Siple powers FCVA to title game

By T.J. Turrisi

July 18, 2008 12:03 am

— SAEGERTOWN — She certainly didn’t do it all, but it was close.
French Creek Valley American 9 & 10 softball all-star Becca Siple tossed a winning game and drove herself in as the winning run with an inside-the-park homer in the third inning Thursday.
FCVA topped Cochranton 4-3 at Bertram Park in the winner’s bracket final. It will now await the winner of a matchup between Cochranton and Mid-East.
The championship final will take place Saturday at a time and location to be determined.
Siple led off the bottom of the third and made a solid connection with an offering from Cochranton pitcher Brittany Jackson.
The ball landed over the head of center fielder Abby Clulow, and Siple just kept chugging her way around the bases for the score.
“My coach said, ‘see ball, hit ball,’” Siple said. “I hit one in practice all the way out there. He said do that again, and there it is.”
Siple paced her team with a 2-for-3 performance, including two runs scored, an RBI and the game’s only extra-base shot. On the mound she allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.
“You can’t say enough about her,” FCVA coach Rob Robison said of Siple. “She does it all.”
FCVA was able to force Cochranton into stranding two runners in the top of the first. Then it posted four of six total hits in the bottom half and netted a nice 3-0 lead.
Leadoff batter Maile Chang, Siple, catcher Jessica Tomiczek and first baseman Matti Sommers each registered a single in the side.
Tomiczek drove in Chang, Sommers pushed Siple across, and Haley Wise hit a groundout to score Tomiczek.
Sommers also had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two singles.
“We broke out a little bit tonight,” Robison said. “I am still waiting for the whole team to do it.”
Cochranton fought back to within one in the second with an RBI single by Mackenzie Hawley, and an RBI groundout from Clulow.
Hawley was the top offensive performer for Cochranton with a 2-for-4, one-RBI showing.
In the third, Katy Dunn walked, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored when Ariel Smith hit into an error for their final tally.
Siple allowed two hits in the top of the sixth but kept her composure in earning the win.
She struck out Alexis O’Donnell to start. Kassidy Dickson hit a single but was thrown out at second by Tomiczek on a steal attempt.
And after another base hit by Hawley, Clulow was fanned for the final out.
“All I could concentrate on was Jessica’s glove and getting strikes and being very confident,” Siple said of the final side.
Despite taking the loss, Jackson also threw an outstanding game for Cochranton. She allowed three earned runs on six hits with just two walks and 11 Ks.
“Both teams played well,” Cochranton coach Scott Wyant said. “We just didn’t hit when we needed to, and they did.
“Their pitcher threw really well. We battled back, but we just couldn’t get any more runs.”
Cochranton faces Mid-East at home in the loser’s bracket final today at 6 p.m. for another shot at FCVA.
“Now we’ve got to play another game,” Wyant added. “We want to come back and see these guys again.”

T.J. Turrisi can be reached at 724-6370, ext. 276 or by e-mail at tjturrisi@meadvilletribune.com.