PIAA SOFTBA LL SEMIFINA LS

Historical season

Saegertown’s memorable season comes to a close

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

NEW WILMINGTON — The Saegertown softball team saw its historical season come to an end on Monday at Westminster College.

The Lady Panthers lost to DuBois Central Catholic 4-0 in a PIAA Class 1A semifinal game.

Saegertown put together five excellent innings defensively, but an error in the sixth helped the Lady Cardinals put up four runs to break the tie.

DuBois Central Catholic opened the bottom of the sixth with a walk before Emma Suplizio hit an RBI single down the third baseline. Kayley Risser followed with a single to put runners in the corners with zero outs.

Savannah Morelli drilled a hard liner and reached first base on a Saegertown error. The same error allowed Suplizio and Risser to score and put Morelli on third base. Morelli came home on a Madison Hoyt bunt.

The Lady Cardinals led 4-0 after six innings.

“We just had one bad inning. Unfortunately when you play good teams like this, this far into the season, you can’t really afford to do that,” Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes said. “I can’t complain about a thing. These kids gave it everything they have and sometimes the coin flip from the start doesn’t go our way. I do think there were some calls that changed the game, but ultimately there were a couple errors on defense and we just let them hang around too long.”

Saegertown managed a hit in the top of the seventh inning but the DuBois Central Catholic defense did a good job cleaning up Lady Panthers’ grounders. “This is a heartbreaker for us. We’re a really close team. There are 12 of us and we’re a family,” Bowes said. “It’s really hard to see it come to an end, but I’m really proud of them.”

Before the big inning for DuBois Central Catholic, the game went through five scoreless innings.

In the second inning, Foyt reached first on a bunt before advancing to third base on a passed ball. Saegertown pitcher Mikaila Obenrader worked the team out of the situation with two strikeouts and a ground out. Obenrader tallied six strikeouts in the game.

“She throws well. She always does. Our game plan today was a little different because we know they’re hitters,” Bowes said. “Our game plan today was to try and keep them in the infield and make our defense work. Unfortunately they just struck luck first.”

Saegertown did have opportunities to score. Freshman Rylie Braymer reached second base in the first inning off a single and a steal.

In the top of the sixth, Braymer singled and stole second base, again. She advanced to third base on an Obenrader single, who reached second on a fielder’s decision. The Lady Panthers stranded runners on second and third, which was the team’s best chance to score all game.

Offensively, Saegertown managed seven hits. They got four off of starting pitcher Melia Mitskavich and three off of Morgan Tyler. Braymer went 3-3 at the plate. Brittany Houck, Maggie Triola, Katherine Diesing and Obenrader each got one hit.

The season is over for the Lady Panthers, but it was the best season in Saegertown softball history. It was the first state semifinal appearance in program history.

“I think that Saegertown is a very tight community. I think that school pride is very important and so are athletics. I think the school and the community were rooting for them and they had more people on their side than they knew,” Bowes said. “It was really cool to see these kids accomplish what they did.

“We had a really rocky start. We had a send off at the school today and these kids had a lot of people rooting for them. It was awesome to see that.”

Saegertown to face DuBois Central Catholic’s explosive offense in semifinals

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

The Saegertown softball team is having a historic season. The Lady Panthers are in the PIAA semifinals for the first time in program history and have a chance to make a state championship appearance.

Saegertown (16-4) will play DuBois Central Catholic (21-2) at Westminster College today at 4 p.m. The Lady Cardinals are the District 9 champions and state playoff regulars. The team has made the state semifinals in five of the past six seasons.

The Lady Cardinals beat Forest Area 10-0 in the District 9 championship game before rolling Greensburg Central Catholic 4-2 and West Greene 8-2 in the state playoffs.

The DuBois Central Catholic offense is averaging 11.7 runs per game with a team batting average of .447.

“We know DuBois Central Catholic is a strong team, but so are we. We know we’re going to have to work to keep them off the bases but we’re prepared. We know this is going to be an entirely different game than the last one we played,” Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes said. “Union

was a long ball team, DCC is a traditional get ‘em on and move ‘em over style of play. We’ve been focusing on staying sharp and building confidence.”

Leading the Lady Cardinals’ offense is Emma Suplizio with a .528 average, 36 RBIs, seven doubles and two home runs. Kali Franklin has a .513 average and a team-best 37 runs scored. Kayley Risser is hitting .457 with 26 RBIs. Jessy Frank and Lauren Davidson are each hitting .453 while Madi Hoyt is averaging .452.

In the circle, the team has turned to Melia Mitscavich. Mitscavich has started all four playoff games for Du-Bois Central Catholic and has a 1.50 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 28 innings of action. Morgan Tyler, the starter for most of the year, is 12-2 with a 3.06 ERA. Tyler has 82 strikeouts in 80 innings of work and 35 earned runs.

For Saegertown, the team is powered by sophomore pitcher Mikaila Obenrader. Obenrader has a 1.05 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 93 innings of work with 14 earned runs.

