Photo for the Mirror by Zak Lantz Juniata Valley’s Gracey Smith swings at a pitch that wound up being an RBI double in the eighth inning.

DUBOIS — After trailing by three runs early in the contest, the Juniata Valley softball team roared back to tie its PIAA Class 1A first-round game against DuBois Central Catholic on Monday, forcing extra innings, then took the lead in the top of the eighth.

DCC completed the back-and-forth game with a pair of runs in the home half of the eighth, though, to secure a 5-4 victory and advance to Thursday’s second round, and eliminate the Lady Hornets in the process.

“I credit the girls for not giving up throughout the game, being down 3-0 until the sixth,” JV coach Robbie Hall said. “They kept working and adjusting in the box until they could get a good bat on the ball.”

After ceding the game’s first two runs in the bottom of the third, then a third in the home half of the fifth, the Hornets scored three in the home half of the sixth to even the score.

Those runs came in quick fashion, too, as No. 2 hitter Braelyn Hall singled to lead off the inning, and Kelsey Ersek followed by walking. Gracey Smith plated them both with a one-out double to left-center, and Klohie Brown tied it up with a double of her own to deep left field.

“We pushed three runs across in that inning to tie it up. Gave us new life then, got the go ahead run in the eighth,” Hall said. “We just couldn’t hold onto the lead, but they played a heck of game and left it all on the field.”

Neither team scored again until the extra frame, where both ended up tallying runs. JV’s was first, and it happened in an unconventional way.

Ersek led off the inning, and although she struck out, the ball got away from catcher Virginia Myers, and Ersek was able to dive safely into first just ahead of Myers’ throw to the base. Two hitters later, Smith made that hurt, as she ripped a double into right-center to plate Ersek and pick up her third RBI of the game, putting her team ahead 4-3.

DCC answered in the home half, though, after Ellie Gow walked to open the inning. Kylee Kulbatsky doubled down the third-base line to bring her home, and after a one-out single by Lily Sachs and a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning, Reese Pfingstler walked it off for DCC by rolling a single through the left side of the infield, bringing Sachs around to score for a 5-4 win.

Hall and Bethany Devore split pitching duties for JV. Hall worked the first two and the final 3ª and allowed three earned runs on 10 hits, while Devore pitched the remaining two and allowed two unearned runs on three hits.

Smith set the pace at the plate with her two doubles and three RBIs, followed by Hall with a double and a single. Brown added the RBI two-base hit, and Riley Mease had the final hit.

The Hornets closed the season on a strong run, rattling off five wins in a row coming into the District 6 championship game against Claysburg-Kimmel last week. After falling 5-0 in that contest and 5-4 in Monday’s finale, the team finished up at 13-7.

“The seniors mean a lot to this program and will be missed,” Coach Hall said. “They were leaders that lead by example. It’s a good group that I have had the privilege of coaching since junior high.”

JUNIATA VALLEY (4): B. Devore dp-p 300, Hall p-dp 412, Ersek ss 220, Smith 1b 4000, G. Smith 3b 412, Brown cf 401, Mease c 401, Harman lf 300, J. Devore 2b 300. Totals 31-4-6.

DuBOIS CC (5): Sachs ss 524, Davidson cf 511, Pfingstler 2b 501, R. Kulbatsky p 311, Mauthe 3b 402, Myers c 401, Ellie Gow 1b 311, Kylee Kulbatsky dp 402, Green lf 400. Totals 37-5-13.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Juniata Valley 000 003 01 — 4 6 2

DuBois CC 002 010 02 — 5 13 1

2B: Hall, Brown, G. Smith (2), Sachs, Mauthe, K. Kulbatsky. RBI: G. Smith 3, Brown, Pfingstler, Kulbatsky, Myers, K. Kubatsky. SF: R. Kulbatsky. Sac: Ersek. SB: Hall. LOB: JV 6, DCC 11

PITCHING

Juniata Valley: Hall 5 2/3 IP, 3R, 3ER, 10H, 1BB, 5K; Devore 2 IP, 2R, 0ER, 3H, 0BB, 0K.

DuBois CC: R. Kulbatsky 8IP, 4R, 3ER, 6H, 2BB, 10K.