Union City succumbs to Saegertown in District 10 softball quarterfinal

MEADVILLE – Putting balls into play.

That’s what coach Brittany Morse said Union City’s softball team primarily had to do to beat Saegertown in Monday’s District 10 Class 2A quarterfinal.

The Bears accomplished that amid balmy conditions at Allegheny College’s Robertson Athletic Complex. They got runners on base during six of their seven at-bats.

Problem was, Union City didn’t accomplish that enough against pitcher Mikaila Obenrader. Saegertown won 4-1 in large part because the senior right-hander struck out 14 Bears.

Obenrader also lined an RBI double down the left-field line in the bottom of the first inning. It scored Alyssa Arblaster and gave the tournament’s third seed a lead it never relinquished.

“They just out-executed us,” Morse said. “They had some things go their way and we had some things not go our way. It happens.”

The Panthers (14-2) advanced to Wednesday’s 2A semifinals against Seneca at a time and diamond to be determined. The seventh-seeded Bobcats upset No. 2 Mercer 8-5 at Hermitage.

Alissa Leech’s fifth-inning single drove in the lone run for Union City, which finished 11-10 for its first season with Morse as coach. The Corry graduate replaced Jerry VanZandt, who retired with more than 300 victories over two tenures in charge of that program.

“I knew I had some big shoes to fill here,” Morse said, “but we did do a little better this year than last year (9-11 for 2023). We have a young team – we’re only losing one senior starter (shortstop Cathryn Reynolds) – so we’ll come back strong next year.”

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Quantity and quality Ks

Obenrader’s 14 strikeouts further frustrated Union City’s batters because seven of them helped negate quality scoring chances. The Bears stranded five runners in scoring position over the quarterfinal’s last five innings.

Union City’s Alyssa Tingley led off the top of the seventh with a single and a stolen base. However, that’s where the junior watched Obenrader end the game with strikeouts of Grace Chapman, Danica Williamson and Leech.

“I felt good coming into the game,” Obenrader said. “The rise (pitch) was working well (Monday) and my screwball was doing well.”

Obenrader also was the benefactor of a two-run single by Saegertown catcher Madison Pratt and center fielder Kacie Mook’s solo home run.

Mook’s blast, which made it 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth, negated Leech’s RBI single in the top of that inning.

Mike has worked for the Erie Times-News editorial department since 1997 and full time with its sports department since 2004. He was the sports editor for the former Titusville Herald from 1991-93.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pitching propels Saegertown to D-10 softball win over Union City