Offensively, Hailee Gregor paces the team with a .475 average. Freshman Rylie Braymer has a .465 average with 21 runs and 15 RBIs. Obenrader has five home runs on the season and a .463 average. Senior Brittany Houck has three homers and a .405 average.

“We believe a Saegertown win will be possible if we continue to play clean defense and to adjust to breaking balls at the plate,” Bowes said. “We know the pitching is going to get tougher and tougher so making adjustments throughout our at-bats is going to be key to stringing hits together and scoring runs.”

Saegertown defeated Cochranton 12-8 to win the District 10 championship. The Lady Panthers then beat Elk County Catholic 6-0 and Union 1-0 in eight innings to reach the final four.

The weight of reaching the state semifinals for the first time in program history is not lost on second-year head coach Bowes and the youthful Lady Panthers.

“The excitement level from this journey and this team’s accomplishments is just overwhelming. We’ve had some real highs and lows as we were trying to figure out our lineup

and try to build the right chemistry on the field,” Bowes said. “I’m not sure if any of us realize the magnitude of what we’re in the middle of, but we do know we’re going to continue to enjoy the ride and love every second we have left together. Our goal now is to finish it now. One game at a time.”

PIAA SOFTBA LL QUA RTERFINALS

Reliable pitching

Panthers advance to semifinals behind Obenrader’s no hitter

By Ron Poniewasz Jr.

CNHI NEWS SERVICE

SLIPPERY ROCK — Hitting wasn’t an issue for the Union High softball team this year.

But, Thursday it was. The Lady Scots had zero hits and managed just two baserunners in dropping a 1-0 eight-inning PIAA Class 1A quarterfinal- round matchup to Saegertown at Slippery Rock University’s Softball Complex.

Union (21-4) had two runners reach on walks off Lady Panthers pitcher Mikaila Obenrader, who tossed a no hitter to help the Lady Panthers advance to semifinals.

“She’s awesome. She’s right on point,” Lady Scots coach Doug Fisher said. “We couldn’t touch her. Whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it right. She’s in the top three of pitchers we’ve faced.”

Alyssa Arblaster led off the eighth with a walk. Rylie Braymer put down a sacrifice bunt to advance Arblaster to second. Rhiannon Paris followed with an RBI double to plate Arblaster with the game’s lone run. Union pitcher Mia Preuhs struck out the next two batters to escape further damage.

“We have a couple of players that play big here and Rhia is one of them,” Saegertown coach Jennifer Bowes said. “She

is just great. She always finds a way to hit timely.”

The Lady Scots scored at least six runs in all but four of their games entering Thursday’s tilt. Included in that mix was a 30-0 win over Rochester.

Overall, Obenrader struck out 12 batters.

“She threw so well,” Bowes said. “We came in here with a game plan. We knew that they were hitters. That required her to execute and hit her spots.

“She did a phenomenal job. She really helped keep them off the bases and the defense behind her was really working today.”

“I had a good curveball. My drop ball was working good. and I had that rise ball going, too,” Obenrader added. “I felt pretty good out there.

“I didn’t feel any nerves. I just try to stay confident and stay up out there. Not really have any negative thoughts.”

Union had one runner reach second base. Mallory Gorgacz led off the fifth on a walk, the Lady Scots’ first baserunner of the game. Emily Siddall grounded out to the pitcher, allowing Gorgacz to go to second on the play. However, Gorgacz rounded the bag aggressively and was caught too far off the base. Saegertown caught Siddall in a rundown and eventually threw her out at third.

Preuhs tossed all eight innings, allowing five hits and an earned run with four walks and 15 strikeouts.

“I thought Mia pitched fantastic. She held them right there,” Fisher said.

Preuhs got a double play in the fifth and later left a runner at second in that inning. She left a runner at second in the second, as well as first and second in the sixth. Each time the threat was ended on a strikeout.

“She’s huge in those kind of opportunities like that,” Fisher said of Preuhs working out of jams. “We’ve been there before, like in the West Greene game. It doesn’t seem to rattle her, ever. She’s ice cold in tough spots.

“I thought that (double play) was fantastic. We train for that all the time. We were in the right place and it fell right into place.”

This was the second appearance in the state quarterfinals for Union since 2018.

“I can take losing to a team like that. That’s a good team,” Fisher said. “It was a fantastic season. I didn’t think we would get this far, that’s for sure, because of the losses to graduation.

“I didn’t know what I was getting with the freshmen. But what I was getting was pretty good.”

The Lady Scots lose two players — Raquel Zarlingo and Siddall.

“They were great leaders. They were all-around great players,” Fisher said of Zarlingo and Siddall.

This was the fifth appearance in the state quarterfinals for Saegertown and the program’s first victory in the quarters. The Lady Panthers will face DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals on Monday at a time and place to be determined. The Lady Cardinals defeated West Greene 8-2 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Panthers look to continue dominant play against Union

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

In its first round win against Elk County Catholic on Monday, the Saegertown softball dominated in all facets of the game.

