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Big 6th lifts Glendale

FLINTON — Glendale’s odds to win its District 6 Class A semifinal against Conemaugh Valley seemed pretty long going into the bottom of the sixth inning on Thursday evening.

The top-seeded Lady Vikings had trailed the whole game, and the fourth-seeded Blue Jays had just lengthened their lead to five with three runs in the top of sixth.

But the Glendale offense took off like the jets that flew overhead late in the game.

Sparked by freshman Kyla Campbell’s two-run home run, the Lady Vikings erupted for eight runs and eight hits, sending 13 batters to the plate in the inning, and rallied to beat the Blue Jays, 11-8, and preserve a gutsy pitching effort by injured senior Lexi Mulhollen.

“I feel like that’s a win you get once in a lifetime,” interim Glendale head coach Beth Campbell said. “I think we put the pitching on our senior’s shoulders, and she said I’m not done playing. And the rest of the team rallied around to one base at a time, and we got the runs we needed.”

“I love all of my girls,” said senior catcher Brooke Smeal, who went 3-for-4. “I’m just so happy. We all pitched in today, and it’s great. Once we caught on, we all did well. We had to do it against Bellwood one time, and we knew we had it in us. We just had to do it.”

The win advanced the Lady Vikings (20-3) into the District 6 championship game, where they’ll play third-seeded Claysburg-Kimmel in an all-area matchup at 2:30 p.m. next Thursday at Saint Francis University. C-K pounded second-seeded Portage, 20-4, in six innings in the other semifinal.

While the eight-run outburst was surprising, Mulhollen’s relief pitching performance might have been just as jaw-dropping considering her circumstances.

After CV tagged starter Campbell for four runs in the first two innings, Mulhollen, who was the starter for much of the season before breaking her index finger, took over in the second.

Despite pitching with a splint on her finger, Mulhollen, who had been throwing in practice but didn’t expect to pitch Thursday, gave up only five hits and four runs the rest of the way.

“Oh, she did amazing,” Smeal said. “Having a broken finger, it’s amazing. The power and strength that she has to come in and pitch … I don’t have that ability. I wouldn’t be able to.”

Mulhollen said she wasn’t able to use the finger to grip the softball.

“I couldn’t throw some of my pitches,” Mulhollen said, “but the one thing worked.”

Campbell and Mulhollen had to deal with a dangerous duo at the top of the CV lineup.

Leadoff hitter and starting pitcher Kasey McClain went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double and three RBIs. Glendale chose to intentionally walk McClain in the sixth, and No. 2 hitter Tessa Gunby responded with a three-run home run to left field to give the Blue Jays an 8-3 lead.

The first of two Glendale homers came in the fifth from an unlikely source. Chloe McElheny pinch-hit in the inning and hit a two-run homer to draw her team to within two, 5-3.

“I kind of coach with gut feelings,” Campbell said, “and I had a feeling she was going to make something happen. She has a home run swing, and when she connects it’s going, and she did.”

Glendale was again without head coach Phillip Barroner, who missed his third straight game for unspecified reasons.

The bottom of the sixth began with an error, and Brooke Smeal followed with a run-scoring double. Campbell then smacked a two-run homer over the right-field fence, and right fielder Mikayla Burke tumbled over the netted fence.

“She was pretty discouraged after getting pulled (as pitcher),” Campbell said. “We told her you just have to play the game now, and I’m really proud of the way she stepped up and played the game.”

Later, with two outs, Glendale’s first four hitters — Mulhollen, Liv Reese, Alaney Vereshack and Lilley Vereshack — all delivered hits and chased home three runs. Alaney Vereshack, who went 3-for-4, swatted a two-run single to tie the game, 8-8, and Lilley Vereshack’s RBI single gave Glendale the lead for good.

Another run scored on an error, and Campbell drove in another run with a single to left.

The Lady Blue Jays went quietly in the seventh, but Glendale’s celebration after Mulhollen induced a ground ball out for the last out wasn’t quiet.

“It’s all heart. Everything was heart,” Mulhollen said. “We’ve come back in a lot of games this year, and it’s because of heart. We really wanted it.”

Conemaugh Valley (8): McClain p-lf 343, T. Gunby 2b 422, A. Gunby ss 401, Hamilton 3b 300, Ribblet 1b 400, Richards cf 301, Burke rf 401, Ferg c 301, Angus cr 010, Shiffler lf-p 210. Totals: 30-8-9.

Glendale (11): Mulhollen 3b-p 411, Reese 2b 412, A. Vereshack ss 423, L. Vereshack cf 421, Smeal c 403, Spanik cr 010, Campbell p-3b 412, Noel lf 421, Lukehart rf 300, B. Vereshack 1b 200, McElheny ph 111. Totals: 34-11-14.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Conemaugh Valley 220 103 0– 8 9 3

Glendale 000 128 x–11 14 0

E–T. Gunby, A. Gunby, Hamilton. 2B–McClain, T. Gunby, A. Gunby, Ferg; Smeal. HR–McClain 2, T. Gunby; Campbell, McElheny. RBIs–T. Gunby 4, McClain 3; Campbell 3, A. Vereshack 2, Smeal 2, McElheny 2, L. Vereshack. DP–Conemaugh Valley. LOB–Conemaugh Valley 5, Glendale 5.

PITCHING

Conemaugh Valley: McClain (L)–5 2/3 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO; Shiffler–1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.

Glendale: Campbell–1 IP (pitched to 2 batters in 2nd), 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO; Mulhollen (W)–6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.

Records: Conemaugh Valley (11-5), Glendale (20-3).

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