May 17, 2021 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – David Young still isn’t sure why his softball team ended up in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.

And that was after his California Trojans laid a 14-1 whipping onto Bentworth on a beautiful Monday at Waynesburg University’s softball field in a preliminary-round game.

Actually, Young, the head coach of the Trojans, has Washington High School’s softball team to thank. The Prexies were forced to forfeit all games in Section 3 of Class 2A when COVID-19 issues took hold.

The rearranged standings found Bentworth and California tied for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. The tie could not be broken because the two teams split the season series, California winning 4-3 on April 12 and Bentworth winning 20-4 three weeks later.

“We had a practice after our game on Wednesday and we had no idea if we would make it in,” Young said. “We had an intrasquad scrimmage and that was fun, and we all thought this was the end of our season. We got a phone call (from the WPIAL) and that changed our season. So we went back to work.”

And wouldn’t you know it? The Trojans came up with their best performance. Pitcher Kera Urick allowed only one run, struck out seven and walked three.

“I was shocked. I really couldn’t believe it,” Urick said of the extended season. “Since we won once against Bentworth and lost once against them, I didn’t know what to think. It was going to be tough. It was relieving when we got the lead. We knew we could use that.”

California scored two runs in the second, one in the third, fifth and six to take a 5-0 lead into the seventh. Catcher Jordan Cruse had a two-run double in the seventh for Cal.

Makayla Boda went 3-for-5 and drove in four of the nine runs in the seventh inning. And Harley Harkins hit three doubles, drove in three and scored three times.

“They earned this,” said Young. “They busted their butts all weekend. That was the best game they played all year.”

And because of it, the Trojans move on to the first round against Ligonier Valley, the top seed in the classification and arguably the best team in the state in Class 2A. That game is Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Gateway.

And for how good a game California played, the Bearcats (5-12) probably played their worst. Bentworth pitching hit seven batters and gave up seven doubles.

“It is what it is. I go where they tell me,” said Bentworth head coach Jack Kramer. “I have no control over that. It had something to do with Wash High. That’s all I can tell you.”

What bothers Kramer was that the regular-season game the Bearcats won over California was so decisive, 20 runs on a whopping 28 hits. And it all came over a span of six innings.

“You never know how the girls are going to show up,” said Kramer. “If you come out flat and the other team is up, momentum is a big thing. They played their game and we didn’t play ours. It’s as simple as that.”

For Young, this win was special. He was hired last year but lost the season to the COVID-19 pandemic. So like the sophomores on this team, he had a year taken away and is experiencing all this for the first time.

So a little thing like playing Ligonier Valley isn’t going to intimidate.

“We’re there,” said Young. “We may be playing the best team in the state. We’ll try our best. I don’t know how well we’ll do but we’re in the game.”