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MIFFLINTOWN -- The District 6 Class 3A softball quarterfinals took place on Monday afternoon as Juniata got the best of Penn Cambria in six innings, 10-0, thanks in part to 17 strikeouts from Elizabeth Gaisor.
Gaisor started in the circle for the second-seeded Indians. She continued to dominate opposing lineups as she has all season, striking out the side in the top of the first inning. The Indians' ace had everything going well in the first round of the playoffs.
"Being in the playoffs, I think the best thing to do right now is to just take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time, and really just focus on what is going on and not freaking myself out," Gaisor said.
Regan Lowrey led off the game with a bang, hitting a triple to right field off Panther pitcher Madison Cavalet. She then scored on a passed ball. The next three Juniata hitters walked to load the bases for Shay Armstrong. Armstrong delivered on a single into center field, driving in two more Indians. Juniata brought all nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, scoring six runs. It was a perfect start for Erin Cressman's squad and they never looked back.
"Leads are always great. It's way easier to play ahead instead of coming from behind," Cressman said.
Patty Wagner stepped into the circle in relief for Penn Cambria, tasked with limiting the damage done by the Juniata bats. That is exactly what Wagner was able to do for her team, manufacturing three groundball outs in the bottom of the second.
The action between both teams settled down in the middle innings. Wagner and Gaisor continued to be strong in the circle, both not allowing any earned runs in the third and fourth innings for their teams. Penn Cambria earned its first base runner of the contest when Jerzy Vinglish was hit by a pitch and awarded first base. The Panthers stranded her on first base in the fourth.
A hard-hit groundball off the bat of Alexea Frontz scored teammate Cheyenne Kirk from third. Savannah Marshall then drove in two more off a single to left field, blowing the game wide open for Juniata. Penn Cambria trailed the Indians, 9-0, heading into the fifth.
"They were very patient today…we didn't know a lot about Penn Cambria, so we had to see how it went and kind of adjust as we went along. And they did a really good job. They were patient at the plate and they made the adjustments they needed to," Cressman said.
Regan Lowrey called game in the bottom of the sixth inning, launching a solo home run over the center field wall. Lowrey's big fly made it a 10-0 ballgame and ended the contest due to a mercy rule. This marks the end of the season for Penn Cambria, who finished with a 10-11 record. Juniata moves on to the semifinals and will play Central on Thursday at a time TBD.
Penn Cambria 000 000 X-- 0
Juniata 600 301 X--10
Juniata WP: Elizabeth Gaisor, CG, 2H, 0R, 2HBP, 17K.
Penn Cambria LP: Madison Cavalet.