Here is a quick look at the first-round PIAA softball match-ups involving District 9 teams Monday (weather permitting).
CLASS 1A
9-1 DuBois Central Catholic (21-1) vs. (7-3) Carmichaels (17-6)
Where and when: 1 p.m. at Brockway High School
How they got here: DCC beat A-C Valley, 12-1 in five innings, in the quarterfinal, Elk County Catholic, 7-4, in the semifinals and Coudersport, 9-0, in the championship game. Carmichaels, topped St. Joseph, 12-0, in five innings in the quarterfinals but was upset, 6-2, by Monessen in the semifinals before rebounding to beat Leechburg, 3-2, to earn a PIAA playoff spot.
Notable: DCC won its second straight District 9 title and its third in four years. The Lady Cardinals advanced to the PIAA semifinals last year, where they lost to West Greene. Carmichaels and West Greene play in the same WPIAL section. The Mighty Mikes lost both games against West Greene this year falling 12-2 early in the season and 4-3 May 4. The May 4 loss was the only loss to Carmichaels in a 10-game stretch before falling to Monessen in the WPIAL semifinals. Jordy Frank is hitting .562 with 22 extra-base hits for DCC including nine home runs, seven triples and six doubles.
Winner Gets: Winner of the (10-1) Commodore Perry vs. (7-2) Monessen game Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
9-2 Coudersport (15-5) vs. (6-2) Claysburg-Kimmel (15-7)
Where and when: 3 p.m. at Brockway High School
How they got here: Coudersport beat Otto-Eldred, 12-2, in five innings and then topped Clarion, 4-2, in the semifinals before losing in the D9 title game to DuBois Central Catholic, 9-0. Claysburg-Kimmel beat Moshannon Valley, 11-1, in the District 6 quarterfinals then topped Bishop Carroll, 5-0, in the semifinals before losing to Glendale, 5-4, in the title game.
Notable: Coudersport’s second-place finish was its highest since taking second in 2009 in District 9. After making the District 6 title game for six straight years from 2009 through 2014, winning three titles, Claysburg-Kimmel returned to the championship contest for the first time since 2014 this year.
Winner Gets: Winner of the (7-1) West Greene vs. (5-2) Shanksville-Stonycreek game Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
9-3 Elk County Catholic (15-8) vs. (5-1) Meyersdale (22-1)
Where and when: 2 p.m. at Somerset High School
How they got here: ECC toppled Smethport, 8-4, in the D9 quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion DuBois Central Catholic, 7-4, in the semifinals. The Lady Crusaders then rolled past Clarion, 12-2, in six innings in the consolation game. Meyersdale beat McConnellsburg, 13-2, in the D5 quarterfinals and then topped Hope for Hyndman, 10-0 in six innings, in the semifinals before beating Shanksville-Stonycreek, 6-1, in the title game.
Notable: ECC won the PIAA title two years ago but is back in the PIAA playoffs for the first time since then. Meyersdale started the season 16-0 before losing in the WestPAC title game, 3-2, to Conemaugh Valley. But it’s been six straight wins since then. Of the 22 games the Lady Raiders have played, they have won 16 of them by at least 10 runs.
Winner Gets: Winner of the (6-1) Glendale vs. (4-2) Muncy game Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
CLASS 2A
9-1 Moniteau (21-0) vs. (7-4) Chartiers-Houston (16-4)
Where and when: 4 p.m. at the Clarion-Limestone Sports Complex
How they got here: Moniteau beat Redbank Valley, 10-0 in five innings, in the District 9 semifinals and then topped Cranberry, 9-0, in the title game. Chartiers-Houston beat Brentwood 8-2 in the WPIAL first round and Mohawk, 7-6 in nine innings in the quarterfinals, before falling to South Side Beaver, 10-0 in six innings, in the semifinals. The Buccaneers became the fourth-place finisher when South Side Beaver lost to Frazier, 2-0, in the WPIAL title game.
Notable: Moniteau won District 9 for the fourth straight year, becoming the first team since the early 1990s to win at least four straight D9 softball titles. The Lady Warriors advanced to the PIAA title game a year ago where they lost to Holy Redeemer, who moved up to Class 3A this year in the new six classification system and was eliminated in district play. It starts with senior pitcher Kennedy DeMatteis for Moniteau. DeMatteis is 21-0 with a 0.30 ERA. She has 167 strikeouts in 94 innings of work. Four regulars are hitting over .500 led by Cortney Claypoole at .618 and Marshall recruit Gabby Stewart at .575. Kristina DeMatteis, Kennedy’s twin sister, is hitting .522 with 11 home runs, and Kennedy DeMatteis is hitting .507.
Winner Gets: Winner of the (7-1) Frazier vs. (10-2) Lakeview game Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
CLASS 3A
9-1 Karns City (10-5) vs. (7-2) Deek Lakes (15-2)
Where and when: 2 p.m. at the Clarion-Limestone Sports Complex
How they got here: Karns City scored four in the seventh to stun Chestnut Ridge, 5-3, in the District 5/9 title game. Deer Lakes beat Avonworth, 9-4, in the WPIAL quarterfinals and South Park, 7-4, in the semifinals before losing to Ellwood City, 10-0 in five innings in the title game.
Notable: Karns City is a young team with one senior, one junior and the rest freshman and sophomores. The Lady Gremlins five losses came against teams that went a combined 50-10, including twice to Moniteau, twice to Redbank Valley and once to Cranberry. They were, however, outscored 56-3, in those five contests. Deer Lakes’ only regular season loss was an 8-4 defeat to the hands of Burrell, April 10.
Winner Gets: Winner of the (6-1) Philipsburg-Osceola vs. (3-2) Pequea Valley game Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
CLASS 4A
9-1 Punxsutawney (20-0) vs. (7-1) Belle Vernon (19-1)
Where and when: 3 p.m. at Hampton High School
How they got here: Punxsutawney was the default District 9 champion as no other team entered the tournament. Belle Vernon beat Central Valley, 4-0, Mt. Pleasant, 1-0, and rival Yough, 4-1, to win the WPIAL title.
Notable: This game features a pair of junior pitchers who will be teammates at Penn State starting in 2019. Punxsutawney’s Kylee Lingenfelter is 14-0 with a save and sports a 0.54 ERA while striking out 196 in 95 innings of work. Her circle opponent with be Belle Vernon’s Bailey Parshall, who threw a four-hitter in the WPIAL title game, has 224 strikeouts on the season … Punxsutawney hasn’t played an actual game since beating Bradford, 13-1, May 17. Belle Vernon has beaten Young, the 2016 PIAA Class 3A champion, two out of three times this season.
Winner Gets: Winner of the (10-1) Harbor-Creek vs. (7-3) Mt. Pleasant game Thursday at a site and time to be determined.
