LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Every time the members of the DuBois Central Catholic softball team stepped on the field the last two seasons, it has been on their minds.
Getting back to the state championship game.
And winning it this time.
The Cardinals felt they let one slip away two years ago, falling to Montgomery, 5-1, after a slow start fueled by misplays in the field in the PIAA Class A championship game.
Last year, DCC’s state playoff run ended almost before it started with a 7-0 loss to Carmichaels in the opening round.
It has been the one driving force behind a remarkable campaign this season.
And, well, the Cardinals are back.
Sophomore Rylee Kulbatsky dominated in the circle again and freshman Lily Davidson delivered one of the biggest hits of the season with a RBI triple, scoring on the same play on a throwing error, to help the Cardinals to a 2-1 win over Old Forge in the Class A semifinals on Monday afternoon at Lock Haven University.
“I was so proud of Lily hitting that ball,” Kulbatsky said. “That was insane. I’m so proud of her for doing that. I was just filled with joy.”
Kulbatsky again filled the stat sheet with strikeouts, fanning 12 on the way to another victory.
She gave up a two-out RBI single to Ariana Davitt in the bottom of the fourth inning, but nothing after that, getting back into a groove that has helped her produce prodigious numbers this season.
Kulbatsky gave up just that one run on four hits. She walked three (one intentional).
DCC needed her to be sharp because the usually clutch lineup struggled to get the big hit against Old Forge pitcher Karen Sickle, who got into lots of trouble, and also out of it.
Finally it caught up to her with Davidson’s big hit.
DCC had nine hits and zero runs at one point before Davidson delivered.
“That was a close game,” said senior Melia Mitskavich. “Probably not the best game we played, but we did what we needed to do.”
“We never gave up,” Kulbatsky added. “And I think that’s why we ended up winning because we just never put our heads down. We just had faith we were gonna pull through.”
Now DCC gets a rematch with Carmichaels, the team that knocked it out early last season, in the state championship game, which will be played at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Penn State University.
The prevailing attitude: nothing is going to stop them this time around.
“We definitely have a lot of drive from losing these past couple of years,” said senior catcher Jessy Frank. “We know how it feels to lose in these big moments, and I think we are done with being on that end of it. I feel good about Thursday. I think the whole team is ready to win this one.”
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