H.S. SOFTBALL: Class 4A District 11 Playoffs start Tuesday

After originally being scheduled to begin on Wednesday, the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals have been moved up to Tuesday evening due to expected inclement weather.

Three Schuylkill League programs will be taking part in the Class 4A district playoffs across two matchups. Here’s what you need to know about each of those Class 4A quarterfinal matchups.

No. 2 Blue Mountain (20-2) vs No. 7 Tamaqua (11-11)

When: Tuesday, May 19, 4:30 p.m.Where: James E. Patton Field (Blue Mountain High School)Previous Matchups: Blue Mountain defeated Tamaqua 5-1 on April 2 and 13-3 on April 28.

Blue Mountain enters the District 11 playoffs after finishing as the Schuylkill League runner-up, falling to Pine Grove 5-1 in the league championship. It was just the Eagles’ second loss of the season, both losses coming to the Cardinals.

Tamaqua will have its hands full with one of the most dangerous lineups in the entire state. Blue Mountain is hitting .382 as a team this season, led by Addyson Fishburn with a .550 batting average. Making the Eagles’ offense even more dangerous lately is catcher Emmerson Frie, who has hit three home runs in the Eagles’ last three games.

In the other dugout will be the Tamaqua Lady Raiders, who are 11-11 this season. The Raiders last played on May 5, an 8-7 win over Panther Valley that snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Raiders have been led this season by CeAnna Gormley and Paige Bumbulsky, who both hit at a near .500 clip in the regular season. Bumbulsky provided the power in the regular season with a trio of home runs as well.

In the circle, they lean on Peyton Faust, who had a sub-4.00 ERA this season, while also looking towards Naomi Knitter to provide valuable innings.

No. 4 North Schuylkill (18-5) vs No. 5 Notre Dame Green Pond (18-6)

North Schuylkill enters the District 11 playoffs after a strong regular season and a Schuylkill League semifinals appearance. After beating Williams Valley 11-1, the Spartans fell to Blue Mountain 10-0.

Of their five losses this season, four came to Pine Grove and Blue Mountain, with the only other program to beat them being Tri-Valley.

The Spartans are a dangerous lineup with a .361 team batting average and 20 total home runs, with four players with three or more home runs.

On the mound, Brigid Flynn will get the bulk of the innings, posting a 1.86 ERA this season across 79 innings.

The Spartans will be taking on Notre Dame-Green Pond in their opening matchup. The Crusaders enter the postseason with wins in six of their last eight games and an 18-6 total record, which included a 9-1 record in Colonial League play.

The Crusaders this season batted .381 as a team and have power surges much like North Schuylkill with 15 total home runs. The Spartans will have to be very careful with Riley Palank, who has a team-high eight home runs for Notre Dame-Green Pond as well as 42 RBI.

Note: The remainder of the District 11 softball playoff previews will be included in Wednesday’s edition.