After a 6-0 win, the Lady Panthers will look to keep their momentum going today against Union in the 1A state quarterfinals at Slippery Rock University at 1 p.m.

“Our expectation is to continue to play good ball,” said Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes. “We have been executing at the plate and playing tough on defense. If we continue to play this well on both sides of the ball then we are going to be a really tough team to beat.”

The Lady Panthers will be guided by Mikaila Obenrader on both sides of the ball. In Monday’s win, Obenrader tossed a complete game shutout and fanned 15 batters while only allowing one hit. Obenrader also finished 3-3 at the plate.

Obenrader isn’t the only weapon on Saegertown’s offense. Rylie Braymer, Rhiannon Paris, Hailee Gregor and Brittany Houck are just a few players who are capable of coming up big for the Lady Panthers.

“Some keys for success are going to be developing good energy from the first pitch to the last, staying sharp on defense, and scoring early and often,” Bowes said. “We need to control the game.”

Union comes into today’s matchup with a 21-3 record after defeating Shade in the first round on Monday.

The WPIAL champions feature pitcher Mia Preuhs, who boasts a 14-1 record, 178 strikeouts to go along with a 1.82 ERA. Piper Jendrysik can also be relied upon to pitch as she’s compiled a 6-1 record with a 3.38 ERA this season.

Preuhs also leads the charge offensively as she’s recorded a .550 batting average to go along with 29 RBIs, 17 doubles and four home runs. Bella Cameron, Tori May, Raquel Zarlingo, Addie Nogay, Emily Siddall and Mallory Gorgacz can contribute offensively. Each player is hitting above .300 and has at least 10 RBIs this season.

“Union appears to be a very strong hitting team

with a strong pitcher in the circle,” Bowes said. “We hope that we continue to stay hot on offense and chip away every inning.”

The winner of today’s game will take on either West Greene or DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals on Monday.

Lady Panthers blank Crusaders in state playoff opener

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

After falling short of the state playoffs last season, the Saegertown softball team made the most of its first game in the state tournament this season.

In Monday’s first round game of the 1A state playoffs, the Lady Panthers produced enough runs and were backed by dominant pitching and fielding as they defeated Elk County Catholic at Allegheny College’s Robertson Softball Field.

“I think we did good,” said starting pitcher Mikaila Obenrader. “We had solid defense. We had good offense and they were just there when we needed them.”

The District 10 champion Lady Panthers wasted no time getting its offense going. After Obenrader struck out the side in the top of the first inning, Alyssa Arblaster got on board with a leadoff single. After Arblaster stole second, Rylie Braymer drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Then it was Rhiannon Paris who cleared the bases. After Paris made contact with the ball, an error and complacent fielding by the Lady Crusaders enabled Arblaster, Braymer and Paris to score to make it 3-0.

“(Rhiannon) has been really consistent this year,” said Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes. “She’s been really awesome at timely hitting, hitting when we need it. Just awesome to see her come through when we need it most.”

Even after Paris’ at-bat, the Lady Panthers were not done yet in the inning. After Obenrader singled, Natalie Halsey came into the game as a courtesy runner. Halsey then advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a double by Hailee Gregor.

The Lady Panthers added two more runs during the third. Brittany Houck and Obenrader opened the inning with singles to put runners at first and second with no outs. Gregor then grounded into a fielder’s choice after Houck was forced out at third and a Katherine Diesing single loaded the bases. With Maggie Triola up to bat, Halsey, who was put into the game as courtesy runner for Obenrader, scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0. Triola subsequently drove home Gregor after she advanced to third on the passed ball.

The rest of the game featured little offense as Obenrader’s pitching guided the Lady Panthers into the quarterfinal round. In a complete game shutout, Obenrader only allowed one double and four walks on 15 strikeouts against a Lady Crusaders team that finished second in District 9.

“She threw well (Monday),” Bowes said. “She always throws well. She finds a way to get it done. Just her consistency is a big key for our success.”

After Monday’s win, the Lady Panthers will move on to the quarterfinals and take on Union on Thursday at a time and place to be determined. The WPIAL champions come into Thursday’s matchup with an overall record of 21-3 after beating beating Shade 4-3 in their first round game on Monday.

Bowes admitted that her team will need to be more consistent with its offense if it wants to hang with Union. The Lady Panthers scored all six of their runs during the first three innings.

“I think we need to find a way to continue to bring the offense all game,” Bowes said. “I think we get ahead and we kind of find ourselves complacent, so if we can continue to just pour it on, even late in the game, I think we’re gonna be a really tough team to beat.”

Lady Panthers hope to ‘score early and often’ versus ECC

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

After winning the District 10 1A championship, the Saegertown softball team will begin its state playoff quest today against Elk County Catholic at Allegheny College’s Robertson Softball Field.

The Lady Panthers are 14-4 overall on the season. The Lady Panthers are led by Mikaila Obenrader, who owns a 13-4 record, 14 complete games, eight shutouts, five no-hitters, one perfect game and a 0.94 ERA. At the plate, Obenrader is batting .389 with five home runs, eight doubles and 26 RBIs.

