{"id":25823,"date":"2025-05-01T09:01:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/?p=25823"},"modified":"2025-05-01T12:44:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T16:44:54","slug":"patriots-score-statement-win-with-wake-up-call-against-south-adams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/01\/patriots-score-statement-win-with-wake-up-call-against-south-adams\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots score statement win with “wake-up call” against South Adams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DEAN JACKSON <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WZBD.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MONROEVILLE\u2014 Heritage softball needed more than a fresh start. They needed a wake-up call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Abriyah James begins her head-first slide into home plate to score the go-ahead run Tuesday to beat #5-ranked South Adams. (Photo by Dean Jackson)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Four straight losses, including a frustrating 9-2 defeat to Bishop Dwenger Monday, had left the Patriots searching for answers. Effort was lacking, energy drained\u2014something had to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coach Amanda Minchski held a frank team meeting before Tuesday\u2019s crucial game against South Adams. It wasn\u2019t a pep talk, but a call to accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Danica Fuller steals second base during Tuesday’s win over South Adams. (Photo by Joni Bollenbacher)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were deeply disappointed with our recent effort,\u201d Minchski stated bluntly. Her message was clear: this wasn\u2019t just about fixing errors; it was about taking personal responsibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Proud to sponsor Heritage Athletics on WZBD.com!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She urged her players to find their competitive spirit again. She wanted them to push through tough times and show they were tougher than the tough week indicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe stressed fierce competition in every situation,\u201d Minchski explained. \u201cWhen we compete with that intensity, we have a real chance to win.\u201d Her urgency was palpable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minchski jokingly called it a \u201cCome to Jesus moment.\u201d It might not have been a joke, but the message hit home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sydney Martin fields a bunt attempt and prepares to make the throw to first. (Photo by Dean Jackson)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, the Patriots (9-4, 1-0 ACAC) showed a visible transformation against South Adams (9-2, 1-1). It became a tense duel, packed with defensive highlights and near misses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the sixth inning, tied 2-2, Heritage seized their opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abriyah James stole second and raced to third on a wild pitch. Then, off a sharp fly by Lucy Buuck, James raced home for a go-ahead run on the sacrifice fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Adams coach Jesse O\u2019Dell praised Heritage but lamented his team\u2019s mistakes. \u201cWe handed them that one,\u201d he said. \u201cCrucial errors cost us. \u201cWe made crucial errors \u2014both mental and physical\u2014and they seized every opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those errors\u2014a miscue, a missed chance\u2014proved decisive. In a one-run game they were amplified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James had two hits, a key stolen base, and scored the winning run. Lucy Buuck added two vital hits, including a powerful triple, and drove in a run. Danica Fuller pitched a complete game, allowing just one earned run on four hits over seven innings, striking out seven and walking only one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bekah Patterson celebrates at third base with coach Jessie O’Dell. (Photo by Joni Bollenbacher)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For South Adams, Bekah Patterson had two hits and an RBI. Addie Baker pitched six strong innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, and striking out eight without issuing a walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Adams scored first in the second. Patterson bunted, and a Heritage error allowed Reece Beitler to score, 1-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heritage tied it in the fourth. A catcher’s mistake let Avi Washington reach third, and then score. South Adams led 2-1 in the fifth after a Patterson single and a Heritage outfield error brought in Lindsay LeFever. But Heritage quickly responded; Buuck tripled, driving in Hadlee Shipp for a 2-2 tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was the intense game we expected,\u201d Minchski said. \u201cWe made one more critical play than South Adams.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Proud to sponsor coverage of Heritage athletics on WZBD.com! Check us out for all your custom woodworking needs!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Dell emphasized the \u201clittle things.\u201d \u201cWe didn\u2019t execute on the minor details,\u201d he said. \u201cLittle things add up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His message to the team was clear: \u201cWe can\u2019t give games away.\u201d Against strong teams, we can\u2019t hand them opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Proud to sponsor Heritage Athletics on WZBD.com!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Heritage, this win was more than a streak-snapper. It proved focused effort can shift momentum and a pivotal meeting can ignite transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Danica Fuller and the Heritage Patriots were focused for Tuesday’s win over South Adams. (Photo by Joni Bollenbacher)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heritage visits Southern Wells tomorrow; South Adams travels to Union City.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DEAN JACKSON WZBD.com MONROEVILLE\u2014 Heritage softball needed more than a fresh start. They needed a wake-up call. Four<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[15,51,40,28,26],"class_list":["post-25823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-featured","tag-heritage","tag-softball","tag-southadams","tag-sports"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/att.qWl8dGBUkrFoAsz3UQHAcZ2UvmFGvWA5G5Mz-pUTW6E.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25823"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25842,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25823\/revisions\/25842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}