Parshall Shines as Belle Vernon Beats Yough for 4-A Gold

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, June 1, 2017 | 3:57 PM

Belle Vernon’s Bailey Parshall is well-known for her pitching exploits. Why wouldn’t she be’ She led the WPIAL in strikeouts this season and has been quite adept as a pitcher since her freshman year, a year in which she committed to Penn State University.

But in the WPIAL Class 4A championship softball game, Parshall showed she is pretty skilled with a bat as well. The junior went 3-3 with three doubles and two RBIs in a 4-1 victory over Section 2 4-A rival Yough at California University’s Lilley Field.

That doesn’t mean Parshall didn’t shine in the pitching circle. She turned in a sparkling performance with nine strikeouts (which brings her season total to 224) and allowed just four hits and two walks.

Her two biggest punch-outs may have come in the fifth inning.

Olivia Miller homered to lead off the inning for Yough (17-3) to cut a Belle Vernon lead to 2-1. It was the Cougars’ first hit of the game. Hailey Warrick and Kayley Westerman followed with singles, putting runners on first and second with nobody out.

Parshall proceeded to strikeout Karlie Clark and Nina Maroney and retire Hannah Bach on a bunt attempt and the score remained 2-1. During Maroney’s at bat a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.

Parshall made sure the Leopards stayed in the lead in the top of the sixth with a two-run double that plated Lindsay Steeber and Lexie Church. The RBIs brought Parshall’s total for the season to 23, which is second highest on the team.

Belle Vernon (19-1) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. With one out, Church singled and moved to third on the first of Parhsall’s three doubles. A single up the middle by Mekenzie Sokol brought Church home.

The lead increased to 2-0 when the Leopards scored an unearned run in the third.
Parshall led off the inning with a double. Courtesy runner Natalie French moved to third when Westerman made a sprawling catch of a foul ball off the bat of Kourtney Gavatorta – one of two sparkling plays by Westerman.

With two outs, Alex Sokol lifted a fly ball to right field Karlie Clark failed to catch, allowing French to score.

Belle Vernon appeared to be in command of the game, but the score remained tight as the Leopards stranded nine runners in the first five innings.

However, Yough could not catch up to the Leopards, who won their second WPIAL title in three years. Belle Vernon also defeated Yough in 2015 for the Class AAA championship in dramatic fashion, scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh in a 5-4 victory. It was Belle Vernon’s third title overall, also winning in 2007.

Both teams advance to the PIAA playoffs. Mt. Pleasant is the other WPIAL representative in Class 4A.

Belle Vernon : 101  002  0 – 4-8-0
Yough : 000  010  0   1-4-1

Tags: Belle Vernon, Yough