Rylie Braymer, Rhiannon Paris, Hailee Gregor and Brittany Houck can also contribute with their bats as each player is hitting above .350 with at least 10 RBIs.

“We’re hoping that our offense can score early and often and that our defense is consistent with how we’ve been playing in big games,” Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes said. “This is a very special group of kids who have been able to work out of some really tough situations and perform under pressure.”

Elk County Catholic enters today’s matchup with a record of 16-8 after finishing second in District 9.

“Our preparation for this game includes trying to harness positive energy and confidence,” Bowes said. The winner of today’s game will take on either Union or Shade in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Have a day, Saegertown

Lady Panthers hold off Cardinals’ rally in title bout

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

ERIE — Sophomore pitcher Mikaila Obenrader tossed 15 strikeouts and weathered a vicious Cochranton rally in Monday’s District 10 Class 1A softball championship at Penn State Behrend.

Saegertown defeated Cochranton 12-8 and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard until the sixth inning.

“These kids worked so hard. I couldn’t be more proud of them coming out as hot as they did,” Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes said. “Then they maintained their composure because they really started hitting at the end. We just needed them to make a mistake and they did and we capitalized. It’s tough to stay disciplined like that.”

The Panthers started hot with nine runs in the first three innings.

Senior Brittany Houck scored Rylie Braymer on a ground out to give the Panthers the first lead of the day. Rhiannon Paris scored on a Cochranton error before Hailee Gregor nailed an RBI-double to right field. Saegertown led 3-0 after one.

The Panthers added two runs in the second inning off of another Cochranton error, one of eight on the day.

“It’s the game. When you play a good team they put pressure on you and you put pressure on yourselves,” Cochranton head coach Mark McGuire said. “Those things happen.”

Saegertown added four more in the third inning. Braymer hit an RBI-single to bring Alyssa Arblaster home. Arblaster and Braymer scored on a Paris single, who came home on a Cochranton error in the next at bat.

Defensively, the Cards struggled to get on the base paths with Obenrader on the mound. She was riding a no-hitter until the bottom of the sixth inning.

“The girl is good, there is no denying it. Shake it anyway you wanna shake it, but she’s good,” McGuire said. “We battled for a while until we finally figured it out.”

Getting things started for Cochranton was senior Jaylin McGill. She roped one to the center field wall for a triple to give the Cards a shot of life. Kaylin Rose hit an RBI-single to put the Cards on the board.

Junior Chelsey Freyermuth followed with a triple and came home on a Saegertown fielding error. Cochranton trailed 9-3 through six innings of action.

“She (Obenrader) played tough today. Things didn’t always fall her way. Balls were hit that the defense couldn’t field, but sometimes you’ll have that and she found a way to push through,” Bowes said. “That’s a really special thing when you have teams hit the ball like they did today.”

The Panthers extended their lead with three runs in the top of the seventh before Cochranton put on their rally caps.

Freyermuth doubled to deep center field to bring McGill and Rose in to score. After a Megan Heim single, Taytum Jackson hit a hard grounder to center field to bring Heim and Freyermuth home. Cochranton only trailed 12-8, but that’s where the rally fell short as Obenrader got the Panthers out of the inning without further damage.

“The win feels good,” Obenrader said. “It’s great knowing I can trust them (the defense) if they get a hit on me.”

The championship is the fifth overall for Saegertown and the first since 2018.

“We didn’t have very many girls this year and I feel like our small numbers really made us work together for a common goal, which was D-10,” Houck said. “We’ve been thinking about it all year so it feels really good that it just happened to be my last.

“I feel like if we work together, a (state) championship is the ultimate goal. I’d love to see us get there.”

Offensively, Braymer led the Panthers with three hits, four runs and three RBIs. Gregor was 2-5 with an RBI. “I hope we continue to build off of every win we get,” Bowes said. “I hope to cleanup some of the little things and we can continue to play some good ball.”

Saegertown will play Dubois Central Catholic in the first round of the PIAA playoffs on June 6.

Cochranton got multiple hits from Freyermuth and Rose while both girls and Mc-Gill each scored two runs. It was the last time the senior class of McGill, Rose, Heim, Carly Ritcher and Chloa Lippert will don the red and white for Cochranton.

“I just asked them to shed the tears tonight, but please take time to reflect in a day or two. A lot of good things happened, not just this year, but throughout their careers,” McGuire said. “I’m sure once we get past the loss they will reflect on their careers as positive.”

Panthers, Cardinals vie for district championship

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

Saegertown and Cochranton are set to meet for the third time this season today for the District 10 1A championship game at 4 p.m. at Penn State Behrend. The two teams will be battling for a spot in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.

“I expect this to be a really good game,” said Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes. “These are two very good teams who have won some really big games. We’re both going to come ready to play and with our own purpose.”

