But following Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to Southern Huntingdon, the Lady Bulldogs are just 4-4 in the eight games since. Wednesday’s loss also means Claysburg-Kimmel will miss the ICC playoffs after the Lady Rockets clinched a spot at C-K’s expense.

The Lady Bulldogs nearly pulled off a great comeback after allowing the first six runs of the game. They got the tying run as far as third base in the final inning but a strange play led to the runner being stranded there.

“Just to come back tonight after being down 6-0 and for us to fight back like that, but still fall a little short,” Claysburg-Kimmel coach Mike Barbarini said. “We just seem to make one mental error somewhere along the line.”

Claysburg entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing 6-5 after a three-run home run by Harlee Harclerode and a solo shot by Jaylee Swindell had brought the Lady Bulldogs back within striking distance.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Southern Huntingdon courtesy runner Gracie Gantt steals second base by Claysburg-Kimmel shortstop Jaylee Swindell.

Isabella Paris led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single and stole second base. Swindell drew a walk on a wild pitch, and Paris went to third — however Swindell was called out on the play after rounding first.

“Once you touch the bag and the pitcher has the ball in the circle and you stop, the next movement that you make is the way you have to go unless the pitcher makes a play on you,” Barbarini said. “Jaylee jumped toward second base and then went back to first base after she had stopped. She rounded first and stopped, and our coach told her to go and she took two steps toward second and went back. Their girl didn’t make a play on her, so in that case, she’s out.”

Southern Huntingdon pitcher Ella Young, who also homered in the game, struck out the next two Claysburg-Kimmel batters to strand Paris at third and seal the 6-5 win.

“Our girls were hungry. They really wanted this game,” Southern Huntingdon coach Terri Lessley said. “We haven’t beaten them for about seven games. We haven’t been to the ICC playoffs for a couple years. It’s exciting.”

The Lady Rockets were coming off a 7-3 loss to Claysburg-Kimmel at home on Monday and a 4-3 setback to Huntingdon on Tuesday.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Claysburg-Kimmel third baseman Aleah Rightenour handles a bunt single from Southern Huntingdon's Chelsea Deller.

Young pitched all 14 innings in those two losses and threw another complete game on Wednesday, and Lessley thought Claysburg-Kimmel’s comeback was aided by some fatigue from her star pitcher and a ball hit by McKenna Black off her leg that started a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth inning.

“It might be pitching three days in a row,” Lessley said. “Especially after she got hit. That slowed her down.”

Swindell homered in the bottom of the fifth to pull C-K within one, but if not for a great play by Southern Huntingdon third baseman Lydia Dell on a rocket hit by Paris and a great throw for an out one batter before, the game would have been tied.

“They made a great play,” Barbarini said. “They are a good team that always seems to play us tough. We beat them 7-3 down there, and I was hoping Isabella could make it through tonight, but they were just on her from the start.”

Paris started for Claysburg-Kimmel and allowed five of the six runs before coming out with no outs in the top of the third inning.

“A little tired,” Barbarini said. “Her ball was staying a little flat. She has an Achilles problem that she’s working through, but she pitched seven innings Monday, seven innings last night and we tried to go with her to start tonight.”

Launa Musselman came on in relief and allowed just one unearned run over the final five innings to give C-K an opportunity.

“Launa stepped in and did a great job holding them there and gave us a chance to come back and have a chance to win at the end,” Barbarini said.

The Lady Bulldogs will close out the regular season today at Northern Bedford before beginning the District 6 playoffs. C-K is currently ranked No. 2 in the district behind Conemaugh Valley.

SOUTHERN HUNTINGDON (6): Smith 2b 421, Deller rf 502, E. Young p 311, Varner c 301, Dell 3b 312, Semple dp 400, Young cf 411, Oswald ss 401, Traxler lf 401, Hoffman 1b 000. Totals — 34-6-10.

CLAYSBURG-KIMMEL (5): Crissman 2b 300, Black c 411, Paris p-lf 412, Swindell ss 323, Alea. Rightenour 3b 401, Harclerode cf 411, Hinish 1b 201, Mortimore pr 000, Musselman dp-p 201, Francona lf-3b 200. Totals — 28-5-10.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Southern Huntingdon 114 000 0–6 10 0

Claysburg-Kimmel 000 410 0–5 10 4

E–Francona, Alea. Rightenour, Swindell, Crissman. 2B–Dell. HR–Harclerode, Swindell, Smith, E. Young. RBI–Smith, Young, Young, Oswald, Harclerode 3, Swindell 2. WP–E. Young. LP–Paris. SO–E. Young 5, Paris 4, Mussselman 6. BB–E. Young 4, Paris 2, Musselman 2.

Records: Southern Huntingdon (14-4); Claysburg-Kimmel (15-4).