Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Claysburg catcher McKenna Black secures a pop up against Meyersdale on Monday.

CLAYSBURG — Ask any teacher or professor, and they will tell you that if you fail to learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it and whatever lesson that went unnoticed.

But not the Claysburg-Kimmel softball team.

Earlier this season, the Lady Bulldogs defeated Meyersdale, 19-4, on March 30. So when the PIAA Class 1A brackets came out last week, C-K was set to open at home against … you guessed it … Meyersdale.

“You always do,” C-K coach Mike Barbarini replied when asked about worrying about his team against a foe it won easily over. “We faced Mount Union (this year) and beat them 18-1 up there, then they came here later and beat us 1-0. There was that aspect, but losing put a fear into our girls and made them realize they had to continue scoring (in this game).”

Lesson learned because the Lady Bulldogs, the District 6 champion, jumped out to a 3-1 lead and then put away a pesky Red Raiders squad, 9-4, to move on to Thursday’s quarterfinal action against Holy Cross.

Meyersdale, the District 5 No. 2 team, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Karleigh Beal singled and wound up scoring on a Keira Eberly double. In fact, Meyersdale had two on with one out when C-K starter Isabella Paris struck out the next two batters to end the frame.

“We just figured … 1-0 … we are going to have to score a run, and we did score 19 on them the first time, so we figured we could score,” Barbarini said. “Their pitcher came into the zone, and when she did, we got hits.”

McKenna Black singled and Paris walked to put two runners on in the first, but with two outs, Aleah Rightenour smacked a towering home run to left field for a 3-1 lead.

“We have had an up and down season,” Meyersdale coach Jessica Deakins said. “We have had times where we play high on emotion, but watching us grow and develop, I think we were more controlled today.”

Both Paris and Eberly were tough on the mound for the next three innings. Eberly faced just 10 batters in that span, striking out three and walking just one. Paris faced 11 batters, striking out three and walking one.

“She had an effective changeup that she was throwing, but then she stopped throwing it,” Barbarini said of the sophomore Eberly. “I don’t know why. Maybe it was because I kept saying to sit on the changeup.”

Claysburg went up 5-1 with two in the bottom of the fifth. Savanna Crissman doubled and scored on a Paris single. Courtesy runner Kaitlyn Mortimore wound up scoring on a Meyersdale error.

“They started to put some hits together late. Their lineup is stout and we knew that. We have a great deal of respect for them,” Deakins said.

Meyersdale cut it to 5-2 with a run in the top of the fifth when Eberly, who finished with three doubles, doubled and scored on C-K’s only error of the game. However, Claysburg really opened the floodgates with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a two-run double from Zailee Bush and an RBI single from Payton Hinish,who bats eighth. Bush bats ninth.

“Our 1-9 hitters have all contributed at times in big games this season,” Barbarini said. “I expect as much from the bottom of the lineup as we do from the top.”

Meyersdale didn’t go without a fight. The Lady Red Raiders plated two in the top of the sevenrth when Eberly doubled home Karleigh and Abigail Beal to make it 9-4. However, Paris got Isabella Sleasman to pop up to second for the final out to end the game.

“We started out with a bang, and sort of held for a few innings, then added a few runs when we needed them, and now we are off to the second round,” Barbarini said.

Game notes: Black finished with three hits for C-K. … The Lady Bulldogs played Holy Cross last year in the state playoffs and won, 5-4, in the second round. … Paris, a sophomore, finished with seven strikeouts and only two walks. … Thursday’s game will be held at a neutral site.

MEYERSDALE (4): K. Beal c 421, A. Beal rf 411, Eberly p 413, Sleasman 3b 301, Donaldson cf 300, Berkley ss 301, Hobbs 2b 30, Deal dp 20, Moore 1b 00, donica ph 100, Hainsworth lf 100, Reese ph 101. Totals — 29-4-8.

CLAYSBURG-KIMMEL (9): Crissman 2b 11, Black c 403, Sanchez cr 000, Paris p 311, Swindell ss 300, Rightenour 3b 221, Harclerode cf 311, Musselman dp 200, Francona lf 000, Hinish 1b 201, Mortimore cr 030, Bush rf 311. Totals — 26-9-9.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Meyersdale 100 001 2 — 4 8 2

Claysburg-Kimmel 300 024 X — 9 9 1

E–Sleasma, Moore, Hinish. 2B–Crissman, Bush, Eberly 3. HR–Rightenour. RBI–Paris, Rightenour 3, Bush 2, Hinis, Eberly 3. WP–Paris. LP–Eberly. SO–Eberly 4, Paris 7. BB–Eberly 3, Paris 2.

Records: Meyersdale (15-7), Claysburg-Kimmel (20-4).