Crushers live up to their nickname
CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Township Crushers took their nickname seriously.
The 15-under girls fastpitch softball team had two players hit nearly .700 and five others over .500 in winning the Greater Pittsburgh Girls Softball League championship this summer.
Cranberry finished 16-0 in winning the township's first GPGSL title in five years.
“Our U-10 team won the league about five years ago,” Cranberry coach Ron Wiesner said. “Some of the girls on this team may have been on that one.”
The 13-player roster this season consists primarily of girls from the Seneca Valley School District. Some of the players attend North Catholic as well.
The GPGSL usually has 15 teams. There were only eight in the circuit this summer.
“A lot of communities didn't field a team this year because of coronavirus,” Wiesner said. “The league decided not to have playoffs this year and determined the champion through regular season play.”
One of Cranberry's top players was Maddie Gross, an incoming junior at Seneca Valley who likely would have been the Raiders' starting pitcher as a sophomore this past spring. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the high school season.
Maddie and Abbie Suton are the players who hit nearly .700 for the team. She struck out 29 batters and allowed no runs in the five games she pitched.
“This summer rec season wouldn't have been any less fun if we had played in the spring,” Maddie said. “High school ball and rec ball are so different.
“In rec ball, there is no real end goal, no state championships or anything. You're just out playing ball with your friends.”
Maddie added she didn't pitch much this season despite having been on the mound on a regular basis since she was 8.
“When you're that young, everybody plays pitcher and catcher,” she said. “If you're good at it, they keep you there.
“Our team this summer, everybody played everywhere. We all kept moving around. I played some at shortstop for the first time in my life. It was fun.”
Wiesner said the key to the team's success was its depth.
“We had a great pitcher, for sure, but everybody on this team could hit,” he said. “We scored a lot of runs.”
Hitting over .500 were Bella Gross, Gab Rapport, Paige Hohman, Lizzy Wiesner and Zoey Klenoshek. Sophie Wiesner led the Crushers in home runs and Lizzy led the squad with 23 RBI.
Maddie offered another perspective.
“Most of us have been in this same rec organization for a few years now,” she said. “We're used to playing with each other. We're all friends.
“We were so relaxed on the field. I think that was a big part of it.”
Defensive stalwarts on the team were Amelia Chiamardas, Emily McCafferty and Gianna Timko. Catcher Maddie Hicks missed much of the season with a knee injury, but Sydney Blucher was called up from the 12-U Cranberry team and contributed to the team's success.
Kellie Trimble was on the team as well.
Wiesner's assistant coaches were Bill Klenoshek and Jeff McCafferty.
