BUTLER TWP - North Allegheny coach Rich Meister was happy with the result, but not with the way the Tigers' softball team played against Butler Monday.

North Allegheny smacked 12 hits - with six going for extra bases - but needed to shut down a seventh-inning rally before holding off the Tornado 6-4.

"You're always satisfied to get a win on the road." said Meister. "I'm not greedy … but I wasn't pleased with the mental aspect of the game.

"We had the ball roll through the legs of one fielder, a ball kicked in the outfield. We weren't playing consistently and that's my fault," he added.

The Tigers broke a 2-all tie with two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh, but Butler made a final push to come back.

With a runner at second and two outs, Butler's Kara Deal singled to put runners at the corners. Heather Spangler then crushed a two-run triple to deep right field and brought the tying run to the plate.

Tigers pitcher Becca Rich, however, got Sara Hamil to ground out to end the game.

"Overall, it was a solid game from both sides," said Butler coach Tanya Schnur. "Our girls stayed in the game and were not intimidated.

"They had the long ball and we had the one from Heather," Schnur added.

The Tigers (3-2, 2-1) did hit the ball well on Monday, particularly in the later innings.

In the sixth inning, Amy Phillips had an RBI triple and Crystal Pracek an RBI double to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

In the seventh, Nicole Lenast led off with a triple and scored on a single by Rachel Songer. With two outs, Nunley had an RBI triple for a four-run NA lead.

"I told the kids in the top of the fifth inning that this was a three-inning game and we had to win two of those three to beat Butler," said Meister.

Despite the NA offensive output, Meister was impressed with Butler pitcher Megan Marra.

"The most important thing is Butler played us tough," said Meister. "That was the most intelligent game pitched against us this year.

"She moved the ball around and kept us off balance to make us look bad. She did an excellent job," he added.

In the second inning, North Allegheny used a sacrifice fly by Nunley to score the game's first run, then added another run in the third on a run-scoring single by Lenast.

With two on and just one out, Marra avoided more damage by inducing Rich to pop out and Aimee Dassner to ground out.

Butler (3-5, 0-3) tied the score in the third inning when, with Marra at second base and one out, Ali Schnur singled.

Marra was caught in a rundown between third and home, but Nunley, the Tigers third baseman, dropped the ball and Marra scored.

Deal followed with an RBI single that went through second baseman Pracek's legs.

Rich, however, got out of the inning when she struck out Spangler and Amy Ferrari between a single by Hamil.

Rich held off Butler until the seventh, but was able to give the Tigers the win.

"I'm almost glad that Butler scored," said Meister. "We're a young team. They're experienced players, but not experienced varsity players.

"We need to not beat ourselves. This was a huge game for us. We can be no worse than one game out of first. I didn't want us to be 1-2 in the section right now," he added.

Butler did rap out 10 hits and stayed with the Tigers throughout the contest.

"I told the girls to get the bat on the ball, to put it in play" said Schnur. "We had some very good hits and (Rich) got us with a few change-ups."

N. Allegheny 011 002 2 - 6 12 1

Butler 002 000 2 - 4 10 1

WP:

Becca Rich (7 IP) 6 strikeouts, 1 walk.

LP:

Megan Marra (7 IP) 1 strikeout, 2 walks

North Allegheny (3-2, 2-1):

Maddie Nestor 1B, 2B, R; Nicole Lenast 3B, 1B, RBI, R; Rachel Songer 1B, RBI; Becca Rich 1B; Dori Nunley 3B, 1B, R, 2 RBI; Amy Phillips 3B, 1B, RBI, R; Crystal Pracek 2-2B, RBI

Butler (3-5, 0-3):

Ali Schnur 1B, R; Kara Deal 3-1B, R, RBI; Heather 3B, 2 RBI; Sara Hamil 2-1B; Amy Ferrari 1B, Megan Marra 1B, 2 R

Today:

Mars at Butler