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BELLEFONTE -- It's agonizing to hold an opposing team hitless and scoreless into the final inning and lose.
It's even tougher when it happens just one strike away from victory.
That was the fate that befell Hollidaysburg in its District 6 Class 5A semifinal softball playoff game with Bellefonte Thursday afternoon at the O'Malley Fields complex behind the Bellefonte Middle School.
Hollidaysburg was on the cusp of winning and advancing to next week's district championship game before a scrappy Bellefonte team put together a last-ditch rally and scratched out two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and win, 2-1.
The victory earns second-seeded Bellefonte (12-6) a berth in next Wednesday's District 6 Class 5A championship game against top-seeded Central Mountain at Saint Francis University.
Third-seeded Hollidaysburg closed its season with a 9-11 record.
"These two teams played great softball today -- you can't ask for a more exciting playoff game,'' Hollidaysburg coach Heather Perry said. "It was such a great matchup and such high-level competition.''
The only thing missing for Hollidaysburg was a victory, but Bellefonte regrouped in time to make sure that didn't happen.
Hollidaysburg junior pitcher Olivia Vincent and sophomore reliever Maria Malone had teamed to hold Bellefonte hitless and scoreless until the seventh inning, when the Lady Raiders rallied.
Vincent pitched 4ª innings, striking out five batters and walking just one. Malone came on in relief in the fifth inning and worked a solid two innings, striking out three.
Junior shortstop Madison Melius hit a two-out, two-strike game-tying single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh inning for Bellefonte's first hit of the game, and senior second baseman Tori Reichert followed with a game-winning single up the middle for Bellefonte, which beat Central Mountain in the District 6 Class 5A championship game a year ago.
"I told the players in that last inning that I just trusted them,'' Bellefonte coach Travis Foster said. "Just because we didn't really hit the ball well up to that point didn't matter to me. I trusted the players we had coming to bat in that last inning.
"The Melius hit was probably the biggest at-bat of the year,'' Foster added. "She just stayed focused, and the moment wasn't too big for her. And for Tori to be our only senior and get the game-winning hit in what could have been the last at-bat of her career, I couldn't have written a better script. I'm super proud of her.''
Sophomore Madison Ripka started the Bellefonte seventh by drawing a walk off Malone, and Sadie Ripka entered the game as a courtesy runner for Madison Ripka.
After Malone struck out Haylie Rimmey, sophomore catcher Grace Novitsky put down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled, allowing Novitsky to reach third base and Sadie Ripka to advance to third.
After Novitsky stole second base, Maria Cotter's line drive to the mound was snared by Malone for the second out of the inning.
Melius then worked a two-strike count and fought off several pitches before bouncing a single into center field to score Sadie Ripka with the tying run.
"I knew that I had to be clutch there,'' Melius said. "It just kept going through my head that I wanted to get the tying run in to score.''
Novitsky advanced to third on the Melius single, and scored the game-winning run on Reichert's single.
"I was just doing it for my team,'' Reichert said. "That was what I was focused on -- winning it for us.''
Vincent wasn't on any type of pitch count for Hollidaysburg when she left the mound with two outs in the fifth inning. Perry said that she just didn't want the potent Bellefonte lineup seeing the same pitcher three times through the order.
"Bellefonte is a very disciplined hitting team, and we wanted to mix things up against them,'' Perry said.
Bellefonte sophomore pitcher Carley Clarkson threw a complete game, allowing Hollidaysburg only three singles -- two by sophomore catcher Sydney Shay -- and just one run in seven innings, while striking out five and walking only one.
Hollidaysburg took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth when freshman designated hitter Alexis Peacock walked, moved to second on junior leftfielder Olivia Knab's excellent bunt, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on sophomore shortstop Brianna Dawson's two-out single to left.
Hollidaysburg's future looks bright, with all of this year's starters returning next year.
"I'm really excited about that,'' Perry said. "This is a great group of girls, and the most fun team that I've ever coached.''
HOLLIDAYSBURG (1): Dawson ss 301, Vincent p-3b 300, Shay c 302, Morris cr 000, Steiner 2b 300, Musselman 1b 300, Malone 3b-p 200, Peacock dh 210, Knab lf 200, Alexy rf 200, Neeley cf 000. Totals - 23-1-3.
BELLEFONTE (2): Melius ss 301, Reichert 3b 401, Manning cr 000, Barnhart 3b 300, Brown 1b 200, Shawley dh 300, M. Ripka lf 200, S. Ripka cr 010, Rimmey cf 300, Novitsky c 211, Cotter rf 300, Clarkson p 000. Totals - 25-2-2.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Hollidaysburg 000 010 0--1-3-4
Bellefonte 000 000 2--2-2-1
RBI--Dawson, Melius, Reichert. SB--Melius, Novitsky. SAC--Knab, Novitsky. LOB--Bellefonte 7, Hollidaysburg 4. HBP--Malone (by Clarkson).
PITCHING
Hollidaysburg: Vincent 4ª IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 5SO; Malone (L) 2IP, 2H, 2R, 0ER, 2BB, 3SO.
Bellefonte: Clarkson (W) 7IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 5SO.
WP--Clarkson.
Records: Hollidaysburg (9-11); Bellefonte (12-6).
Umpires: Pete Levan (plate); Eric Bernier (1b); Alex Culp (3b).