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Monday, June 6, 2022 | 6:56 p.m.
After hitting eight pop-up outs in the first five innings, Deer Lakes resorted to a series of line drives.
The Lancers exploded for five runs top of the sixth and earned a 5-1 win over Corry in a PIAA Class 3A opener at the Lou Hanna Memorial Complex.
Lydia Guthrie led off with a triple and second-year catcher Tia Germanich lined up a three-run homer over the left-field fence in what turned out to be the deciding runs.
Delanie Kaiser doubled Anna Bokulich to end the push.
“We had that bad run in the first,” Germanich said. “We call it Deer Lakes jitters. We figured out that if we hit the top of the ball hard, it would go your way.
Deer Lakes (14-5) will face Bald Eagle in the quarterfinals Thursday at a location and time to be determined.
Corry, who played on his home field after winning his 13th District 10 softball crown, finished the season 11-10.
The Beavers took a 1-0 lead halfway through the third period when they charged in against Lancers left-hander Maddie Kee. Alyssa Burlew and Reghan Trask walked and were embalmed by Lexy Hasbrouck. Alli Goodwill was then hit by a pitch.
Kee knocked out Lexi Frisina, who doubled up in the first. The Deer Lakes sophomore nearly came out of it, but Haylee Dyne hit a return from Kee’s glove at shortstop. Shayne Cerra couldn’t correlate it and Trask tried to score from second base. Cerra fired a strike at Germanich to end the round and avoid further damage.
“We could have made some things happen, better contact, see the ball a little better,” Corry coach Allison Williams said of the big opportunity.
In the sixth, Guthrie hit a hit to right center and headed for third base. She would have been out, but the outfield throw was on the left side of third base.
Cerra followed with a single. Reese Hasley chose an out, clearing the way for Germanich.
“Lydia struggled a bit in the playoffs,” Deer Lakes coach Rick Cerra said. “She picked a good time to come out and hit that triple. Then the bats just started going. Our girls were sinking under the ground. We knew we had to start knocking.
The beavers were not going to leave quietly. They charged the bases with one out and the tying run at home plate. But Dyne fouled first baseman Jenna Bisegna, and Kee stoked Kiran Bugbee with her 10th strikeout to end the game.
“We kept fighting all year. That’s our big thing this year: don’t give up,” Williams said. “We didn’t have our heads down. We stayed there. They’ve grown as a team this year, and I can’t ask for anything else.
Frisina, who relieved Dyne after Germanich’s home run, had a single to go with her early brace.
Kaiser had a pair of singles to go with his sixth-inning brace after Goodwill took a dive into short center field.
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