ST. MARYS, Pa. – After Redbank Valley’s epic rally in the District 9 Class 1A quarterfinals, Elk County Catholic didn’t blink.
Trailing 8-7 going into the bottom of the seventh, it was ECC’s turn to rally, with Gabby Weisner delivering the walk-off RBI single to lift the third-seeded Crusaders to a 9-8 win over the No. 6 Bulldogs.
“It felt amazing, especially after the hits that I’ve had previously where I wasn’t getting on base,” Weisner said. “It felt good to get that one pitch that looked good enough that I could hit.”
See Weisner’s full interview:
Ellie Barron hit a bloop single to start the inning and Tessa Fledderman walked. Caitly Vollmer followed with an RBI single to tie the game and Reagan Bauer was intentionally walked to set up a force at any base.
Mackenzie Foringer got Lucy Klawuhn to pop out before Weisner delivered the walk-off winner.
“Going into this, I told the team not to take them lightly,” said ECC coach Eric Weisner. “They’re a solid team. But the girls didn’t quit. The nice thing about our team is that were battle-tested. They’ve gone toe to toe with DuBois Central, St. Marys Area, we play Otto, Johnsonburg. So the girls are used to having to fight back here and there. It was a great team win.”
Emily Mourer got the first two outs in the seventh and it looked like ECC was going to be able to close it out without much drama, but Redbank had other ideas.
Taylor Ripple and Quinn White had back-to-back singles to start the rally and Payton Polka reached on an error. Bella Orr followed and ripped a 2-run single to center and Kiana Schimp singled to center, loading the bases again.
Sami Bowser followed and hit a ball down the right field line that cleared the bases, tying the game at 7-7. Alara Altobelli followed with a sharp single and remarkably, Redbank Valley was in the lead.
“This team has been doing it all season,” said Redbank Valley coach Lee Miller. “I don’t know how many comeback wins we’ve had. They never quit fighting. We have a couple of seniors, but for the most part, we’re young, and I’m just very proud of them.”
It was a game that Elk was in complete command of early.
Lydia Anderson had an RBI double and Mourer an RBI single in the first and Klawuhn belted a 2-out, 2-run homer in the second. In the third, it was Ellie Barron knocking in another run with an RBI single.
An RBI groundout from Bowser and a sac fly from Altobelli got the Bulldogs on the board in the fourth, but ECC responded with single runs in the fourth and the fifth on an Anderson sac fly and a Tessa Fledderman bunt that Syd Alexander scored from second on after the initial throw went to first.
Mourer got the win, allowing eight runs (two earned) in seven innings on 12 hits, striking out seven and walking two.
Klawuhn was 2-for-3 for ECC with two RBIs and two runs, while Vollmer led the way with three hits and Anderon, Mourer, and Barron had two hits each.
Foringer took the loss, allowing nine runs on 13 hits in 6 ⅓ innings, striking out two and walking five.
Orr finished 4-for-4, while Bowser had four total RBIs and Alotbelli and White had two hits each.
Up next is a date with No. 2 seed Otto-Eldred in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Pitt-Bradford. The two teams met in the postseason a year ago, a 7-3 ECC win. They met most recently just two weeks ago, a 6-2 ECC win.
“We know them, they know us,” Eric Weisner said. “I’m expecting a good game. They have a good pitcher, good catcher, and are solid defensively.”
FOREST AREA 7, A-C VALLEY/UNION 0
WEST FREEDOM, Pa. – Izzy Flick tossed a 1-hitter to lead fifth-seeded Forest Area to a 7-0 win over fourth-seeded A-C Valley/Union at West Freedom.
Flick walked three and struck out seven.
She helped herself on offense going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
Faith Dietrich hit a home run and a double for the Fires while going 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored, Anna Stitt drove in a pair of runs while going 1-for-4 with a run scored, Brooke Felleti was 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored, and Alexa Carll was 2-fro-4 with an RBI.
Maddy DeHart had the lone hit for A-C Valley/Union.
Mackenzie Parks took the loss going seven innings allowing seven runs, four earned, on 13 hits and a walk while striking out three.
Forest Area will take on top-seeded DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals Wednesday. It is a rematch of last year’s District 9 title game won by DCC. The game will be at 4 p.m. at Clarion-Limestone.
