It has been almost two full years since Connellsville lost to West Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game, and the Falcons have since graduated most of their starting lineup from that 2019 team. So, in hopes of gaining valuable experience for his young players, Connellsville softball coach John Burd decided to challenge them with the toughest non-section schedule he could find to begin the 2021 season.
Challenge accepted.
As of Monday night, the Falcons had a record of 2-1 — but not all 2-1 records are created equal. Connellsville opened its season with a 3-1 win vs. WPIAL Class 6A No. 1 Hempfield, the five-time defending champions in the WPIAL’s largest classification. Then, after an 8-3 defeat vs. WPIAL Class 3A No. 1 Mount Pleasant — considered one of the strongest teams in the WPIAL regardless of class — the Falcons bounced back with a 9-7 win Monday night vs. Class 6A No. 2 North Allegheny.
“We’re a young team. I only have two seniors, and they’re playing well,” Burd said. “If you would have told me we’d be 2-1 after the three tough games we had, I’d be very happy, and I am. But we can get better.”
So far, Connellsville is getting it done in a variety of ways. The Falcons struck out 13 times in the season opener against the Spartans on Friday, but a three-run first-inning home run by senior shortstop Abby King held up thanks to some tremendous defense behind starting pitcher Jenna Hixson.
“Our outfield made some nice plays. We didn’t have an error in that game,” Burd said. “We don’t have a pitcher who’s going to strike out 13 girls. We have to rely on our defense, and they did.
“That was a huge win for us against Hempfield. Just their reputation and their history and everything — I think it showed the girls that maybe we can play with some of these teams.”
Connellsville only trailed, 4-3, going into the seventh inning against the Vikings on Saturday before Mount Pleasant blew the game open en route to an 8-3 win. Burd said the defense wasn’t flawless in that game like it was against Hempfield, but the Falcons certainly responded in a big way on Monday night.
Hosting a North Allegheny team that reached the WPIAL Class 6A championship game in 2019, Connellsville pounced on the Tigers early after spotting them a 1-0 lead. Freshman Kirra Davis belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the first, then the Falcons scored five more in the second to take a commanding 8-1 lead.
North Allegheny slowly clawed its way back into the game, but couldn’t quite close the gap as Connellsville held on for a 9-7 win. Davis finished 3 for 3 with the three-run homer and a pair of doubles.
“I told the girls it was a huge win. Sometimes I don’t know if they believe me or not,” Burd said. “The other good thing is, we faced some adversity. They kept chipping back and they had runners on base, and we came through in some tight spots. It was big.
“I just want them to realize, when they play the way I know they can, they can play with anybody.”
Latrobe
Wildcats senior Jordan Tallman was one of the most dominant pitchers in the WPIAL in 2019, posting a 9-2 record with a 1.39 ERA and 142 strikeouts before an injury cut her sophomore season short.
Now back to full strength, Tallman was eager to make her long-awaited return to the circle in Latrobe’s season opener vs. Belle Vernon on Saturday, and she certainly made the most of it. The Georgetown recruit pitched five innings of no-hit ball with 13 strikeouts and also hit a home run in the Class 5A No. 2 Wildcats’ 16-0 win.
“She’s a hard-working girl,” said Latrobe coach Bob Kovalcin. “She’s very diligent, she does her thing and she’s very mature for her age.”
Tallman’s younger sister, Jenna, also hit a home run in the season opener, and she followed that up with another homer in an 8-7 defeat vs. Norwin in extra innings on Monday night. The Tallman sisters hit back-to-back in the middle of Latrobe’s lineup, with Jenna batting cleanup and Jordan in the No. 5 slot.
“Jordan likes to rip it big and she can hit it hard and everything else, but Jenna is a stud at the plate,” Kovalcin said. “It was a good game [against Norwin], it was a good team, and we learned a lot.”
Shenango
They don’t hand out Most Valuable Player awards for the first week of the season, but if they did, Wildcats senior Mia Edwards would be the runaway favorite to win it.
Edwards has powered Shenango to a 4-0 start with wins against Class 1A No. 4 Union, New Castle, Quaker Valley and Class 2A No. 1 Laurel — and she’s doing it with both her arm and her bat. Through the team’s first three games, the Colgate recruit is batting .556 (5 for 12) with a pair of home runs and 7 RBIs.
In the circle, Edwards has been flat-out untouchable. She allowed one unearned run in five innings while striking out 12 in a season-opening 13-1 win vs. the Scotties, then pitched 6⅔ innings of shutout ball while striking out 15 and allowing only two hits and no walks in a 7-5 win vs. the Red Hurricanes on Saturday.
On Monday night, Edwards hurled four more innings without allowing a run, striking out 10 on two hits and no walks. She then followed that up with 19 strikeouts in a 4-0 win vs. the top-ranked Spartans on Tuesday.
For the season, Edwards is 4-0 with 56 strikeouts, zero walks and a sparkling 0.00 ERA.
Steve Rotstein: srotstein@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SteveRotstein.
First Published: April 2, 2021, 9:30 a.m.
