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LEVITTOWN – Kelly Gregorio laughed.In truth, the question was almost too easy.
So what was the Ghosts’ leadoff batter thinking after grounding a one-out single to left field in the sixth inning of Friday’s SOL contest against Harry S. Truman?
“I’m getting to three,” Gregorio said.
Gregorio wasn’t being cocky. It was simply a statement of fact, an all but automatic fact, and it wasn’t long before the speedy lead-off batter was on third and then sliding home for a run that knotted the score.
“We actually had a pre-sixth inning meeting, and we’re like, ‘We have to score now. We’re not going into the seventh inning (down by a run),’” said Gregorio. “That’s exactly what happened.
“It started with one out, and everybody put the ball in play.”
By the time the inning was over, the Ghosts – behind Gregorio’s aggressive base running - had turned a one-run deficit into a 3-2 lead, and they held on to win by that score in an exciting National Conference showdown.
For the Ghosts, the win came on the heels of a 3-0 loss to Neshaminy one day earlier.“This was huge,” coach Ellie White said. “Truman is a good team, and Rachael (Alligood) is a good pitcher. We knew this would be a big game for us.
“We were hoping to put everything together and play a good, solid seven innings without making a mistake.”
Gregorio got things started in the sixth with her one-out single. She immediately stole second, and disaster struck for the Tigers when – on Wendell’s sacrifice bunt that was fielded by Alligood, no one covered first. It was safe all round, and Wendell advanced all the way to second.
Things only got worse for the Tigers.
Gregorio scampered home on a wild pitch, and moments later, Wendell scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
For the Tigers, who saw a 2-0 lead slip away in the seventh inning in a 3-2 loss to Neshaminy, it was an all-too-familiar scenario.
“It’s tough because you’re winning, you’re cheerful, and one bad thing happens, and your head goes down,” said Truman senior Tina Coffman. “You turn to your right, and their heads are down. Everyone is thinking too much, not making physical errors but mental errors. Everything is mental errors.
“One mental error can cost you the game.”
The contest started out on a promising enough note for Coffman and her Tiger teammates but not before the Ghosts put a run on the board in the top of the first.
Again, Gregorio was in the middle of the action, opening the game with a single and immediately creating havoc by stealing second and – after a delayed steal – third.
“In the beginning of the season, I had her in the four spot because she can do anything,” White said of Gregorio. “Then I moved her up to leadoff.
“That kid has so much speed and excellent bat control, so when she got into the leadoff spot, she’s been producing like this. That’s our go-to kid.”Gregorio scored on a single by Bridget Gordon, but that 1-0 Ghost lead was short-lived.
In the bottom of the inning, lead-off batter Ashley Black singled up the middle, and one out later, Coffman stepped to the plate and with one mighty swing put the Ghosts on top 2-1, thanks to a two-run blast over the left field fence.
“I had a feeling it was going over,” she said. “I just stood and watched for a minute. I was like, ‘Oh, that is over.’
“It felt so good. As soon as I hit it, I was like, ‘We’re up 2-1. It’s the beginning of the game. We’re going to do fine. I have plenty of at-bats ahead of me.’ But I think after my home run everyone was trying to swing for the fences.”
Coffman’s home run only served as motivation to Ghost pitcher Tegan Wendell.
“It was tough,” the senior hurler said. “But once it went over the fence, I was like, ‘Alright, you know what – I’m fired up now. I’m getting ready to take this game in my hands. We’re going to do this.’
“We got everybody fired up. We came back, and in that sixth inning, we got it rolling.”
Wendell allowed just two hits the rest of the way.
Alligood also found her stride after Gordon’s first-inning single, retiring 14 of the next 15 batters she faced.
It looked as though the Tigers’ 2-1 lead might stand. Until the fateful sixth.
“In Florida, we were down in two of our three games, and they came back,” White said. “So they know that they can do it.”
The Tigers put their leadoff batter on board in the seventh when Nichole King singled. After a failed bunt, King stole second and moved up to third when the throw sailed into the outfield. She was stranded there as Wendell, who fanned eight, came up with back-to-back strikeouts to seal the win.
“Unless we get the mental strength and toughness to close out games, this will continue to happen,” Truman coach Gretchen Cammiso said. “It’s just in their heads.
“Unless the fight to win gets stronger than the fear of failure, we’re going to continue to do what we’re doing. It’s not more reps – they got the reps. We’re not making physical errors. Until they decide they’re tired of giving away games – it’s completely in their control.”
As a result of the win, the Ghosts improved to 4-2 in league play while the Tigers fell to 4-3.
“We’re a strong team,” Coffman said. “We work well together, and we came a long way since last year.
“But sometimes when it’s a tough spot, you’re thinking, ‘I want this ball,’ and it goes to somebody, and they’re thinking ‘I hope this ball does not come to me.’ It’s just when it comes into a jam, they’re not mentally there. It always comes down to that, and it’s so hard.”
ABINGTON 3, HARRY S. TRUMAN 2
Abington: Kelly Gregorio ss 3 2 2 0; Tegan Wendell p 2 1 1 0; Bridget Gordon cf 2 0 1 1; Ali Muehlbronner 2b 3 0 0 0; Kimmy Begley 3b 3 0 0 0; Jess Touton c 2 0 0 0; Kelly Lyons ph 1 0 0 0; Kelsey Hilliard 1b 3 0 0 0; Katey Salus lf 2 0 0 0; Taylor Tolton rf 2 0 0 0. TOTALS 23 3 4 1.
Truman: Ashley Black 2b 4 1 1 0; Stevie Van Schaick c 3 0 0 0; Tina Coffman ss 2 1 1 2; Rachael Alligood p 3 0 1 0; Renee Kimble cr 0 0 0 0; Courtney Tenaglia rf 3 0 0 0; Tiffany Koenig 1b 3 0 0 0; Nichole King 3b 3 0 2 0; Kate Barrington dp 3 0 0 0; Felicia McCreery lf 3 0 0 0. TOTALS 27 2 5 2.
Abington 100 002 0-3
Truman 200 000 0-2
E-Truman 1, Abington 2. DP-Truman 1. LOB-Abington 1, Truman 5. HR-Tina Coffman. SB-Gregorio 3, Gordon. SAC-Gordon.
IP H R ER BB SO
Abington
Wendell (W) 7 5 2 2 1 8
Truman
Alligood (L) 7 4 3 2 1 8
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