The Lady Panthers enter today’s game with a 13-4 record, which included two regular season wins against Cochranton. The Lady Panthers defeated Cambridge Springs 2-0 in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Mikaila Obenrader is a force for the Lady Panthers on both sides of the ball. On offense, Obenrader has a .389 batting average with five home runs, eight doubles and 26 RBIs. As a pitcher, Obenrader has a 13-4 record with 194 strikeouts, 14 complete games, eight shutouts, five no-hitters and one perfect game in 17 appearances.

Other players to watch out for include Rylie Braymer, Rhiannon Paris, Hailee Gregor, Brittany Houck and Katherine Diesing, who have driven 10 or more runs this season.

“We need to keep building and continuing to do all the little things right,” Bowes said. “We need to execute from the first pitch to the last — which we’ve been doing very well.”

The Lady Cardinals enter with a 12-5 record after beating West Middlesex 13-3 in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Like Saegertown, Cochranton also has many weapons on offense. Leading the way is Jaylin McGill with a .550 batting average and eight doubles, six home runs and 29 RBIs. Chelsey Freyermuth has also proven herself to be a power hitter with a .481 average and five doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 25 RBIs. Other players to watch out for include Megan Heim and Taytum Jackson, who have driven in 24 and 21 RBIs, respectively.

Jackson has also contributed on the mound this season with an 8-3 record, 55 strikeouts and a 2.13 ERA.

“My overall expectation is to win and bring home a D-10 title to Cochranton,” said Cochranton head coach Mark McGuire. “To do this we must control both sides of the ball. Saegertown is a tough team as are all teams this time of year. “We just need to play our game.”

The winner of today’s game will move on to the first round of the PIAA tournament and take on the District 9 runner up next Monday.

On to the finals

Paris’ two-run single carries Panthers past Blue Devils

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. However, the Saegertown softball team did exactly that after beating PENNCREST rival Cambridge Springs 2-0 on Wednesday at Allegheny College’s Robertson Softball Field in the District 10 1A semifinals.

The Lady Panthers earned the win thanks to a two-run single by Rhiannon Paris in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“We came,” said Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes. “We played hard. We played as a team and we never gave up.”

Besides Paris’ two-run single, the game was dominated by the two pitchers, Saegertown’s Mikaila Obenrader and Cambridge’s Hailee Rodgers.

The Lady Panthers came close to scoring before right before the fifth inning. After a leadoff single by Paris, Brittany Houck reached first after an error by Cambridge third baseman Aly Acosta-Reyes. After the error, Obenrader grounded into a fielder’s choice that put runners at the corners. Then, Natalie Halsey, who came into the game as a courtesy runner for Obenrader, stole second base to put two runners in scoring position with one out. However, Rodgers got out of the jam after striking out Hailee Gregor and Abigail Kirdahy to end the fourth.

After they failed to bring runners home the previous inning, the Lady Panthers capitalized in the fifth for the game’s only two runs. Following singles by Kylie Thompson and Alyssa Arblaster with one out, Rylie Braymer advanced the runners to second and third on a sacrifice bunt for the second out of the inning. That set up Paris, who smashed the ball to give her team a two-run lead.

“We talk all the time about timely hitting,” Bowes said. “We also talk all the time about executing our bunts. That was a really good inning for us.”

The rest of the game featured little offense as the Lady Blue Devils couldn’t make the comeback. The two team only combined for six hits as the Lady Panthers earned four while the Lady Blue Devils only accumulated two hits.

Obenrader struck out 11 batters while going all seven innings. Rodgers went six innings while striking out seven batters.

“Both of them were on,” said Cambridge Springs head coach Angela Mumford. “Both threw great games and they should be happy with their performances.”

With the win, Saegertown will move on to the championship game where they will take another Crawford County foe in Cochranton on Monday. The Lady Cardinals defeated West Middlesex 13-3 in the other semifinal game on Wednesday.

“I hope that we build from this,” Bowes said. “I hope we come out strong. I hope that we hit timely from the beginning and I hope that we make them work hard to get us out.”

While Saegertown will move on, Cambridge’s season is over with the loss. The Lady Blue Devils finished the season with a record of 8-9.

“This entire season, we’ve had a lot of injuries and we’ve had to battle through those,” Mumford. “I’m really proud of my girls for battling through those.”

With the season now over, four Cambridge seniors have completed their time with the softball program: Acosta-Reyes, Taylor Smith, Makenzie Lewis and Abbie Schultz.

“The seniors mean a lot,” Mumford. “They’ve given us tireless amounts of effort and great attitudes and we’re gonna miss them.”

Local softball teams aim for district title berth at Allegheny today

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

Three Crawford County teams will begin their quest for the District 10 1A softball title today at Allegheny College’s Robertson Field. In a tournament of four teams, No. 2 seed Cochranton and No. 3 seed West Middlesex will open things up at 1 p.m. No. 1 seed Saegertown will then play No. 4 seed Cambridge Springs at 3 p.m.

