Claysburg-Kimmel experienced its first PIAA playoff baseball victory in the most unlikely way after trailing by seven runs in the second inning before a rally helped the Bulldogs top Greensburg Central Catholic, 11-10, in nine innings.

Now C-K coach Kyle Glass and his team believe anything is possible.

The next step takes place in the PIAA Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday in Homer City at First Commonwealth Field when the Bulldogs take on District 9 champion Elk County Catholic at 4:30 p.m.

“We had Southern Fulton beat until the end of the game (in the regular season),” Glass said. “From that point on, we felt we could compete with anyone. We knew Greensburg was a great team coming in, but we’re at the point where it doesn’t matter what the name is on the jersey. We’re going to come out and give it 175 percent and whatever happens will happen.”

Glass credited the fan support for helping with Monday’s rally.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere,” Glass said. “There were a lot of fans there. It felt like the whole community showed up to watch the girls and transferred over into the boys game. I told the kids in the second inning when we were down 8-1 that we had the whole community behind us.”

Paul-Kenneth Strayer’s bases-loaded walk gave Claysburg-Kimmel an 11-10 win.

“It was almost a sigh of relief,” Glass said. “It was great seeing the kids get the first state playoff baseball win in school history. We just wrapped up a District 6 title, and this was another amazing milestone that these kids wanted to accomplish. It was great seeing it come together.”

Elk County Catholic defeated Serra Catholic, 4-3, in the PIAA first round.

“It seems like they don’t have a lot of guys with a lot of power,” Glass said. “But they are great at putting the ball in play and making contact. They aren’t going to kill us over the fence, but they do a great job with bat-to-ball skills. They also love to run and steal.”

ECC top pitcher Matthew Gilmore, who is 8-2 with an 0.75 ERA, threw 61 pitches over four innings against Serra Catholic and will be available. Despite going nine innings, no Claysburg-Kimmel pitcher threw over 75 pitches either, so the Bulldogs also have their entire pitching staff eligible to pitch.

Class 5A baseball

While Hollidaysburg showed complete dominance in its first-round PIAA Class 5A baseball victory, its quarterfinal opponent won despite being no-hit.

District 3 champion Lampeter-Strasburg topped Thomas Jefferson, 4-0, and benefitted from 11 walks in its first round win.

But Lampeter also no-hit TJ in a double no-hitter.

“Looking at some video and the statistics, they are a very well coached team,” Hollidaysburg coach Jon Szynal said. “They have good players. They are a good program and have been for a long time. I remember years ago when they played in the state championship at Blair County Ballpark.”

Hollidaysburg will travel to Mifflin County High School in Lewistown to play Lampeter-Strasburg at 3 p.m.

Lampeter-Strasburg has two very good pitchers. Cooper Williams threw five innings of no-hit ball in the win over Thomas Jefferson, but Brady Scranton — who is 8-0 with a 1.48 ERA and has 87 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched this season is available.

James Wall is batting .462 with 24 RBIs for Lampeter, and Cooper Hillen and Williams each have hit four home runs and are batting better than .375.

Hollidaysburg might be hitting its stride at the right time, however.

“There’s always things you would like to be better at, but we have been playing really well,” Szynal said. “The kids have bought into this. They are coachable kids who are doing what we ask them to do. Hopefully we’re peaking at the right time. I think that we are, but I know this game is going to be a really good game between two really good teams.”

Class 3A baseball

Tyrone started to turn its 2026 season around with a victory at Somerset after a 2-5 start, and the Golden Eagles will be returning there Thursday for a PIAA quarterfinal game against WPIAL runner-up South Park at noon.

“I like that we have been there, and we like that field,” Tyrone coach Kevin Soellner said. “We have played there a few times over the years. The turf probably helps both of us. I like it there, but the (noon) start, I don’t like.”

South Park will likely start Cooper Hochendoner, who pitched in the WPIAL championship game and threw five shutout innings before allowing five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning in a 5-1 loss. Hochendoner, also the team’s best hitter, pitched just one inning in relief in South Park’s opening-round 6-3 win over Bedford.

“The biggest thing is their left-handed pitcher,” Soellner said. “He’s the real deal. He’s going to Slippery Rock. He throws mid-80s with movement. I’m not really worried about that part of it other than we haven’t really seen many lefties. We saw (Coltin) Harbaugh from Central, and he really handled us pretty well.”

Soellner has options on the mound, including Jon Stroup, who started the District 6 championship game and went the distance with a 93-pitch performance last Thursday, but he will begin with an experienced senior.

“We’re going to start Brandon (McClure), because he’s the freshest guy I have got, by far,” Soellner said. “I have been having him close out the games, but our starters have done well enough that he hasn’t pitched a lot. I consider him my ace, although the other two have great stuff, he’s the most consistent and won’t walk many.”

The Golden Eagles have scored at least one run in the first inning in each of their last three games.

“(Leadoff hitter) Brayden (Parsons) has been our leader,” Soellner said. “I don’t want to jinx him, but he’s hitting the ball like crazy. Usually if he starts off the game well, everyone follows suit. You hear hitting is contagious, and there’s probably some truth to that.”

Class 1A softball

A year ago, District 2 champion Holy Cross had Claysburg-Kimmel on the ropes in the PIAA Class 1A quarterfinals with a 4-0 lead.

The Lady Bulldogs responded by tying the game and scoring a run in the top of the eighth inning to hold on in a 5-4 triumph.

The teams will meet again in the same round on Thursday in Williamsport’s Elm Park at 3 p.m., and don’t expect either to take the other lightly.

“(Nearly losing last year) will be a driving factor for us, but the driving factor for them will be revenge,” C-K coach Mike Barbarini said. “We were lucky to get out of there with a win last year coming back the way we did, and then for them, they probably feel like they let us get away with a win when they had the game in hand.”

Many of the players from that Holy Cross team — and Claysburg-Kimmel as well — are back.

Pitcher Ava Schmidt, now in her senior year, is 19-3 with a 1.37 ERA and has struck out 194 and walked just 31 batters in 128 innings pitched. Peyton Graboske, also a senior, is hitting a team-best .507 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs.

“They have a very solid hitting team from one to nine,” Barbarini said. “All their girls hit well. Their pitcher is a solid pitcher. We’re going to have to get hits to beat them. I foresee whichever team makes the least amount of mistakes will probably come away victorious on Thursday.”