Derry softball shows depth in Class 4A 1st-round win over Beaver

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, May 11, 2026 | 9:21 PM

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Getting a boost from the bottom of the batting order is usually a bonus for teams in the WPIAL softball playoffs, a pleasant surprise most coaches don’t see coming.

In Derry’s case, it was a key part of a winning formula in the first round.

The ninth-seeded Trojans saw their Nos. 7 through 9 batters deliver seven hits in eight official at-bats as they rallied to push past No. 8 Beaver, 8-4, in their Class 4A playoff opener Monday at Gateway.

It was the third playoff win in program history for the Trojans (11-4) and the second in as many years.

Small ball had something to do with the offense churning out 10 hits — nine from the lower half of the order (hitters 5-9).

“Put balls in play and avoid strikeouts, that’s what we needed to do,” said Derry coach John DePalma, whose team advances to play No. 1 Elizabeth Forward (17-2) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. “Normally, we live and die with the big hit. But look at all the sacrifices we had today. We took a lot of chances moving runners from second. We felt confident with that style of play.”

Kamryn Dunlap hit seventh and went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Paris Clayton had two hits at No. 8, and No. 9 hitter Marie Razpotnik had two hits, including an RBI double.

“It feels great to come out and perform,” said Derry pitcher Haylee Myers, who struck out six and had a two-run single at the plate. “We needed this. We’re surprised to see (the bottom of the order produce), and I don’t mean that in a negative way. They helped pick us up at the top (of the lineup).”

Derry led 1-0 early on Dunlap’s RBI single.

“I’m a 1-3-5-7 guy,” DePalma said of depending on those spots in the order to produce runs. “Kam Dunlap hits better from an RBI spot.”

Beaver (9-8) put up two runs in the first to go ahead 2-1. Olivia Peabody had an RBI single, and Alexa Thomas knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.

The Bobcats had a 3-1 lead in the third after a run-scoring two-out single by Peabody, the Bobcats’ No. 7 hitter who went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a walk.

But Derry tied it 3-3 in the fifth on a two-out, two-run single by Myers.

The Trojans went ahead 6-3 in the sixth, again producing with two outs — and with some help. All three of their runs in the frame were aided by errors.

In the seventh — Beaver swapped pitchers, Jaedyn Brown for Peabody — Derry stretched it advantage to 8-3 on a two-run double by Razpotnik.

“I had been hearing from everybody about the seeding,” DePalma said. “It’s not something that bothers me. I don’t really care where we’re seeded. We just play ball.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Beaver, Derry Area