T-Girls end Piner upset bid

Petaluma took advantage of some poor infield decisions made by the visiting Piner Lady Prospectors on Tuesday afternoon and coasted to an easy 12-2 win as the T-Girls improved to 3-0 in early Sonoma County League play.

Piner might have escaped two key situations with Petaluma runners aboard, but ill-advised throws to the wrong base help set the stage for big T-Girl rallies. A bouncer back to the Prospector pitcher in the first inning could have been converted to an easy out at first, but a wild throw went to the plate and two runs scored. All five runs scored by Petaluma in the first frame were unearned. Overall, Piner was charged with five miscues.

T-Girl pitcher Emily O’Keefe struggled early to gain her rhythm, but settled in by the third frame to set the Prospectors down in order three times.

O’Keefe allowed only one Piner hit until the last inning when the visitors bunched a couple of safeties for their two runs. O’Keefe struck out six batters in only five innings of work.

Paced by leadoff hitter Brie Gerhardt, the T-Girls put the ball in play in every inning until the mercy rule halted the contest at the end of the top of the fifth inning.

Gerhardt continued her torrid hitting pace since going 9 for 17 in the recent Napa Tournament. She led off the game with a sharp single and added another base hit in the final inning. She scored two runs for the T-Girls.

Other key contributors for Petaluma included Cassie Baddeley who knocked in two runs with a first inning single and Joelle Krist who laced a double off the left field fence scoring a run in the bottom of the fourth.

Lily Ryan came off the Petaluma bench to stroke a two-run double in the fourth inning as well.

A diving catch in center field by Baddeley and an over-the-shoulder grab by Gerhardt on a short fly ball bid for a base hit by Caylyn Callison of the Prospectors were the defensive highlights of the afternoon.

Callison didn’t find O’Keefe to be a mystery as she banged out a lead-off single in the first inning and an RBI double in the final frame. Piner fell to 4-8 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Gerhardt, headed for Lehigh in the prestigious Patriot League next year, has gradually begun to piece together a very notable season in her senior year. Hitting .450 going into the Napa Tourney and one of the teams leading run scorers from her lead-off position, the smooth fielding shortstop has pounded out 13 hits since.

“I don’t hit the long ball often, but I try to hit the ball hard somewhere,” she explained. “It’s a matter of hitting the ball where it is pitched.”

“I fell in love with Lehigh on my one visit there, and couldn’t be happier with my choice. They want me to catch and that’s fine. I filled in for Miranda (Swanson) in the playoffs. Playing shortstop now can help save my knees for catching in college.”

Other schools in the academically charged Patriot League include Colgate, Holy Cross, Army and Navy.

The surging T-Girls improved to 12-2 for the season and 3-0 in the SCL with a one-game advantage over second-place Analy.