Prepping for Nationals

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SHINGLETOWN - Summer softball is simply different than high school.

Everyone, coaches and players, seem to be more laid back. So after the Central Penn Eagles won two games of a doubleheader against the Firestorm Tuesday at Hess Field, both sides were all smiles as they headed for the parking lot.

"It is just a lot of fun," Eagles coach Jerry Watson said. "Everyone is able to just be loose, but they still play hard."

The fact that the Eagles and Firestorm are a mix of so many Centre County high school teams makes the girls enjoy it that much more.

"We are able to have so much more fun in summer ball," Eagle pitcher Megan Shaw said. "Especially in this game. We all know each other, so we are cracking jokes and goofing around more than we would. But we still just go out there and play."

That is the key. While everyone is having fun, they still go out and put forth their best effort. As the Eagles prepare for a trip to Illinois next week, they should feel comfortable with the talent that they put on display in 7-0 and 3-0 wins Tuesday in Boalsburg.

Both games were very similar in that they started slow for both sides. An obvious reason for this is that both teams have combined pitching staffs that could put almost any region in the state to shame.

Game 1 featured Bald Eagle Area's Shaw against Philipsburg-Osceola's Brittany Murphy. Both pitchers were excellent early, but as Shaw persisted through the late innings, the Eagles offense began to wake up.

After going scoreless through three innings, the Eagles went on a five-hit tear in the top of the fourth. The Eagle offense was methodical, one girl would hit and the next girl would bring her home.

Jasa Mitchell started the inning with a single and was brought home by an RBI single by Holly Lansberry. Two batters later, Meghan Granite smacked a double that brought in Lansberry. Lily Glunt came to the plate and singled, plating teammate Granite. Brooke Klinefelter followed with a single and brought home Glunt to close out the inning, 4-0.

"I have noticed that about this team," Watson said. "They seem to get off to a slow start, then as they get around the order the second time, they adjust very well and they begin to pile on the hits."

While Shaw continued to pitch a strong outing, the Eagles were on their way toward victory.

The Eagles put together one another big inning in the sixth. Granite led off with a single, her second hit of the game, and Glunt reached on an error putting two on for Eagle second baseman Taylor Parsons.

Parsons is 15-years-old, and the smallest girl on the team. However, she definitely showed that she can bat just as well, if not better ,than anyone when she smacked a double and scored two more runs. Parsons scored on a single by Mitchell and the Eagles cruised to a 7-0 win.

The second game of the doubleheader had much of the same as the first. Both teams relied on strong pitching but the Eagles came up with the timely hits that pushed them to victory.

Game 2 featured Curwensville's Lansberry for the Eagles against BEA's Elizabeth Hackett for the Firestorm. Just like the first game, neither team could do much offensively in the early going. But again like the first game, the Eagles had a solid inning in the middle of the game and their defense took care of the rest.

That inning came in the bottom of the fifth. Glunt scored the first run after being brought home on a single by Jackie Smith. Jasa Mitchell then provided a few cushion runs as she smacked a single that plated both Smith and Lansberry and the Eagles had a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish.

The strong showing offensively and defensively has to give the Eagles confidence as they head for Illinois on Monday for the National ASA tournament.

"I feel we have a pretty good team," Watson said. "We are just excited for the opportunity to keep playing."

Game 1

EAGLES 7, FIRESTORM 0

E000 403 0 - 7 10 1

F000 000 0 - 0 5 2

E: Shaw and Klinefelter. F: Murphy and Poorman.WP - Shaw. LP - Murphy. 2B: E, Parsons, Granite. MH: E, Mitchell 2, Lansberry 2, Granite 2. F, Reish 2.