 12 Mooney batters to stand in the batter's box in the top of the seventh.
Yet it may have been a defensive play by right fielder Laura Guyer that set the stage for the Cardinals' victory in a game that may eventually determine the Steel Valley Conference championship.
With Ursuline's Ashley Siembieda at bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Irish catcher hit a blooper behind first base. Guyer, playing close to the infield, threw to first baseman Kelcie Herberger for the third out.
"It was a huge moment in the game, maybe the biggest moment in the game," Mooney coach Mark Rinehart said. "We're down a run [4-3] and that looked like it's maybe a two-run hit off the bat and we're down 6-3 if we don't make the play."
Rinehart also gave credit to Herberger.
"She dug out the low throw," Rinehart said of his freshman first baseman's putout that ended the inning.
"We work on that in practice and before every game," the coach said. "It really paid off big for us today."
That sent Mooney back to the bench and on offense to start the fifth inning. But the Cardinals didn't erupt until the seventh.
Williams began the inning by batting for Mimi Vitello.
"It was her first day back after an ankle injury," Rinehart said of his pinch-hitter. "She was real patient and took a walk when it was there to get us going."
Skill at the plate
Then DiAndra DiBacco reached first on a push bunt.
"We were going to hit away because we wanted to take the lead because we were on the road," Rinehart said. "But then we decided to sacrifice bunt because the corners [first and third basemen] were so deep.
"DiBacco saw the pitcher [Ashley Koval] charging and she pushed it right by her. It was a big-time play. It's a skill, really, but she works hard to develop her offense in those ways."
Mara Palombaro doubled to score Vitello, who ran for Williams. With the score 4-4 and no outs, Heather Shadden replaced Koval.
Although a grounder by Katie Hughes to shortstop Vannessa Dickson was picked up cleanly, Dickson didn't throw to first base for the sure out. Instead, she tried to get DiBacco in a rundown between home and third. When it didn't succeed, Ursuline was faced with three Cardinals on base.
Guyer's double drove in two runs for a 6-4 lead and Monique Irwin's three-run homer was icing on the cake.
"Once we got the momentum, we just turned it on like we can play," Rinehart said of his team that has only one senior: Gina Fabian.
"When we get going, we think we're going to be a pretty good ballclub."
Cards 5-2, 1-0
The game was Mooney's SVC opener, while Ursuline is 1-1 after a 16-1 win over Warren Harding earlier this week. The Cards are 5-2 overall.
Colleen Courtney (3-2) was the winning pitcher.
"I had confidence in the team to back me up," Courtney said of Mooney's defense before and after the big seventh. "I wasn't hitting all my spots, but I wasn't getting a whole lot of calls, either," said the junior who was much more relieved walking to the pitching circle in the seventh than when she stood there in the sixth.
"Walking the leadoff batter and then an infield single on a bunt that we misplayed got them going," Ursuline coach Mike Kernan said. "When they got to the top of their lineup, we thought we'd go with a change [Shadden] since they'd seen Koval so many times."
Kernan said the Irish (4-3) were hurt by "big innings" on two other occasions before Thursday.
"We have had one big inning [against us] in each of our three losses [Lakeview, Niles, Mooney]," Kernan said. "I tell the kids to stay focused because that's only three innings when we gave up.
"Eliminate those innings and we're undefeated. We're that good of a team. We just need to start believing a little more that we are."
bassetti@vindy.com