CLASS 2A
CRANBERRY 18, KEYSTONE 2, 4 INNINGS
SENECA, Pa. – Keelie Schneider and Kendel Findlay each hit two home runs, as third-seeded Cranberry rolled past sixth-seeded Keystone, 18-2, in four innings in the District 9 Class 2A quarterfinals at Cranberry.
Schneider was 3-for-4 while also adding a double. She scored twice and drove in six.
Findlay was 3-for-3 with a walk, four runs scored, and four RBIs.
Jadyn Shumaker also had three hits for the Berries while going 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two runs scored, and two RBIs, Alexis Reisinger was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Denali Wenner was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
That was more than enough support for Reyna Watson who went four innings allowing two earned runs on two hits, four walks, and a hit batter while striking out eight.
Leax Exley accounted for both of Keystone’s runs going 1-for-2 with a home run, a run scored, and two RBIs. Natalie Bowser, who walked twice, scored the other run.
Exley took the loss going 3 ⅓ innings allowing 18 runs, 17 earned, on 17 hits and four walks while striking out four.
Cranberry will take on second-seeded Moniteau, 10-0, five-inning winner over Brookville, in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Keystone.
JOHNSONBURG 7, (5) KARNS CITY 3
JOHNSONBURG, Pa. – A six-run sixth inning lifted fourth-seeded Johnsonburg to a 7-3 win over visiting and fifth-seeded Karns City.
The Ramettes trailed 3-1 going to the bottom of the sixth before using a couple of Lady Gremlin errors to get within one. Then, with the bases loaded and no one out, Jenna Kasmierski delivered a two-run single to centet to put Johnsonburg in the lead. 4-3.
Kasmierski was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs for the defending champions, while Jayden Garnder drove in two going 1-for-4 and Natalie Dunworth scored twice while going 1-for-3 wit ha triple, a walk, and an RBI.
Lyrik Reed was 3-for-4 for Karns City with Nicole Taylor going 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Jess Dunn going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Julia Jones got the win going seven innings allowing three unearned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven.
Reed took the loss in relief of Addison Burrows. She went one innings allowing four runs, two earned, on two hits and three walks while striking out two. Burrows pitched five-plus innings allowing three runs, two earned on seven htis and four walks while striking out four.
Johnsonburg will face top-seeded Curwensville at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Brockway.
MONITEAU 10, BROOKVILLE 0, 5 INNINGS
WEST SUNBURY, Pa. — Emma Covert tossed a four-hit shutout and helped lead her team’s 14-hit attack with three singles in Moniteau’s 10-0 win in five innings over Brookville in the District 9 Class 2A quarterfinals.
In the circle, Covert struck out three and walked two. At the plate, she singled and scored in the first inning and singled in two runs in the second inning that saw Moniteau lead 7-0 after the second inning.
Lily Staab ripped a two-run homer in a three-run first inning. Emily Staab doubled and scored on Brianna Rottman’s two-out single in the third inning.
Rottman finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Emily Staab had two hits and scored three runs. Lily Staab had two hits as well as Ashley Huffman whose double keyed a two-run bottom of the fifth that ended the game when Rottman singled in Emily Staab.
Cadence Suhan doubled off the left-field foul pole while Kerstyn Davie, Aubre Able and Elisabeth Delancey hit singles for the Lady Raiders, who finished 7-11. Alyssa Tollini took the loss, giving up 14 hits while striking out one and walking none. Eight of Moniteau’s 10 runs were earned.
Moniteau (11-9) meets Cranberry in Wednesday’s semifinals at 4 p.m. at Keystone.
CLASS 5A SUBREGIONAL
DUBOIS 17, BRASHEAR 1, 3 INNINGS
DUBOIS, Pa. – Gabby Gulvas drove in five runs to help DuBois to a 17-1, three-inning win over Brashear in the District 6-8-9 Class 5A subregional at Heindl Field in DuBois.
Gulvas was 20fir03 with a home run and two runs scored.
Haley Reed also hit a home run for the Lady Beavers while going 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored.
Teagan Runyon added three RBIs for DuBois going 1-for-2 with a triple and two runs scored, and Lynx Lander was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored,
Emma Delp got the win going three innings llowing one earned run on a hit while striking out six.
DuBois will take on the District 6 champion, either Central Mountain or Hollidaysburg, in the subregional championship May 30 at a District 6 site. The Central Mountain/Hollidaysburg game is May 24 at Saint Francis.
