Savanna Crissman fields a fly ball at 2nd base. Photo for the Mirror by Chuck Meyers

CLAYSBURG — Through the first three innings of Monday’s District 6 Class 1A softball quarterfinal, it looked as if one run was going to be enough for either Claysburg-Kimmel or Penns Manor.

The Lady Bulldogs’ Isabella Paris and the Lady Comets’ Allie Rhea were both perfect through the first nine outs.

Both pitchers lost the perfect game in the fourth inning, but the second-seeded Lady Bulldogs made all the adjustments needed the second and third time through the order.

Claysburg put across one run in the bottom of the fourth before exploding for 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 11-1 win in five innings over No. 7 Penns Manor.

“We’ve been playing that way through three-quarters of the season,” C-K coach Mike Barbarini said. “We went through a slump, and this game we started out not hitting the ball. We made her come down in the zone, and we stopped swinging at bad pitches. We hit well when we stop swinging at bad pitches.”

The win gives Claysburg another home game in the semifinals on Thursday against No. 3 Purchase Line. Purchase Line beat sixth-seeded Bishop McCort, 3-1, on Monday.

Penns Manor broke up the perfect game in the fourth inning when Kendra Pavlosky drew a one-out walk against Paris, but she was stranded at second base later in the frame. The only hit Paris allowed was a leadoff double to Sydney Luther in the top of the fifth. Luther later scored on an Alexa Rhea groundout.

“I’m proud of how we battled,” Penns Manor coach Nate Luther said. “We took them to the fifth inning tied, and the girls hung in there. Their experience probably came through there.”

Paris allowed just one earned run on one hit, walked one and struck out five in the game.

“It’s one of the better games she’s pitched all year,” Barbarini said. “She’s been solid for us all year. A one-hit, one-run game is what we need in the playoffs.”

Savanna Crissman reached on a leadoff error in the bottom of the fourth, but was erased off the basepaths when she was caught stealing.

The Lady Bulldogs still managed to get a run in the inning as McKenna Black and Jaylee Swindell both doubled, with Black’s run giving her team a 1-0 lead.

With the game tied at 1 in the bottom of the fifth, Claysburg had eight hits to get the 10 runs to force the mercy rule win.

The biggest blow came when Paris hit a bases-clearing 2-out double that turned into a Little League home run. That gave Claysburg a 6-1 lead.

“The game always hinges on a couple plays, and we made a couple errors there,” Coach Luther said. “You just can’t do that against a team like this.”

The Lady Bulldogs also had doubles from Aleah Rightenour, Harlee Harclerode, and Launa Musselman in the frame before the Lady Comets went to Macey Pegg.

Pegg only faced one batter as Payton Hinish smacked a walk-off 2-run homer to put the 10-run rule in effect.

“We adjusted to their pitching and started to get on her,” Barbarini said. “These last four games everyone’s confidence was down, and I think we found it.”

Claysburg’s semifinal with Purchase Line on Thursday will have a 4 p.m. first pitch. The other semifinal will feature top-seeded Conemaugh Valley hosting No. 4 Juniata Valley.

PENNS MANOR (1): Kuzemchak cf 200, Pavlosky 1b-ss 100, Olbert lf 200, All. Rhea p-1b 200, Luther 2b 211, Pegg ss-p 200, Ale. Rhea c 200, Cooper 3b 200, Nelson dp 100, Freeno (flex) rf 000. Totals — 16-1-1.

CLAYSBURG-KIMMEL (11): Crissman 2b 300, Black c 211, Paris p 311, Swindell ss 311, Rightenour 3b 311, Harclerode cf 322, Musselman dp 322, Hinish 1b 311, Francona lf 211, Bush (flex) rf 000. Totals — 25-11-10.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Penns Manor 000 01X X–1 1 4

Claysburg-Kimmel 000 1(10)X X–11 10 0

2B–Luther; Harclerode, Rightenour, Musselman 2, Paris, Swindell, Black. HR–Hinish. RBI–Ale, Rhea; Paris 3, Swindell, Rightenour, Harclerode, Musselman 2, Hinish 2. WP–Paris. LP–All. Rhea. SO–All. Rhea 7; Paris 5. BB–All. Rhea 1; Paris 1.

Records: Penns Manor (7-13); Claysburg-Kimmel (17-4).