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Lady Mounties punch ticket to title game

PHILIPSBURG – It might have felt good at the time, but in the long run, the worst thing Mark Zimmerman’s Ligonier Valley softball team could have done was give Philipsburg-Osceola a wakeup call once it had tied the score at 2-2.

Because the Lady Mounties responded with a four-run rally that gave them a 6-2 victory over the Lady Rams in a District 6 Class AA semifinal game Thursday. P-O moved on to take on Bald Eagle Area, an 8-5 winner over Central, in the district title game at Penn State’s Beard Field Wednesday.

P-O started the game with a solo run in the first inning on a single by Haylee Hayward, who stole second and scored on a single by Chelsey Henry.

The Lady Mounties tacked on a run in the third when Maggie Peck smacked a one-out single, stole second and scored on Hayward’s sacrifice fly to right.

But in the top of the fourth, the Lady Rams knotted the score as the P-O defense committed a pair of errors.

Sara Klinchock started the inning with a single to center and Karie Kuhn’s bunt single put runners on first and second. A double steal put runners at second and third. Klinchock scored on a dropped popup behind short and when Kailee Lear’s grounder was booted Lindsey Stormer scored the tying run.

That got P-O’s attention.

In the bottom of the fourth Henry started the inning with a double to right-center and scored on a single by Kam Harris, who stole second, took third on Jayde Burge’s infield out and scored on a single by Madison Lucas. Then the Lady Rams’ defense began leaking oil as it committed three errors that allowed a pair of insurance runs to score.

“Sometimes when you throw rocks at a hornet’s nest the hornets come out,” Zimmerman said. “When you give a team like that extra outs it comes back to bite you. We booted a couple of balls we shouldn’t have. We knew they were a good hitting team, a good offensive team, and this is a tough place to play. But I was happy with our effort.”

Hayward, Harris and Henry each had a pair of hits in the game. Henry’s double was the only extra base hit in the game.

“Every year we always have a scare and that was our scare this year,” said Henry of Ligonier Valley’s rally. “It was a wakeup call for us. It showed us we’re not unbeatable.”

The win helped erase a bad memory for P-O coach Jim Gonder.

“Last year we left this field not feeling good at all,” he said of last year’s 11-10 heartbreaking loss to Central in the semifinals. “That ate at me for a year. The thing is, now that they take two (to the PIAA playoffs) these semifinal games are big for everyone. “I thought Kam (Harris) pitched an excellent game. In the fifth inning we asked her if she wanted to finish the game and she said she did. She was sharp in the last three innings.”

Philipsburg-Osceola improved to 20-2. The Lady Mounties face Bald Eagle Area on Wednesday at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park at a time to be determined.

Ligonier Valley (2): Petrof p 401, C. Cmar rf 300, Turcheck cf 200, Klinchock lf 311, Kuhn ss 311, A. Cmar 3b 300, L. Stormer c 311, Tuk 1b 100, Lear ph 200, Caldwell pr 000, K. Stormer dh 200, Lynn 2b 100. Totals: 28-2-5.

Philipsburg-Osceola (6): Peck 1b 411, Thal c 300, Hayward 3b 312, Henry lf 312, Harris p 312, Burge dp 300, Lucas rf 311, Kost rf 000, Carns cf 310, Thompson ss 201. Totals: 27-6-9.

SCORE?BY?INNINGS

Ligonier Valley000 200 0 – 2 5 4

Philipsburg-Osceola101 400 x – 6 9 2

E-Kuhn 2, Petrof 2, Thompson 2; 2B-Henry; RBI-Hayward, Henry, Harris, Lucas. SF-Hayward; SAC-Thompson; SB-Peck 2, Hayward, Kost.

Pitching

Ligonier Valley: Petrof-6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 SO.

Philipsburg-Osceola: Harris-7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO.

WP-Harris. LP-Petrof.

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