Edgewood defeats Mooney

The Cardinals finished the season 20-7.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
JEFFERSON -- The Mooney High softball team is going to miss the contributions of seniors DiAndra Dibacco, Mara Palombaro and Laura Guyer.
"In their four years, those girls won 81 ballgames, a school record," Mooney (20-7) coach Mark Rinehart said following Mooney's season-ending loss to Ashtabula Edgewood, 5-2, Monday in a district semifinal. "They won two Steel Valley Conference titles and they went to the regional final.
"Sometimes you don't know what you're going to get with seniors because they are so close to graduating," Rinehart said. "But these girls, particularly Mara and DiAndra, led us in every offensive category.
They'll be missed
"They had outstanding years," Rinehart said. "We're going to miss their bats and the way Mara calls the game," Rinehart said. "Both of them can hit any pitcher in the state, and that was a big reason for our success."
For the second straight season, the Cardinals' season ended in the district semifinal against the Warriors (23-1), last year's state semifinalists.
Today at 4:30 p.m. at the JAGS Complex, the Warriors will play Poland in a rematch of last year's district title game.
Monday, Guyer made a leaping grab in right field to steal a double from Alexi Cash. Dibacco had two of Mooney's four hits and scored when Palombaro homered in the sixth inning to reduce Edgewood's lead to three.
"Had that home run come earlier, I think it becomes a different game," Rinehart said. "They are difficult to defend because they are always putting pressure on you.
"They can hit one to nine, they can bunt one to nine -- to chase a team like that is awfully difficult."
Dibacco, who will play for Westminster College next year, called the Warriors "a great team. I think maybe we were a little more tense than we normally are."
Warriors in command
The Warriors were in command from the start as Trisha Dreslinski drew a leadoff walk off Mooney freshman Chrissy Porter (14-5) and Kate McMullen singled. With one out, Brittany Martin hit a 3-0 pitch into the left-field corner for a two-run double.
In the sixth inning, Amber Adley singled and reached third base when Megan Dragon hit a double that bounced over the left-center field fence. Allison Adkin's groundout scored Adley.
The lead grew to 5-0 when Rachel Wolford, batting in the nine spot, homered over the right-center field fence.
Normally the Warriors' third hitter, Wolford said she was moved down "because I'm in a slump."
Dibacco was on first base when Palombaro connected off Dragon (18-0).
"I just knew it was gone. I didn't even look back," Dibacco. "We've been teammates forever and you just know."
Dibacco praised the Warriors' sophomore pitcher for showing "a lot of discipline. Her riseball was really good. There were a lot of low strikes called and it looked like we were swinging at too many high."
Was confident
Palombaro, who is considering Mount Union and St. Francis, said she wasn't "nervous about facing them again. I thought we were going to take it to them."
About her homer, Palombaro said she successfully gambled on pitch location.
"I kind of realized that she was going to throw outside because the first two were inside and I got a hold of them. I didn't think it would be high because I was up in the batter's box. So I figured it would be outside so I took it to right field.
"I was just looking for a hit, I wasn't thinking home run," Palombaro said. "I thought we would execute better after it but ..."
williams@vindy.com