The Lady Panthers will play their PENNCREST rival for the third time this season. The Lady Panthers swept the season series, winning 3-2 on April 26 and and 13-0 May 15. The Lady Panthers finished second in Region 2 with an overall of 12-4 while the Lady Blue Devils boasted an 8-8 record while finishing fourth in the region.

Leading the charge on both sides of the ball for the Lady Panthers is Mikaila Obenrader. At the plate, Obenrader batted .404 with four home runs, eight doubles and 24 RBIs. Obenrader finished with an 11-4 record, 174 strikeouts, 12 complete games, six shutouts, five no-hitters and one perfect game in 15 appearances.

Other players to watch for on offense include Rylie Braymer, Rhiannon Paris, Hailee Gregor and Katherine Diesing, who have driven in 10 runs or more this season.

Opposing Obenrader for the Lady Blue Devils is Hailee Rodgers, who has a 7-7 record, 69 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA.

On offense, Taylor Smith leads the charge with four home runs, three doubles and 18 RBIs on a .367 batting average. Rodgers, Cheyenne Mosconi and Makenzie Lewis each have a batting average above .300 and more than 10 RBIs this season.

The winner will play either Cochranton or West Middlesex on Monday.

Panthers mercy-rule Cambridge 13-0

SAEGERTOWN — The Saegertown softball team defeated PENNCREST rival Cambridge Springs 13-0 on Thursday at Bertram Field in the regular season finale for both teams. The Lady Panthers finished 12-4 while the Lady Blue Devils ended 8-8.

Saegertown’s Mikaila Obenrader and Brittany Houck each recorded a home run and two RBIs. Rhiannon Paris also drove in a pair of runs.

On the mound, Obenrader pitched all five innings and only allowed a hit and a walk on nine strikeouts.

The Lady Blue Devils only accounted for one hit, a single by Abbie Schultz. Aly Acosta Reyes also earned one stolen base. Overall, the Lady Blue Devils committed seven errors. Triniti Caldwell pitched five innings for Cambridge and allowed seven hits, 13 runs and two walks while earning one strikeout.

Bears beat Panthers

UNION CITY — The Union City Bears used a nine-run fifth inning to beat Saegertown 9-0 in a Region 2 matchup on Tuesday.

In the circle, Union City’s Abby Tingley struck out 10 batters and allowed four hits in seven innings. Saegertown’s Mikaila Obenrader struck out 11 and walked nine in six innings.

Saegertown is now 11-4 overall and 11-2 in the region. The Panthers will play Cambridge Springs on Thursday in its regular season finale.

Panthers sweep Eagles in twin bill

SAEGERTOWN — The Saegertown softball team swept Region 2 foe Youngsville in a doubleheader on Monday. In game one, the Lady Panthers won 15-0 while earning another in shutout in game two in a 22-0 win.

In game one, Rylie Braymer went 3-3 while bringing home four RBIs. Mikaila Obenrader and Hailee Gregor both drove in three runs each. The game ended after the top of the third inning due to the mercy rule.

The Lady Panthers were just as dominant during game 2 as the offense came alive again. In the second game, Rhiannon Paris led the way with three RBIs while Braymer, Obenrader and Brittany Houck each drove in a pair of runs.

Obenrader was dominant on the mound in both games after not allowing a hit against the Lady Eagles. In game one, Obenrader earned nine strikeouts while punching out eight batters in game two.

Saegertown will next go on the road to take on another region opponent in Eisenhower on Friday at 4 p.m.

Obenrader’s shutout, homer leads Panthers to win

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

COCHRANTON — Saegertown scored 10 runs in two innings and Mikaila Obenrader hurled a shutout in a 10-0 win against Cochranton in a key Region 2 matchup on Thursday.

It looked to be a pitchers duel early as each team went three up, three down in the first — but the Panthers got after it in the second.

Senior Brittany Houck led off for Saegertown and homered on a fly ball to left field to get the bats going for the Panthers. After a flyout and a strikeout it seemed Cochranton would escape the inning without more damage, but after Abigail Kirdahy walked on base, Katherine Diesing drilled an RBI-single to center field.

A Cochranton error allowed Alyssa Arblaster to reach first base and scored Kirdahy from second base. Freshman Rylie Braymer doubled on a line drive to shallow left field that brought Diesing in to score.

Saegertown led 4-0 and had all the momentum.

“Our goal all year is to put our foot to the floor from the beginning, to start strong, to score first and that’s what they did today,” Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes said. “Every game from now on is a big game so we need to do this every time.”

The Cardinals struggled to get anything going offensively. Chelsey Freyermuth walked on in the bottom of the second and reached third base on Saegertown’s only error of the game. The junior was stranded on third however as Saegertown’s Obenrader delivered one of her ten strikeouts in the game to close the second inning.

Houck opened the third with a single before Obenrader drilled a ball over the centerfield wall to put two runs on the board for the Panthers.

“When I get on to game days I try to stay as focused as I can. It feels good, it’s a good feeling,” Obenrader said about hitting home runs.

