ON FIRE!: Forest Will Play for First Ever District Softball Championship Following Semifinal Win Over Otto-Eldred

KANE, Pa. (EYT/D9) – The Fires continue to burn hot.

Forest again got seven strong innings in the circle from Izzy Flick and a three-hit day from Madison McFarland to down Otto-Eldred, 8-5, in the District 9 Class A softball semifinals at Kane Wednesday afternoon.

(Above, Izzy Flick)

The win sends the Fires, a team comprised of players from North Clarion, West Forest and East Forest, to the championship game for the first time in the history of those three schools.

Forest jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Flick drove in a run on a double during a three-run first inning and McFarland and Alexis Oswald both had RBI singles during a two-run second.

Otto-Eldred cut the gap to 5-2 with single runs in the bottom of the second and third innings, but Forest got both runs back in the top of the fourth for a 7-2 lead.

Anna Stitt delivered a two-run double to extend the lead.

Flick was solid again in the circle. She gave up five runs, but only two were earned, and struck out five.

Forest had 13 hits. Oswald, Maggie Boehme and Flick had multi-hit games in addition to McFarland’s 3-for-4 afternoon.

Bri Heller got the loss for the Terrors. She gave up seven runs – two earned – on 11 hits in five innings. She struck out four.

Katie Sheeler tripled for Otto-Eldred. Carrie Drummond also doubled for the Terrors.

Forest will play top-seeded DuBois Central Catholic, the two-time defending district champ, at Heindl Field in DuBois Monday at a time to be determined.

DuBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 4, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 3 – The Cardinals rallied with three runs in the fifth inning to punch their ticket to the district title game again.

DCC has won two straight titles and will be gunning for its third against Forest Monday.

On Wednesday, Madi Hoyt delivered a clutch RBI double and Rose Whipple had a RBI groundout to key the big inning.

Kayley Risser also came up big for the Cardinals, going 3-for-3 with a triple and a RBI.

ECC took a 2-1 lead in the fifth.

Morgan Tyler picked up the win out of the bullpen. She struck out five and didn’t allow and earned run in four innings of relief.

Emily Mourer got the tough loss for ECC, going six strong innings.

ECC will play Otto-Eldred in a consolation game on a day and at a site and time to be determined.

CLASS 2A

Cranberry jumped out to a 9-2 lead after three innings and held off a Keystone late-inning rally for a 12-7 win in the semifinals at A-C Valley.

Reyna Watson went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI and Alaina Hogue drove in two runs with a double for the Berries.

Alisha Beggs got the win in the circle, striking out five in seven innings.

Lexi Reisinger and Kendall Findlay also doubled for Cranberry.

Keystone nearly rallied on the bat of Natalie Bowser.

Bowser hit a pair of two-run homers, the first coming in the bottom of the fifth and the second in the bottom of the seventh. Those two blasts weren’t enough to overcome the Panthers’ big deficit, though.

Gabby Wolbert, who scored on both of Bowser’s homers, went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. She also doubled.

Leah Exley, who got the loss in the circle, had a double for Keystone.

Cranberry will play top seed Johnsonburg for the district crown Monday at Heindl Field in DuBois. Time of the first pitch is still to be determined.

JOHNSONBURG 6, CURWENSVILLE 0 – Julie Peterson tossed a complete-game shutout and Julia Jones tripled, drove in two and scored twice to send the Rams to the district final.

Peterson also doubled, singled and scored twice for the Rams.

But it was her pitching that stole the show for Johnsonburg. Peterson scattered seven hits and struck out seven in her shutout victory. Of her 91 pitches, 64 went for strikes.

Joslynne Freyer had a pair of hits for Curwensville.

Freyer took the loss, striking out four in six innings.