Jun 6, 2024 By Jonathan Guth 4 min read

BERLIN – Carys McConnell didn’t want Ali Jacobs to have all the fun.

Jacobs hit a three-run home run in the first inning and knocked in two more runs before McConnell hit a two-run homer in the seventh that provided Carmichaels with two insurance runs on its way to an 8-1 victory over Claysburg-Kimmel Thursday in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class A softball championships at Berlin Brothersvalley High School.

The Mikes (17-3) are headed to the state semifinals for the first time since 1999, when assistant coach Nikki (Gasti) Onderko was on the team pitching as a senior.

“We play in a tough section, which I believe helped prepare us for a game like this,” Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs said. “We talked a little bit about the 1999 team this week because Nikki was on that team. The girls really did a great job hitting today and putting the pressure on them.”

Onderko’s daughter, Bailey Barnyak, was the winning pitcher in Thursday’s contest.

Carmichaels faces a familiar foe in Chartiers-Houston (19-2) on Monday with a trip to Penn State University and the state final on the line. The Bucs lead the season series with the Mikes, 2-1. The site and time have yet to be determined.

“We have played 29 innings against Chartiers-Houston this year, and it is 14-14 in runs scored,” Briggs said.

Chartiers-Houston defeated Carmichaels 3-0 in the 1999 state semifinals.

The Mikes had a 5-1 lead when McConnell hit her shot to left field on a 3-2 count. Barnyak, who had walked, scored on McConnell’s blast, which came four pitches after McConnell smacked a foul ball down the left-field line that was inches from being fair.

“She was trying to throw me inside, and on that last pitch, it was an inside fastball and I just pulled it,” McConnell said.

The Warriors (23-2) were able to get Jacobs out on the next play, but Megan Voithofer walked, advanced to second on Payton Plavi’s single to center field before scoring on Avery Voithofer’s base hit to left field for an 8-1 advantage.

Plavi was thrown out on the play at third base, but the run counted, much to the chagrin of Claysburg-Kimmel coach Mike Barbarini, who was ejected while arguing the call.

“We had a good season and came here to compete, and we did, but they were just a little better than us today,” Barbarini said. “They had a little help. We had two chances with girls on second and third and couldn’t get them in.”

Jacobs’ homer came after Barnyak worked a one-out walk and McConnell hit a bloop single for a 3-0 lead before the Warriors came to bat.

“I definitely saw a couple of pitches inside, but I’m pretty sure my pitch was outside that I drove to left, and I’m pretty sure it was a fastball,” Jacobs said.

Claysburg-Kimmel had runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the first when Jenna Helsel reached on an error and moved to third on Bella Francona’s double, but Barnyak induced a popup and got out of the jam with a strikeout.

Barnyak yielded one earned run on six hits. She struck out eight and walked two.

“My rise ball was really effective, and it definitely means a lot to hold this team to one run,” Barnyak said. “They are a really good team.”

Jacobs’ fourth RBI came in the third when Barnyak scored on a groundout for a 4-0 advantage. Barnyak singled to center and advanced to third when McConnell beat out an infield single, but moved to second when an error was made at first base.

The Warriors had runners on first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the third before Barnyak buckled down and struck out the next three batters to keep the Carmichaels’ lead at 4-0.

“They have some tough hitters at the top of the lineup, so Bailey did a great job today against them,” Briggs said.

The Mikes’ extended their advantage to 5-0 in the fifth when, with two outs, McConnell drew a walk, stole second and scored on Jacobs’ base hit to center on a 1-2 count.

Claysburg-Kimmel scored in the bottom of the fifth when Zailee Bush doubled to left and scored on Helsel’s single to cut the deficit to 5-1.

The Warriors threatened with runners on second and third with one out in the sixth, but Barnyak forced a popup to McConnell at shortstop and catcher Kaitlyn Waggett caught a popup in foul territory for the final out.

“It was not just me,” Barnyak said. “My defense played very well and did their part offensively.”