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MARTINSBURG -- After committing a first-inning error that helped give Richland an early 1-0 lead in Monday's District 6 Class 3A quarterfinals, Central's Maddie Daugherty led off the bottom of the third looking for a little redemption.
And she got it, blasting a home run over the centerfield fence to put the top-seeded Lady Dragons up 2-1.
"To come back and hit that one after the error felt good. It kind of got us going," Daugherty said.
Her teammates took it from there. Lacey Lynn's performance on the mound and at the plate helped the Lady Dragons oust Richland, 11-4 and advance to play Bald Eagle Area Thursday in the semifinals. BEA moved on with a 2-1, 10-inning win over Central Cambria Monday.
The hard-throwing junior struck out nine and drove in four runs, going 3-for-3 with a double and a home run. Bralyn Ellis had three hits as well and knocked in three.
"Lacey's stepped up a lot this year," Daugherty said. "She helps our team out tremendously whether its on the mound or up to bat. We wouldn't be where we are without her. We love her."
With one run already home in the top of the first, Richland had the bases loaded with one out before Lynn fanned the next two batters to limit the damage.
"My nerves were through the roof, but then they were gone once I got through that first inning," she said.
It was an early turning point in the game, Richland coach John Ahlborn said.
"We had some momentum going in the first inning for sure. We just couldn't put a barrel on the ball. We've gotta be able to put a ball in play somehow and score some more runs," he said. "Lacey's a good pitcher. We were able to do some good things against her, but it's gotta be consistent inning through inning."
Central (19-2) grabbed a 4-1 lead with two more runs following Daugherty's dinger. After Maya Hazenstab walked and Madison Kennedy reached on an error, Lynn doubled Hazenstab home. Ellis followed with an infield single to score Kennedy.
After the Lady Dragons tacked on another run in the fourth, Richland (10-6) plated a pair in the fifth to make it a 5-3 game. Central got those two runs back almost immediately when Lynn blasted a 2-run homer to put the Lady Dragons up four once again.
Central tacked on four more runs in the sixth inning to seal the win.
Less than two weeks ago, the Lady Rams handed Central one of just two losses on the season with a walk-off victory at their place.
"Before the game we talked about it and said this was not only a playoff game but a bit of a revenge game as well. There was some extra motivation there," Central coach Johnathan Burket said. "They have a good team. We knew they could stay with us. Our bats had to get hot. They did, and we came out on top."
RICHLAND (4): Henry lf 411, Wenderoth ss 421, A. Burke c 413, S. Burke 3b 201, Yost pr 000, Loman cf 401, Matejovich 2b 400, Mizla 1b 200, Meadow ph 100, Wadsworth p 300, Kaufman rf 200, I. Burke 100. Totals - 31 4 7.
CENTRAL (11): Black cf 401, Hazenstab 2b 321, Kennedy 3b 331, Lynn p 333, Ellis c 413, Stock rf 402, Rhodes dp 400, Dodson lf 200, Renner ph 100, Daugherty 211, Kensinger pr 010, Hoyt ss/flex 000. Totals - 30 11 12.
Score by innings
Richland……………100 020 1 -- 4 7 3
Central……………….013 124 X -- 11 12 3
E--A. Burke, S. Burke, Wadsworth, Daugherty, Hazenstab, Ellis. 2B--A. Burke, Lynn, Ellis. HR--Daugherty, Lynn. RBI--Roman, Daugherty, Lynn 4, Ellis 3. WP--Lynn. LP--Wadsworth. SO--Wadsworth 4, Lynn 9. BB--Wadsworth 3, Lynn 2.
Records: Richland (10-6); Central (19-2).