PHILIPSBURG - Chelsea Rex hit a three-run home run and pitched six shutout innings, and Aisha Goss added a three-run shot to lead the Philipsburg-Osceola softball team to a 10-0 win over visiting Southern Huntingdon Monday at Curtis Park.
The District 6 Class AA quarterfinal lasted just six innings due to the 10-run rule.
Rex slammed her three-run blast in the third inning, giving P-O a 6-0 lead at the time, which was more than enough run support as she handcuffed the Lady Rockets from start to finish.
The senior right-hander allowed just three hits in her six innings of work and allowed only one base runner to advance past first base. That was Southern's Kayla Wright, who hit a one-out double in the top of the first inning.
After Wright's double, Rex retired seven batters in a row including six straight strikeouts. She finished the game with 10 strikeouts and didn't walk a batter.
"That's probably the best she's thrown [this year]," P-O coach Jim Gonder said. "She was keeping her pitches down and mixing it up. I thought she did a nice job."
"She had a really good riseball and our girls couldn't stay off of it," Southern Huntingdon coach Terry Lesley said.
Goss gave the Lady Mounties a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second, slamming a pitch from Wright over the left-field fence after a Lady Rocket error and a Macy Harpster base hit set the table for P-O.
The longball was the second hit of the game for P-O, which ended the contest with 13 off two Lady Rocket pitchers.
"She kick-started us a little bit," Gonder said of Goss. "We got a break. They had an error that inning, and we took advantage of it. And then the kids relaxed. I thought we hit the ball well today."
Every P-O starter in the lineup had at least one hit, with Mackenzie Wilson's 3-for-4 day leading the way. Kate Burge added two hits, including a run-scoring single in the sixth that invoked the 10-run rule.
"We just didn't hit the ball. And they hit the ball really well off both my pitchers," Lesley said.
Rex's homer in the third scored Amanda Arnold and Wilson, who walked and singled in front of her. Rex added a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, giving her four RBIs in the game and 33 for the season.
Arnold added an RBI-double in the fourth.
With the win, P-O improved to 19-1, The Lady Mounties play host to Ligonier Valley, which defeated Bald Eagle Area, 4-1, in another D-6 quarterfinal.
"A good way to start the playoffs," Gonder said. "We know it's just one step in the process. Hopefully we'll play well on Thursday too. Big game on Thursday. Ligonier Valley is real good. They're the real deal."
The Lady Rockets finished the season with a record of 15-5.
"Of course I'm not happy with the score, getting 10-runned," Terry said. "But I am very proud of my girls. Last year, we were 5-13. We lost two girls, so this is basically the same team that came back this year. So as far as we went this year, I am very proud of how we played.
Southern Huntingdon (0): Callahan cf 301, K. Wright p 201, Brodbeck p 000, Kern ph 100, Garlock c 300, Leonard 3b 200, Bair lf 200, Flick 1b 200, Jenkins ss 200, D. Wright rf 201, Schmidt 2b 200. Totals -21-0-3.
Philipsburg-Osceola (10): Gonder c 321, Arnold 1b 321, Wilson ss 413, Rex p 311, Burge 3b 422, Harpster cf 311, Knepp lf 201, Wisor lf 101, Goss 311, Carpin rf 201, Miller rf 100, Myers (flex) 2b 000. Totals- 29-10-13.
Score by innings
So. Huntingdon000 000- 0 3 2
Phil.-Osceola034 201-10 13 0
E-Jenkins, Garlock. LOB-Southern Huntingdon 3, Philipsburg-Osceola 5. 2B-K. Wright; Arnold, Knepp. RBI-Arnold, Burge. Goss 3, Rex 4. HR-Goss, Rex. SF-Rex. SB-Carpin, Wilson. CS-Carpin. WP-K. Wright. PB-Garlock.
PITCHING
Southern Huntingdon: K. Wright-3 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO; Brodbeck-2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.
Philipsburg-Osceola: Rex-6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO.
WP-Rex (11-0). LP-K. Wright.
