A-K Valley PIAA softball playoff capsules for June 9, 2022

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 | 4:41 PM

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Today’s games

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

Burrell (14-2) vs. Beaver (20-0)

3 p.m. at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of Hamburg (20-3) vs. Clearfield (19-3) in semifinals Monday (site and time TBD)

Players to watch: Caroline Dynka, Burrell; Payton List, Beaver

Extra bases: Burrell won its first state playoff game since 2011 with a 6-0 victory Monday over District 10 champion Villa Maria Academy at Penn State-Behrend. The Bucs, led by junior pitcher Katie Armstrong, have allowed just three runs in four postseason games. Burrell pounded out 10 hits, the most in a game since it erupted for 16 hits in a 9-0 victory against McKeesport in the fifth game of the regular season April 22. Dynka led the way with three hits and two runs scored, and Armstrong, Bella Stewart, Pyper Ferres and Bray Jones recorded RBIs. The Bucs committed no errors for the third time in the postseason, and Armstrong was dominant with one hit allowed, no walks and 17 strikeouts. It was Burrell’s 10th shutout in 16 games … Beaver was tested Monday by District 3 third-place team Fleetwood before pulling out a 3-2 victory. The Bobcats, the defending PIAA Class 4A champs, won for the 41st consecutive time. A team scored more than one run on Beaver for only the fourth time this season. Like Burrell, the Bobcats have allowed only three runs in four postseason contests. List, a Virginia Tech recruit, is the engine that powers the machine for Beaver. She is 18-0 with a 0.29 ERA, 243 strikeouts and 30 walks in 121 innings. List also leads the team with a .603 average, 10 home runs, 23 RBIs and 38 runs scored.

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

Deer Lakes (14-5) vs. Bald Eagle Area (17-4)

4:30 p.m. at St. Francis (Pa.)

Winner plays: Winner of Avonworth (18-5) vs. Karns City (15-3) in semifinals Monday (stite and time TBD)

Players to watch: Tia Germanich, Deer Lakes; Sierra Albright, Bald Eagle Area

Extra bases: Deer Lakes’ 5-1 road victory over District 10 champion Corry on Monday was its first PIAA victory since 2017 when it topped Karns City, 16-6, in the first round. The one run allowed was the fewest given up by the Lancers in a game since they topped section rival North Catholic, 11-1, on May 2. Deer Lakes was held off the scoreboard against Corry until erupting for five runs in the top of the sixth. The big hit of the inning was a three-run homer from sophomore catcher Tia Germanich. Junior third baseman Delanie Kaiser had an RBI double and finished with three of her team’s nine hits. Sophomore pitcher Maddie Kee bounced back from a loss to Avonworth in the WPIAL title game and finished with 10 strikeouts and five hits surrendered. Deer Lakes has qualified for the quarterfinals for the fifth time in its six PIAA appearances since 2012 … Bald Eagle Area, the eight-time District 6 champion, ended Southmoreland’s postseason run with a 4-1 victory Monday. It’s the Eagles’ third straight trip to the state tournament. BEA lost to Mt. Pleasant in the Class 3A first round last year but it made it all to the way to the PIAA finals in 2019. The Eagles return to St. Francis, the site of their 10-4 District 6 title victory over Westmont Hilltop. Albright, just a freshman, had 10 strikeouts in that game, and she came back to fan 11 while scattering four hits against the Scotties. Albright had 18 strikeouts in a game earlier this season. Sophomore Ava Stere was the hitting star for BEA against Southmoreland with a 3-for-3 game, including two doubles, and three RBIs.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes