Hungry for heroics
WASHINGTON — Madison Rotto was looking for an instant replay.
What she found was instant pain.
The Freeport graduate and Washington & Jefferson senior first baseman made a brilliant lunging catch in foul territory with the tying run in scoring position during the Presidents' Athletic Conference Women's Softball Tournament.
The catch preserved a 3-2 victory over Bethany and kept the Presidents alive in the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tourney.
In her team's next game against Thomas More, Rotto tried making a similar catch of a foul pop early in the contest.
“I thought I could do it all over again,” Rotto said. “This time, my face went right into the pole along the fence.
“I needed stitches above an eye. I messed up my shoulder and knee a little bit, too.”
W&J coach Nicole Vitello recalls the play well.
“It was nasty,” the coach said. “She needed seven stitches above that eye and she was sore. We didn't know if we'd get her back or not and she's one of our two seniors.”
Rotto did more than come back. She had two hits in the Presidents' 1-0 win over Geneva, a victory that forced a winner-take-all title game. Rotto delivered a two-out, two-run single in a five-run third inning of that game that helped W&J claim a 6-3 victory.
Rotto hit .461 in the tournament and the Presidents won the PAC tourney for the first time since 2006.
“Her performance after that injury shows how important softball is to Madison,” Vitello said. “We have a bunch of players who care about this sport.”Count Butler graduate Sadie Marak and Seneca Valley grad Emily Watson among them.“Seeing Madison come back like that ... It gave us all the motivation to keep going and win that tournament,” Watson said.The Presidents are 25-10 this season and face top-seeded Trine at 3:30 p.m. Friday in NCAA Division III regional play in Angola, Ind.Rotto, a pitcher-first baseman, is hitting .360 with eight doubles, two homers and 27 RBI this season. She is 7-5 on the mound with a 1.93 earned run average.Watson, a sophomore DH-pitcher, is hitting .353 with 11 doubles, a homer and 30 RBI. She is 6-2 on the mound with a 3.20 ERA.“I pitched every game in high school,” Watson said. “I like having a three-pitcher system at W&J because it keeps everybody fresh and hitters can't time you up as well.”The Presidents' other pitcher, sophomore Krista McCartney, is 12-3 and was MVP of the PAC tourney.“She had the hot arm and we rode it,” Vitello said.That suited Rotto and Watson just fine.“Playing DH gets me in the game so I can contribute in other ways,” Watson said.Rotto recalled her freshman season, when the team finished below .500 “and we weren't very good,” she said.“We got to .500 my sophomore year and made the PAC Tournament last year,” Rotto said. “We've been building success since I got here.“Kelsey (Cunningham) and I are the only two seniors still with the program and there were 12 of us when we started. We feel like we've helped transform the program,” Rotto added.Marak, a junior third baseman, has played a role in that as well.A third-year starter, she hit .296 this season and led the team with eight sacrifice hits.“Sadie has been our No. 3 hitter from the day she played her first game for us,” Vitello said.“I hit a bit of a slump this season, but I'm proud of the way my defense improved,” Marak said. “I only made two errors all year.“I've been hitting the ball hard. I just wish a few more would drop in.”Watson bats fourth in the Presidents' lineup and Rotto hits sixth. The PAC title this year was the third in the program's history.“Butler County has been pretty good to us,” Vitello said. “You can bet I'll be looking for more players from up that way.”
“Playing DH gets me in the game so I can contribute in other ways,” Watson said.Rotto recalled her freshman season, when the team finished below .500 “and we weren't very good,” she said.“We got to .500 my sophomore year and made the PAC Tournament last year,” Rotto said. “We've been building success since I got here.“Kelsey (Cunningham) and I are the only two seniors still with the program and there were 12 of us when we started. We feel like we've helped transform the program,” Rotto added.Marak, a junior third baseman, has played a role in that as well.A third-year starter, she hit .296 this season and led the team with eight sacrifice hits.“Sadie has been our No. 3 hitter from the day she played her first game for us,” Vitello said.“I hit a bit of a slump this season, but I'm proud of the way my defense improved,” Marak said. “I only made two errors all year.“I've been hitting the ball hard. I just wish a few more would drop in.”Watson bats fourth in the Presidents' lineup and Rotto hits sixth. The PAC title this year was the third in the program's history.“Butler County has been pretty good to us,” Vitello said. “You can bet I'll be looking for more players from up that way.”
