May 8, 2023 4 min read

CHARLEROI – Charleroi coach Trey Tilghman said after Monday’s game that pitcher Sofia Celaschi didn’t have her best stuff.

Tilghman also revealed his star junior was under the weather.

If Celaschi was, she certainly didn’t show it in Charleroi’s 5-2 victory over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a Class 2A Section 3 softball showdown Monday.

The Cougars (9-2, 14-2) swept the season series with OLSH (10-2, 12-3). Charleroi is at Bentworth (5-5, 5-7) today to finish section play. The Cougars won the first game, 10-0, but Tilghman won’t take anything for granted.

“We know that we have to take care of business,” Tilghman said.

Celaschi allowed two runs, both unearned, on four hits in seven innings. She struck out six and walked four.

“She (Celaschi) was sick this morning and on fluids all day long, but she pitched a hell of a game,” Tilghman said.

OLSH took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when Leann Walzer and Olivia DeGiacomo scored with two outs when Lilli Wamsley attempted to bunt her way on to first base, but the throw was wide of first base.

Walzer doubled with one out and DiGiacomo walked with two down.

Charleroi didn’t let the two-run deficit affect its play as the Cougars scored two in the bottom of the second.

Riley Jones singled up the middle to lead off the inning, and with one out Maddie Lancy walked. With two down, Emma Stefanick’s base hit to right field scored Jones, and pinch-runner Emma Skobel sprinted home on Lyla Brunner’s infield single.

The Cougars stole three bases in the inning and Jones moved up to third on a wild pitch.

Charleroi took the only lead it would need in the third on four singles but used its speed to manufacture the three runs.

Rece Eddy reached on an infield single, and McKenna DeUnger singled to right field before Eddy scored on Jones’ base hit to center field for a 3-2 advantage. DeUnger and Jones moved up one base on the throw to the plate.

DeUnger scored on Celaschi’s sacrifice fly to right field, and Jones advanced to third on the play before scoring when Avery Pendo reached on an error.

“We put the ball in play and stole some bases,” Tilghman said. “We are going to try and get in a rundown if they throw to second base when we have runners on first and third.

“How many teams are going to throw to second? Not many. We aren’t going to throw to second. We had a lot of base hits, and the girls did really well on the basepaths. We had a couple of hard shots, but their pitcher robbed us a couple of times. When we have Sofia pitching, we will take five runs every day.”

The Chargers were able to get baserunners in three of the last four innings, including two in the seventh, but couldn’t break through against Celaschi and the Cougars.

“The whole difference in the game is that they had the timely hits, and we didn’t,” OLSH coach David Quinn said. “We had a great regular season. Of course, we wanted to win today’s game, but we’ve made the playoffs seven straight years, and each year we’ve progressed in the WPIAL playoffs.”

Walzer singled in the fourth. The freshman had half of OLSH’s hits.

“She (Walzer) has come along this year and done a great job,” Quinn said.

Tilghman is eager for the playoffs, and confident that his team can matchup with any team in Class 2A when Celaschi is on her game. The WPIAL playoff pairings will be revealed May 11.

“I am confident that our girls can play with anybody,” Tilghman said.