A-K Valley PIAA softball playoff capsules: Games for Monday, June 6, 2022

By: Michael Love
Sunday, June 5, 2022 | 5:46 PM

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Class 4A

First round

7-3 Burrell (13-2) vs. 10-1 Villa Maria Academy (17-3)

3 p.m. Monday at Penn State-Behrend

Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Beaver Area (19-0) vs. 3-3 Fleetwood (16-6) Thursday in quarterfinals (site and time TBD)

Players to Watch: Katie Armstrong, Burrell; Jenna Wagner, Villa Maria Academy

Extra bases: Burrell is in the PIAA playoffs for the first time since 2011 when it made it to the semifinals. The Bucs punched their ticket to states with a 3-1 win over Montour in the third-place game at Mars. Freshman catcher Bella Stewart knocked in a run, while two other runs scored on a throwing error. It was more than enough for junior ace Katie Armstrong who scattered four hits and walked one while striking out 16. She now has 225 strikeouts, 13 walks and just two earned runs allowed through 106 innings over 15 games. Burrell has given up just three runs in three playoff games and has outscored its opponents 54-12 overall … Villa Maria beat Franklin Area, 5-3, for the District 10 title May 30, avenging a loss to Franklin in the 2021 title game. It is the last district title for any Villa Maria team as the all-girls school will merge with the all-boys Erie Cathedral Prep in the fall. Wagner is a threat for Victors in the pitching circle and at the plate. She drove in a pair of runs in the title game and surrendered eight hits, a walk, and two earned runs while striking out five. Sophomores Madison Simmerman and AB Cipalla are hitting better than .500 to lead the Villa offense.

Class 3A

First Round

10-1 Corry (11-9) vs. 7-2 Deer Lakes (13-5)

4 p.m. Monday at Corry High School

Winner plays: Winner of 6-1 Bald Eagle Area (16-4) vs. 7-3 Southmoreland (14-4) Thursday in quarterfinals (site and time TBD)

Players to watch: Lexi Frisina/Haylee Dyne, Corry; Reese Hasley, Deer Lakes

Extra bases: Corry won its 13th District 10 softball title with its 2-0 win over Harbor Creek on May 30. However, it was the Beavers’ first title since 2009. It also was the last time Corry qualified for the PIAA playoffs. That year, it rolled past West Allegheny, 10-0, in five innings before falling to Trinity, 7-6, in the quarterfinals. The Beavers have two pitchers — Frisina and Dyne — who could get the call Monday. It most likely will be a game-time decision from first-year coach Allison Williams. Corry was under .500 (8-9) before catching fire in the District 10 playoffs. The Beavers have scored 33 runs over their past four games … Deer Lakes is 6-5 in five previous PIAA playoff appearances since 2012. The Lancers last qualified for states was in 2017, and they went 1-1, losing to District 6’s Philipsburg-Osceola, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. Deer Lakes hopes to bounce back from last Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to Avonworth in the WPIAL title game at Cal U (Pa.). The last time the Lancers played a team from District 10 was in the 2015 PIAA semifinals. They edged Cambridge Springs, 4-3, to advance to the state title game where they fell to District 2 champion Holy Redeemer at Penn State.

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