Villa Maria, Harbor Creek win tense District 10 softball semifinal games
Hayley Dever was looking for any kind of contact to put the pressure on the General McLane defense.
With the winning run standing on third base in the bottom of the seventh inning, Dever focused on making contact.
“I just had to put the ball in play somewhere because I knew Madison (Giambrone) was going to score if I did,” Dever said.
Dever ripped a groundball to second base and the Lancers threw to first base for the second out of the inning as Giambrone slid home for the walk-off run in a 3-2 Villa Maria win in the District 10 Class 4A softball semifinals on Thursday at Penn State Behrend.
Villa Maria (16-3) moves on to the D-10 championship against Franklin in a rematch from last year. Villa and Franklin will meet Monday at 10 a.m. at Penn State Behrend.Thursday's win means Villa will play at least one PIAA playoff game on June 6. It also means the softball team will be the last sports team to ever wear the Villa Maria uniform before the athletic department combines with Cathedral Prep in the fall.
“We always rally around each other, and this is a family-oriented team,” Dever said. “We have a lot of unfinished business from last year, and being the last team for Villa Maria, we want to take this championship home for our girls.”
GAME STATS: Villa Maria vs. General McLane
The Victors overcame some adversity during the game.
“There were high emotions everywhere, but we relaxed and trusted our defense,” said Villa catcher AB Cipalla. “We can't always rely on hitting every game and we played great defense.”
Cipalla was involved with a scary moment during the game when McLane tied the score.
Villa led 2-0 after scoring on an Emily Dudenhoeffer single and a passed ball early in the game. In the top of the fifth inning, Bella Dibble singled and Catrina Miller reached on an error with two outs. Bailey Cannon then blasted a double to centerfield.
Megan Kelly came up firing to the plate and as Cipalla, a the catcher, went to field the throw, Dibble collided with her at full speed. Both players went down as interference was called. Cipalla jumped up to get the ball in the backstop, but Miller scored before Cipalla could get back to the plate.
“The throw was coming home and I never saw the runner,” Cipalla said. “It's one of those crazy fluke plays where you go down and two runners score but nothing you can do about it. I'm just so proud of my girls as they rallied around me after the play.”
Cipalla was shaken up and collapsed to the ground again, and time was called while she was attended to by the athletic trainer.
After about one minute, Dibble was able to get to her feet to shake off the collision. Cipalla needed a few minutes, but after getting some water and taking some time to collect herself, she grabbed her catcher's gear and stayed in the game.
“After that happened we talked about playing for each other and pulling out this game,” said Villa coach Bri Curtis. “There's no other kid like AB. She's a leader and just an absolute stud. I knew she wasn't coming out of this game. Someone would have had to drag her by her feet to get her off this field.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning, freshman Addie Biel hammered a double to centerfield to start the inning. Giambrone came in to run for her and went to third on a passed ball. With one out, Dever's grounder to second was enough for the walk-off win.
Villa pitcher Jenna Wagner tossed a four-hitter, allowing no earned runs while striking out five and walking none.
General McLane concluded the season at 10-7.
Harbor Creek 8, Sharon 6
At Penn State Behrend, the Huskies held off a furious Tiger rally in the final two innings to win a District 10 Class 3A semifinal on Thursday.
Harbor Creek (17-4) will take on Corry for the D-10 Class 3A title on Monday at noon at Penn State Behrend.Sharon ended its first season above .500 since 2007 at 12-10.
“The seventh inning was stressful, and when we had a meeting, we talked about composure. We've talked about it all season and going down to Tennessee earlier this year and being in tough situations helped,” said Harbor Creek coach Tim Caputo. “We talked about resiliency and staying positive. Sharon is a well-coached team, but these girls have been playing together for years. They could have easily folded up but they hung tough.”
Wednesday's recap:Seneca holds on for another dramatic victory in District 10 Class 2A softball playoffs
The Huskies were rolling early on as Seton Hall recruit Reagan Rand singled in a run and scored on a Rylee Vogt single in the first inning. Harbor Creek added a two-out run on an error in the second inning before a five-run rally in the third. Baileigh Bleil singled home one run before Madison Mikotowicz doubled off the wall to drive in three runs. Mikotowicz then scored on a Maura Benim base hit to give the Huskies an 8-0 lead.
Alayna Mosbacher was dominating in the circle as she was racking up strikeouts before Sharon made its run late in the game. The Tigers scored three times in the sixth inning as Dalaini Bayer singled in one run and Kurtasia Chester brought in two with a hit before Sharon committed a baserunning mistake to end the rally.
In the top of the seventh inning, Claire Bodien doubled in two runs with two ours before Ella Brown singled in another to cut the lead to 8-6. Mosbacher settled down to get her 11th strikeout to end the game.
“It was very nerve-racking but having a lot of our fans here pushed me to get it done and my teammates supporting me as well,” Mosbacher said. “I'm really happy how things turned out and I'm ready for the championship on Monday.”
“My heart was beating pretty fast but at the same time I was calm because we had two outs and I trusted my team that we would finish the game,” Rand said. “I'm super excited. I've been wanting to play for a D-10 championship since seventh grade, and it's a dream come true.”
McDowell 9, Allderdice 0
At Pittsburgh, freshman Gabby DeLuca struck out 16 in a three-hit shutout as the Trojans won a PIAA Class 6A softball subregional on Thursday at Lederman Park.
McDowell (7-14) moves on to another PIAA subregional next week as the Trojans host Mifflin County at a site to be determined on Wednesday.
Gracie Miller led McDowell with three hits, including a home run, to go with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hilary Sissem drove in two runs on two hits and DeLuca drove in two runs as well.
Corry 8, Jamestown 3
At Meadville, Haylee Dyne was solid in the circle for a complete-game win and she hit a two-run home run to lead the Beavers to a Class 3A semifinal win over the defending D-10 champions on Thursday at Allegheny College.
Corry (10-9) will compete for a D-10 championship against Harbor Creek on Monday at noon at Penn State Behrend.
Jamestown closed the season at 13-6.
Corry jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on the Dyne home run before tacking on a run in the second inning, two in the third and another run in the fourth.
Dyne finished with two hits and three RBIs, while Lexi Frisina had three hits, Alyssa Burlew drove in two runs and Alli Goodwill, Kayla Hayes and Kendyell Chamberlin had two hits apiece.
Dyne struck out seven and allowed just two earned runs in seven innings.
Franklin 10, Conneaut 2
At Meadville, Trinity Edge belted a home run and earned the win in the circle during a D-10 Class 4A semifinal win at Allegheny College.
Franklin (19-2) will look to defend its D-10 title in a rematch against Villa Maria when they meet Monday at 10 a.m. at Penn State Behrend.
Conneaut closed the season at 14-5.
Edge finished with three hits and struck out six in seven innings. Sydni Hoober, Gabriella Laderer, Brandy Atwell and Autumn Fitzgerald drove in two runs apiece.
Class 2A title game
The District 10 Class 2A softball championship matching Seneca against Reynolds will take place Monday at 2 p.m. at Penn State Behrend.
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Villa Maria, Harbor Creek win tense District 10 softball semifinals
