Reynolds punches ticket to D10 softball championship

Dan Hiner, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·3 min read

May 25—HERMITAGE — Halyn Cawthorne took a look down the third base line to get direction from Reynolds head coach Taryn Zitkovic. She hadn't had a lot of success bunting recently, but she got the call anyway.

Cawthorne put down a bases-loaded bunt in the bottom of the fourth to spark a huge inning. Mackenzie Herman did the rest as the Raiders beat Union City 9-0 in a 2A District 10 semifinal Wednesday at the Hermitage Athletic Complex.

Herman was locked in a pitchers duel with Union City's Abigail Tingley. The two pitchers combined to allow only four base runners in the first four innings.

However, the Raiders (18-3) loaded the bases on single by Herman, a walk from Chloe McLaughlin and Rylee Gearhart reached on a fielder's choice to start the fourth inning. That's when Cawthorne dropped a bunt on an 0-1 count to get the Raiders on the board.

"It was just lay it down, follow what the coach wants me to do," Cawthorne said. "Do what's best for the team, and if that's what she thought that was best I had to get the job done."

The first run of the game sparked a big inning for Reynolds. The Raiders scored five more runs in the fourth for a 6-0 lead. Kylie McAddo had a two-run single, Madelyn Diefenderfer added an RBI groundout and Marissa Hillyer added an RBI triple.

The Raiders added another run in the fifth on another safety squeeze. They capped the scoring in the sixth inning when Marissa Hillyer and Andrea Hillyer crossed on fielding error.

"From beginning to end, they've come together as a team," Zitkovic said. "They make my job easy as a coach."

Cawthorne finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs with a run scored. McAdoo was 1-for-3 with two driven in and a run scored. Andrea Hillyer was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Marissa Hillyer finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored once.

Herman struck out eight in a three-hit complete game. She did allow seven walks, but her defense played well behind her to work out of the jams.

Tingley allowed nine runs — seven earned — on nine hits and a pair of walks. She struck out seven in the complete game.

The Bears (16-3) were hitless until Cathryn Reynolds hit a grounder back up the middle for Union City's first hit of the game. Union City didn't record another hit until Alyssa Tingley and Kaegann Gregor had back-to-back singles in the seventh, but Herman buckled down to end the game.

"[Herman] executes every inning that we ask her, but it takes a team to win this game," Zitkovic said. "The ladies on the field executed defensively and then we came up to the plate and did the same."

The Raiders will set up for a third meeting with Sharpsville. But they will face Seneca, who beat Blue Devils 5-3 on Wednesday.

"For us seniors, it's been a goal for three years now and I just know that this team can get it done," Cawthorne said.