Saegertown added four more runs in the third. A Cochranton error allowed Kirdahy to score. Rhiannon Paris and Diesing each drilled RBI-singles and Braymer blasted an RBI-double to put the Panthers up 10-0.

“We’re starting to execute at the plate because we’re being patient and we’re looking for our pitch,” Bowes said. “I think earlier in the season we were anxious and swinging at strikes. Now we know what our pitch is and we’re being aggressive with it.”

The most life the Cardinals’ offense had was in the fourth inning. Freyermuth hit a ball that hit the top of the left field fence for a double, but again she would get stranded on base.

“As we told them, I don’t think we came ready to play. We weren’t ready to give it our all,” Cochranton head coach Mark McGuire said. “Then a few things happened and we were behind the eight ball.

“These girls know that’s a good team (Saegertown). We’re pressing ourselves. Plain and simple.”

Obenrader closed out the bottom of the fifth with three strikeouts to complete the shutout. It was the team’s third shutout of the season.

“She (Obenrader) is just phenomenal on both sides of the ball. Her consistency time and time again has proved to be so important for us,” Bowes said. “It’s nice to see that when people do put the ball in play she has a team behind her that she believes in.”

At the plate, Houck, Braymer and Diesing each had two hits while Houck, Diesing and Obenrader each delivered two RBIs.

With the win, Saegertown is 7-2 overall and 7-1 in region action. The Panthers completed the sweep of the Cardinals with the team also winning 10-1 on April 2.

Saegertown is scheduled to play at Youngsville on Saturday.

Cochranton is 8-3 overall and 7-3 in the region. The Cardinals are third in the region behind Union City (8-1) and Saegertown.

It’s possible the Panthers and Cardinals will meet a third time in the playoffs. Union City is 2A while Saegertown and Cochranton are both 1A.

“Overall we’re playing well. We told them at the end of the game, Memorial Day Monday is what matters,” McGuire said. “We could see them again on that same day.”

The District 10 Championship game is scheduled for Memorial Day.

Obenrader’s no-hitter leads Lady Panthers to win

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

SAEGERTOWN — Saegertown sophomore Mikaila Obenrader tossed a no-hitter in a 11-0 shutout against Region 2 foe Eisenhower on Saturday at Bertram Park.

Obenrader also struck out 13 batters in five innings of work. At the plate, she went 1-2 with a double and two runs.

Also at the plate, Alyssa Arblaster, Rylie Braymer and Hailee Gregor recorded multiple hits. Gregor scored three runs while Arblaster and Braymer scored twice.

Saegertown is now 6-2 overall and 6-1 in region action. The Lady Panthers are scheduled to play at Maplewood on Tuesday.

Lady Panthers crush Orioles

FRANKLIN — The Saegertown softball team crushed Region 2 opponent Rocky Grove 12-1 on Thursday. The game ended after the top of the fifth inning due to the mercy rule. With the win, the Lady Panthers are now 5-2 on the season.

Mikaila Obenrader tossed another no-hitter as she only allowed one run and one walk and struck out 14 batters in five innings of work.

Obenrader also contributed with her bat as she finished 2-3 with a double and three RBIs. Rhiannon Paris went 3-4 with four RBIs. Maggie Triola went 2-3 with a pair of RBIs and a triple.

Saegertown will next host another Region 2 opponent in Eisenhower on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Pitching duel

Houck’s homer lifts Panthers past Blue Devils

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

SAEGERTOWN — In a rematch of last year’s District 10 1A Championship, it’s fitting that a Saegertown-Cambridge Springs game would go down to the wire.

That’s exactly what happened between the two PENNCREST rivals as Saegertown edged Cambridge Springs 3-2 on Tuesday at Bertram Park.

“We played tough today,” said Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes. “We did the little things when it mattered. We didn’t fall apart when things didn’t go our way. We really kept our composure and we hit when we needed to.”

It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth inning when the bats started to come alive where the Panthers went ahead 3-0 thanks to a three-run homer by Brittany Houck. The inning started with a single by Alyssa Arblaster. After Rylie Braymer drew a walk, Rhiannon Paris earned a sacrifice bunt that moved the runners to second and third base with one out to set up Houck’s home run.

“We talk all the time about timely hitting and how important it is in this game and that was just timely hitting,” Bowes said.

Despite being down three runs entering the top of the seventh, the Lady Blue Devils did not go down quietly. Following a leadoff triple by Aly Acosta-Reyes, Taylor Smith tripled herself to put her team on the board. Cheyenne Mosconi’s sacrifice fly drove home Smith, which made it a one-run game. However, the Lady Blue Devils weren’t able to complete the comeback as Mikaila Obenrader got the next two batters out to give the Lady Panthers the victory.

Despite falling one run short, Cambridge Springs head coach Angela Mumford commended her team’s performance.

“I’m proud of my kids for fighting back,” Mumford said. “We don’t ever give up and we keep fighting. We’ve just got that gritty attitude.”

