Jun 6, 2016 4 min read

STATE COLLEGE – One big inning was too much for a young Chartiers-Houston High School girls softball team to overcome against a playoff-tested Conemaugh Valley squad Monday at Beard Field on the Penn State University campus.

Conemaugh Valley sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third, produced nine hits and scored nine runs in the inning. The outburst keyed the undefeated Blue Jays’ 12-7 victory over the scrappy, all-underclassmen Buccaneers.

“Our kids fought hard until the end,” Chartiers-Houston coach Tricia Alderson said after the WPIAL Class A runner-up Bucs finished 14-9. “It was just too little, too late. The nine-spot they had in the one inning is hard to recover from against a good team.

“We were telling them to keep battling. We made the pitching change (from starter Kaitlyn Dittrich to reliever Jaylese Lombardi during the third-inning rally) and I think that threw them off a little bit. They’re a good-hitting team. I can see why they went pretty far last year.”

District 6 champion Conemaugh Valley will take a 21-0 record into Thursday’s quarterfinal round against District 9 champion DuBois Central Catholic. Last year, Conemaugh Valley advanced to the state championship game and finished as the PIAA runner-up.

“The experience really comes to help because we know what to expect,” said Conemaugh Valley pitcher Melanie Lint, who scattered nine hits while also striking out nine Bucs. “We always feed off of each other. We keep going and pushing. We don’t want to be the third out.”

That was evident in the third inning when the Blue Jays built a 9-3 advantage.

Brooke McCleester and Kara Pisczek each had two hits and scored two runs in the inning. Lint singled and scored, and later in the inning smacked a two-run triple to right.

Tessa Gunby had a two-run double. Cara Cekada and MaKenzie Stiffler each singled in runs during the rally.

“It was really great,” said Brooke McCleester, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored for the Blue Jays. “Usually, when one of us hits, it’s contagious.”

Chartiers-Houston had taken a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second as Kasey Scears walked, moved up on Jaylese Lombardi’s sacrifice bunt and scored after a passed ball and wild pitch.

Conemaugh Valley quickly answered. Lexi Novak led off the second with a solid single to right and scored on Gunby’s triple to the wall in center field. Gunby made it 2-1 by scoring on Cekada’s grounder fielder’s choice.

Chartiers-Houston plated three in the third after infield hits by Jessica Ford and Macie Kesneck and a throwing error on Brittany Blumen’s bunt.

Chartiers-Houston had four hits and four runs in the fifth to close within 11-7. Kaitlyn Dittrich, Kayla Alderson, Scears and Lombardi each drove in runs, with Alderson on a double. The Blue Jays got one back in the fifth.

“We knew (Lint) was going to be a good pitcher and we needed to put our bats on the ball because she would provide the power,” Alderson said. “I was happy with a lot of our at-bats. I just would have liked to have seen the run total for them to be down a little bit.”

Alderson hopes the playoff run will pay dividends later. Chartiers-Houston started four juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen, including the flex/designated player.

“We don’t have any seniors on our roster,” Alderson said. “Everyone comes back. We do move up to Double-A next year, which will be a challenge. They got some really good experience this year making it as far as we did in the playoffs. We’re proud of the team.”