Offense guides North Allegheny softball under 1st-year coach

By: Josh Rizzo
Thursday, May 2, 2019 | 4:22 PM

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First-year North Allegheny softball coach Morgan Vescovi didn’t feel like she had to reinvent the Tigers’ program.

With what the Tigers had returning, the 2003 North Allegheny graduate was confident she could help steer the program in the right direction. Despite a 5-0 loss to Pine-Richland last Wednesday, the Tigers have shown their full offensive potential.

North Allegheny (12-4, 10-3) holds a half-game lead over Hempfield for the Section 2-6A lead. Results of the Tigers’ final section game, Friday against North Hills, were too late for this edition.

“I wanted the program to feel different,” Vescovi said. “I didn’t want to change things for the sake of changing things. … I graduated from NA, as well, and played softball here. I want to give girls opportunities to understand that. They can push themselves, be aggressive and try things without worrying about the consequences of being aggressive.”

North Allegheny has won a lot of games with consistent production with its offense. When the Tigers clinched a playoff spot with a 7-4 win over Norwin on April 24, they rallied from a 3-0 deficit by pounding out 13 hits.

“I think we’ve learned we’re a team that has to be motivated and focused from the very first pitch,” Vescovi said. “The games we’ve sat back in are the ones we’ve gotten in trouble and lose that lead and produced too late. For us, it’s all about maintaining what we do and being focused.”

Against the Knights, Regan Brodine, Alaina Whipkey, Chloe Szczepaniak and Lauren Haywood drove in runs. Haywood finished 2 of 3 with three RBIs.

“We’re looking for what we can do to generate runs,” Vescovi said. “We have speed and power. Most importantly we have consistency. If one or two players are having a rough day at the plate, someone else is picking them up. It’s rare we are struggling to get the job done. We have good consistency.”

Pitcher Ashley Adams, who has an 8-2 record, has provided consistency. The Tigers hope balance will help them advance a step further in the WPIAL playoffs. Norwin knocked out North Allegheny in the quarterfinals last year.

“I think we do a good job of maintaining a strong core,” Vescovi said. “A good offense, especially. We’ve been able to hit well through the course of the year. Once someone gets things going, we keep on rolling and tally up a lot of hits. That’s been helpful for us.”

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