Entering Tuesday’s game, both pitchers were coming off no-hit performances from their last game. Hailee Rodgers no-hit Eisenhower in five innings of work in an 11-0 win on Saturday. Obenrader did it in three innings as the Lady Panthers defeated Rocky Grove 18-0 on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Rodgers and Obenrader continued to be dominant for their respective teams as both teams were held scoreless for the first five innings of the game.

Both pitchers went the whole way as Obenrader earned the win while striking out ten batters and scattering three hits and two runs. In the losing effort, Rodgers allowed five hits, three runs and one walk while striking out eight.

“I thought both teams played really good games,” Mumford said. “I mean we saw some great defensive plays, a pitcher’s duel between the two of them. I mean it was a great game to watch.”

With the win, the Lady Panthers are now 4-2 on the season and currently in second place in Region 2. On the other hand, the Lady Blue Devils are now 3-5 and currently sit in fourth place in the region.

Both teams are back in action on Thursday as Saegertown will go to take on region opponent Rocky Grove while Cambridge Springs will host PENNCREST rival Maplewood. Both games are slated to start at 4 p.m.

Obenrader leads Panthers past Orioles

SAEGERTOWN — Mikaila Obenrader led the Saegertown softball team past Region 2 opponent Rocky Grove 18-0 on Saturday in three innings.

Obenrader tossed a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and one walk. At the plate, Obenrader homered along with Rhiannon Paris, who finished the day with four RBIs. All nine players crossed the plate twice for the Lady Panthers.

Saegertown will next go to PENNCREST rival Cambridge Springs on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Bears blank Panthers 1-0

SAEGERTOWN — The Saegertown softball team was shutout 1-0 against Region 2 foe Union City on Thursday.

Alissa Leech drove in the game’s only run on a single at the top of the sixth inning for the Lady Bears.

The game was a pitchers’ duel as the Lady Bears recorded only three hits while the Lady Panthers mustered four hits. Hailee Gregor earned two of the Lady Panthers’ hits.

Abby Tingley earned the win for the Lady Bears after going seven innings while striking out 14 batters.

Mikaila Obenrader took the loss for the Lady Panthers as she went seven innings while allowing three hits, four walks and a run and earning nine strikeouts.

Saegertown will look to get back on track as it hosts region opponent Rocky Grove on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Solid performance

Panthers’ bats come alive late to defeat Cards

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

SAEGERTOWN — The Saegertown softball team used its bats to take down Crawford County rival Cochranton 10-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Bertram Park.

“The girls are playing really well,” said Saegertown head coach Jennifer Bowes. “They were just really stringing things together and they had a lot of timely hits.”

It took a little while for the Lady Panthers’ offense to get going as the Lady Cardinals initially took the lead. After Kaylin Rose earned a leadoff walk and stole a base, the Lady Cardinals scored the first run of the game after Rose scored from third base on a passed ball in the top of the first inning.

It wasn’t until the third inning that the Lady Panthers got on the board as Kacie Mook grounded out to bring Kylie Thompson in to tie the game.

The next inning at the plate for the Lady Panthers proved to be more fruitful as three runs went across during the bottom of the fourth. An RBI-double by Rhiannon Paris gave the Lady Panthers the lead. Thompson’s two-run single made it a 4-1 game.

In the next inning of offense, Mikaila Obenrader decided to help her own cause on the mound as she hit a two-run homer that gave her team a 6-1 lead.

The Panthers added four more runs during their half of the sixth inning. Rylie Braymer got things started with a tworun single. Maggie Triola’s RBI-double made it a 9-1 game. Obenrader once again made things easier on herself as she drove in another run to increase the Lady Panther’s lead to nine runs.

Offensively, Obenrader led the effort with a pair of hits and three RBI’s. Thompson, Braymer, Paris and Alyssa Arblaster also collected a pair of hits each.

“I think we had a slow start,” Bowes said. “I think that we were hitting for contact instead of looking for our pitches, but I think once we got a little more disciplined at the plate, good things started happening.”

Obenrader was just as dominant on the mound as she pitched a complete game while striking out 13 batters and scattering three hits and eight walks.

“She’s very fundamentally sound,” Bowes said. “She’s just consistent on both sides of the ball.”

Obenrader caused problems for the Lady Cardinals’ offense as they only mustered three hits for the entire game. Rose reached base on two bunt singles while Jaylin McGill singled for the Lady Cardinals.

“First of all, she’s a good pitcher, Cochranton head coach Mark McGuire said about Obenrader. “Second of all, this is only the third time we’ve played. We’ve been outside about half-a-dozen times. It’s early.”

Taytum Jackson pitched the entire game for the Lady Cardinals. Jackson allowed 11 hits and 10 runs while striking out five batters.

“She kept us in the game,” McGuire said. “Kept us in the game plain and simple. Got outs when we had to have them.”

Next, Saegertown will travel to Region 2 rival Youngsville while Cochranton will go to face another Crawford County team in Maplewood. Both games will take place on Thursday at 4 p.m.