DCC Softball’s Big Inning Takes Cardinals to Finals

DUBOIS, Pa. – A nine-run sixth inning propelled DuBois Central Catholic into the Class A District Finals, triumphing 12-6 over Clarion.

(Archived Photo by Jared Bakaysa: Mia Meholick, who had two hits and two runs scored for DCC)

The Cardinals trailed 6-3 going into the inning before scoring nine to break the game open. C Busatto had four hits for DCC, while Madison Hoyt added three hits and three RBI for the Cardinals. Shyanne Lundy hit a key three-run home run as well for DCC. Morgan Tyler picked up the win in the circle, tossing seven innings of nine-hit, six-run ball, striking out 14. Brenna Campbell had three hits in the loss, while Kylee Beers hit a three-run home run in the fourth. Payton Simko took the loss, giving up 12 runs on 19 hits, striking out six.

DCC started off the game on top, scoring a run in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead. Hoyt singled home the Cardinals’ first run, while Shyanne Lundy provided a sacrifice fly in the second, scoring Mia Meholick, who tripled earlier in the inning. Clarion battled back in the fourth, putting up a four-spot to take the lead.

Jordan Best led off the inning with a solo home run, and after Brenna Campbell and Payton Simko each singled, Kylee Beers hit a three-run blast to put Clarion up 4-2. DCC got one back in the fourth, with Emma Suplizio hitting an RBI single. Clarion replied with a pair in the fifth, taking advantage of two errors and a Payton Simko single to increase their lead to 6-3.

The Cardinals exploded for nine runs in the sixth, tallying nine hits in the big inning to turn the game upside down. A Lundy three-run home run gave the Cardinals a 7-6 lead, and a Lauren Davidson 2-RBI double upped DCC’s advantage to 11-6. The Cardinals would add one more run to go into the seventh with a 12-6 lead.

The Cardinals will advance to the District Finals, where they will face C-L. Clarion remains alive for a state playoff bid, as they will next face Elk County Catholic, the loser of the other semifinal. If the winner of the Clarion vs. ECC game did not previously face the loser of the championship game, then the winner of Clarion and ECC and the loser of the championship game will play for “true second place” and a state playoff bid. If the winner of the Clarion vs. ECC game already faced the loser of the championship game, then the loser of the championship game will automatically advance to the state playoffs.