JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
UPDATE: Donegal will take on Palisades on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Lyons Field in Fleetwood. Palisades’ pitcher tossed a perfect game in the Pirates’ state opener.
I had the dream assignment on Monday — go to Spring-Ford High School in Royersford for the Donegal girls’ softball game against St. Basil Academy in the first round of the PIAA playoffs. Did I mention that Spring-Ford is the next school district over from our house, and it’s like a 15-minute drive to the school? Yeah, that was pretty sweet for me — and for Donegal, which topped SBA 3-2 and advanced to the state quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Pequea Valley (the only other L-L League team that made States), dropped its first-round game to Loyalsock, which improved to (gulp) 25-0. Here’s my story from Tuesday’s New Era:
ROYERSFORD – Their teammates call them “The Jackrabbits.”
And Monday afternoon, Donegal’s Katie Robinson and Laura Gebhart ran roughshod over St. Basil Academy.
Robinson, who bats eighth in the Indians’ lineup, walked, was hit by a pitch, swiped two bases and scored two runs, and Gebhart, Donegal’s No. 9 hitter, had an RBI single and an RBI ground out, leading the Indians to a 3-2 win over SBA in the first round of the PIAA Triple-A girls’ softball playoffs at Spring-Ford High School.
Donegal is the final Lancaster-Lebanon League team standing.
Pequea Valley, the District 3 Double-A runner, dropped a 2-1 decision to District 4 champ Loyalsock in another first-round game Monday.
Donegal (22-4) is now one step closer to reclaiming the state championship the Indians won in 2006. Up next for Donegal is a PIAA quarterfinal game against District 11 champ Palisades – which routed District 12 champ Philadelphia Creative and Performing Arts 10-0 in the first round – on Thursday at a site and time to be announced.
Robinson, Donegal’s designated hitter, and Gebhart, the Indians’ left fielder, were in the middle of all the action on Monday.
In the top of the third, Robinson coaxed a one-out walk off SBA ace righty Erin Gallagher, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Gebhart’s single to right plated Robinson and it was 1-0.
Donegal, the District 3 runner-up, went ahead 3-0 with a two-spot in the fifth. Kelsey Hannold lined a one-out single, and pinch-runner Olivia Lehman moved up to second and third on consecutive wild pitches by Gallagher, a St. Joe’s University recruit and owner of a wicked rise ball.
Robinson was then plunked by a pitch, and she stole second. Lehman came in to score on another wild pitch, and Gebhart’s grounder to first scored Robinson, who beat the throw home after Gebhart was tagged out.
Donegal, the L-L League Section 3 champ, swiped four bases and feasted on four wild pitches and a passed ball against SBA, the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies runner-up.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to get it done, and today that was just getting on base and getting over,” Robinson said. “We wanted to score first and get the upper hand, and my job is getting on base and getting the top of the order up.”
With the bottom of the lineup coming through in the clutch, the Indians put on a clinic on manufacturing runs.
“Opportunistic,” Donegal coach Tom Hartman said. “You have to scratch and claw and do the little things that help you win games – big games like this one.”
Meanwhile, Donegal ace Abby Hoover sailed through the first five innings before SBA (20-3) finally mounted a rally. With two outs in the sixth, Amanda Bachmann singled and scored when Gallagher roped a double to left-center and it was 3-1.
Mary Kate Gallagher’s RBI single made it 3-2, but that’s the closest SBA, the District 1 champ, would get, as Hoover, who scattered five hits, fanned three and walked one, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh and Donegal advanced.
“Feels great to win and advance,” Gebhart said. “The main thing for us was staying patient and trying to hit the ball and to just get on base.”
Donegal’s “Jackrabbits” did not disappoint in that department. As a result, the Indians are still in line to capture state gold for the second time in three years.
Also Monday:
Loyalsock 2, Pequea Valley 1
At Elm Park in Williamsport, Loyalsock ace Porshia Wilson was as-advertised, striking out 10 and scattering six hits as the Lancers eliminated the Braves and improved to 25-0 overall.
It was the first state-playoff game for Pequea Valley, the L-L League Section 4 champ, which finished its season 19-5 overall.
Loyalsock took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a bases loaded walk, before Pequea Valley knotted the game at 1 in the fifth when pinch-hitter Danielle Harsh singled in Shelby Sullivan, who reached on an infield hit.
Loyalsock took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth when the Lancers loaded the bases with no outs, and Alexa Maddy’s sacrifice fly made it 2-1.
Pequea Valley ace Jess High struck out four but also walked four for the Braves.
