WINGATE — The District 6 Class 3A quarterfinal playoff game between second-seeded Bald Eagle Area and seventh-seeded Penns Valley figured to be a tight and emotional matchup of Centre County rivals.
And that’s exactly what it turned out to be in Wingate.
The white-knuckle pitching duel between Centre County’s all-time wins leader — BEA’s Sierra Albright — and Penns Valley senior star Taylor Bumgardner went scoreless for the first nine innings.
Both teams took advantage of the international rule, which inserts a runner at second base beginning in the 10th inning. Both scored single runs in the 10th to send the game to the 11th, where Penns Valley scored a run.
Then BEA tied the game and then won it in the bottom of the 11th on a Taylor Habovick two-out single to right field that scored Raelee Repasky. The Lady Eagles celebrated a 3-2 gutcheck win over Penns Valley.
“Not sure where to start — an absolutely great game,” BEA coach Don Lucas said. “Both pitchers pitched their hearts out. The game had a little bit of everything — great pitching, timely hitting, great bunting and great defensive plays on both sides. We were just fortunate to have last at bats, and our veteran players came through.
“Sierra pitched lights out, and Kailey Eckert continues to be the best catcher a pitcher has the privilege of throwing to. Taylor Bumgardner also threw very, very well.”
The win advanced BEA (17-3) into the semifinals, where it was to play sixth-seeded Marion Center at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, at home. In the other semifinal, Philipsburg-Osceola, which upset top-seeded Forest Hills, 7-4, was set to play at fourth-seeded Central Cambria on the same day. The results of those matches were unavailable at the time of The Gazette’s publishing deadline.
Albright finished the game with a three-hitter, struck out 16 and walked four (two were intentional walks of Bumgardner). Bumgardner gave up seven hits, struck out 12, walked one and hit a batter.
BEA’s Kailey Eckert had three hits, while Sydney Thompson and Alexa Baney had two hits apiece.
BEA’s best chance to score in regulation came in the fourth when it loaded the bases on an Addisyn Burns walk, an error and Casey Angelotti was hit by a pitch. But Bumgardner induced a pop-up for the third out.
Penns Valley drew first blood in the 10th on a Lilyana Treweek squeeze bunt. It looked like that run would up as Bumgardner got two outs in the bottom of the inning. But Baney singled to center field, and Habovick slid into home safely to tie the game.
In the top of the 11th, a sacrifice fly by Penns Valley’s Sydnie Dalton made the score 2-1. With runners on second and third in the bottom of the inning, Burns slid home headfirst safely on a Repasky ground ball.
Bumgardner got a pop-up and a strikeout, but Habovick laced a single through the infield and Repasky raced home with the winning run.
The Lady Eagles closed out the regular season with a 6-0 win over Mifflin County on Thursday, May 15, at home.
Albright tossed a one-hitter, struck out nine and walked none in becoming Centre County’s career record holder for softball wins with 75. Albright took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Jalee Bodtorf double broke it up.
“It was a great opportunity to play a game prior to our first playoff game,” Lucas said. “We played excellent defense and squared up on their pitcher [Piper Spect], who gave us fits with her off-speed. Sierra did a great job, and came within a batter from throwing another no hitter.”
Kailey Eckert and Repasky had two hits apiece, while Baney delivered a two-run home run in the first inning. Maelee Yoder knocked in two runs with a single in a four-run first inning.
Penns Valley (9-6) finished the regular season with a 9-1 win over Central on senior day in Spring Mills.
Bumgardner, one of three seniors recognized before the game, went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored. She fired a four-hitter, struck out 11 and walked two in the pitching circle.
Fellow senior Clara Brooks went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and three runs scored. Junior Hadley Stover went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in. Junior Elle Dinges had two hits and scored two runs.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
Philipsburg-Osceola entered the District 6 Class 3A playoffs as the lowest seed at No. 9, but the Lady Mounties knocked off eighth-seeded Huntingdon, 7-1, on Thursday, May 15, in the preliminary round before their 7-4 upset of top-seeded Forest Hills.
P-O scored two runs in the second inning and four in the third to take a commanding 6-1 lead over Forest Hills.
Alivia Bizzarri gave up six hits, struck out two and walked three, while adding a double and an RBI and a run scored offensively.
Emily Gustkey had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run from her leadoff spot. Ashlynn Havens went 2-for-3 with two runs scored from the No. 9 spot. Morgan Vaughn also doubled and drove in two runs.
P-O (13-6), set to face fourth-seeded Central Cambria on Thursday, May 22, opened the playoffs by avenging a 1-0 and 2-0 loss to the Lady Bearcats in the regular season. The results from the game were not available at the time of The Gazette’s publishing deadline.
Bizzarri, who recently committed to play for Penn College, was the star again in the pitching circle and batter’s box. She gave up eight hits, but she struck out 12, walked one and stranded 12 Huntingdon baserunners. She went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and three RBIs.
Gustkey had two hits, including a double and two runs scored. Havens had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored from the No. 9 spot. Vaughn had two hits and scored a run.
BELLEFONTE
Bellefonte finished the regular season by pounding out 15 hits in an 11-0 rout in five innings at Clearfield on Monday, May 12.
Sophomore Riley Santostefano led Bellefonte’s hitting attack by going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, three RBIs and two runs scored. Alaina Smith had two hits, including a double and two RBIs. Ragan Manning stroked two hits and knocked in two runs.
Sadie Ripka and Sloan Moore had two hits apiece and Ripka scored twice. Brooke Swanger added a double.
Freshman pitcher Adrienne Masullo tossed a two-hitter, struck out six and walked none.
The Lady Red Raiders (14-2) were to play Juniata (5-11) at 4:30 p.m. on May 22 at Mifflin County in the District 6 Class 4A title game. The results from the game were not available at the time of The Gazette’s publishing deadline.
STATE COLLEGE
After the Centre County Gazette went to press, State College played Altoona for the District 6 Class 6A title game on Tuesday, May 20, at Mount Aloysius College.
There will be more on that game in the next edition of the Gazette.
