Clutch hitting lifted Cumberland Valley to the Mid-Penn softball championship game Thursday at Hershey.
Trailing Susquenita 2-1 after two innings, the Eagles broke open the Mid-Penn semifinal by scoring two runs in the third and four runs in the fourth on the strength of two-out hits and rolled to an 11-3 victory.
Alexa Erney's two-out single scored the tying run in the third and she ultimately scored on Kaelyn Buskey's two-out single coupled with a Susquenita error. Rachel Mumma delivered a two-out single in the fourth that drove in two runs and Erney followed with an RBI double before again ultimately scoring on an error.
Erney went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Pitcher Jess Moore drove in Cumberland Valley's first run with a double in the second and also hit a solo homer in the fifth.
ROUNDING THIRD
Kayla Rhome's first-inning double drove in two runs for Susquenita and Kora Zeigler went 2-for-3. After Cumberland Valley's two-run effort in the top of the third, the Blackhawks responded with a run in the bottom of the third to tie it 3-3 when Vanessa Hoffman reached on a strikeout/wild pitch, stole second, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on Amber Turpin's groundout to shortstop.
The Eagles followed their four-run fourth with a four-run fifth in which Erney clubbed another RBI double. Cumberland Valley combined for nine hits in the fourth and the fifth en route to 15 for the game.
Lower Dauphin beat Greencastle-Antrim 3-2 in 10 innings in the other semifinal. But Thursday night's championship game between Lower Dauphin and Cumberland Valley was wiped out by rain.
DUGOUT CHATTER
Cumberland Valley coach Gregg Williams on the early deficit: "I thought our girls did a good job just being patient and getting their pitch. We came out a little flat. But I give Susquenita credit. They came out swinging the bats. They have a nice-hitting lineup. We fell behind a little bit. We've been in battles before. I think we just stayed patient and played within ourselves."
Williams on the 10-run outburst in the third, fourth and fifth innings: "We have so many really good hitters on our team. I think our patience at the plate is always what's a comfort for us. We may not get you right through the first lineup. But second time through, third time through, I think we get more comfortable as the game goes on."
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