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Altoona drops pitcher’s duel to Huskies

LEWISTOWN – The Altoona Area High School softball team’s outstanding first season under head coach Beth Campbell came to an end Wednesday afternoon when host Mifflin County prevailed in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel over the Lady Lions in a District 6-AAAA semifinal softball playoff game.

Right-hander Hannah Ruby tossed a complete-game two-hit shutout and struck out a career-high 15 batters for Mifflin County, which will advance to the District 6-9 AAAA championship game next Wednesday.

Altoona senior Alexa Young was the hard-luck losing pitcher despite allowing only five hits and one run.

“For our pitcher to do the job that she did today and for us not to be able to score a run was bad,” Campbell said. “Our pitcher did a really good job today.”

But so did Mifflin County’s Ruby.

“I was just thinking that this could have potentially been the last game of my high school season (and career),” Ruby said. “I was doing the best that I could and trying to throw as hard as I could. There is no way it was ending today.”

The Huskies will take on State College, a 13-2 winner over Central Mountain, June 1 at Penn State’s Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park in the championship game.

Ruby kept the Mountain Lions guessing all day.

“As we’re getting to the end of the season here, all of her pitches are working,” Mifflin County coach Jack McCurdy said. “When they are all working that way, you can call them all. She really kept them off-balance today.”

Campbell felt that the Lady Lions, who had been aggressive at the plate in recent weeks, were hesitant on Wednesday.

“We did not go to the plate today prepared to hit the ball,” Campbell said. “We were aggressive at the plate in the last month, but you could see a huge change in our batting approach today. Our girls were tentative, and I’m not sure why.”

Mifflin County started 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position before Caitlyn Smith delivered a two-out run-scoring triple for the only run of the game in the bottom of the third. Smith lofted a fly ball to deep left that got over the head of the left fielder Caitlyn Palazzi.

It took a little bit of pressure off the Huskies.

“I think once we got a run on the board, it put the pressure on the Altoona team a little more,” McCurdy said.

Ruby started the game with three no-hit innings that included seven strikeouts and looked as good as she has all season.

Montana Feathers broke up Ruby’s no-hitter with a single to lead off the fourth. Ruby induced a fielder’s choice and struck out two more Mountain Lions to end the inning.

Altoona finished the season with a 12-10 record.

“I honestly couldn’t be happier about the year,” Campbell said. “We improved from the beginning of the year to the end of the season. I was real happy with how the girls played.”

SCORE BY INNINGS

Altoona000 000 0-0-2-3

Mifflin County001 000 0-1-5-1

2B-Smith (MC). 3B-Smith (MC). Multiple hits-Smith 2 (MC). RBI-Smith (MC). WP-Ruby. LP-Young. SO-Ruby 15, Young 5. BB-Ruby 1, Young 1. 3B: Caitlyn Smith (MC).

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