H.S. SOFTBALL: Class A and Class AA titles on the line on Tuesday

The District 11 Class A and Class 2A championships will be on the line on Tuesday evening at Pine Grove’s Susan Y. Stump Field.

In the Class A title game, the No. 1 Tri-Valley Bulldogs will face off against the No. 2 Marian Catholic Fillies. First pitch is currently slated for 4:30 p.m.

Shortly after that matchup concludes, the Class 2A title game will feature No. 1 Williams Valley and No. 2 Schuylkill Haven. The current projected start time for the game is 7 p.m.

Class A: Tri-Valley (16-5) vs. Marian Catholic (12-9)

This will be the third meeting between Tri-Valley and Marian Catholic after previous matchups on April 9 in Hometown and on May 5 in Hegins.

Tri-Valley won both of those previous matchups by final scores of 13-7 and 13-6.

The Bulldogs earned their spot in the Class 1A title game with a 12-0 win over Nativity, which marked their ninth win in their last 10 games. Ava Snyder had four RBI in that win for Tri-Valley, while Kenzie Tobin and Olivia Witmer both recorded multiple RBI.

Mya Schwalm leads the Bulldogs with 28 RBI this season, with two home runs while hitting .464. Other top performers at the plate include Summer Cupsta-Klinger, hitting well over .500 this season, Witmer, hitting just under .400, and Liv Lupole, hitting over .350.

Myah Schwalm is the projected starter for Tri-Valley. She’s posted a sub-2.50 ERA this season.

Marian defeated Weatherly 10-3 to clinch their spot in the title game, their third win in their last five games. The Fillies were led by Malina Letcher with two hits and four RBI.

Letcher has been the Fillies’ leader all season with 14 total extra base hits, including four home runs and 40 RBI. Hailey Treskolasky has driven in 25 runs of her own, while Emily Upnavage is also nearing two dozen RBI this season.

Kayla Birrer is the likely starter for the Fillies on Tuesday. In over 50 innings this season, Birrer has a 4.35 ERA and has struck out 47.

Tri-Valley has won each of the last five District 11 Class 1A championships dating back to the 2021 season.

Class 2A: Williams Valley (17-5) vs. Schuylkill Haven (16-8)

A rubber match for the season series, Williams Valley and Schuylkill Haven will meet for a third time after splitting their first two games.

On April 2, Williams Valley defeated Schuylkill Haven 13-3 for an early-season victory, but the Hurricanes got their revenge on April 28 with a 7-6 win.

The Vikings defeated Mahanoy Area 14-1 last Friday to advance to Tuesday’s district final, while Schuylkill Haven dispatched Minersville 8-5 in a hard-fought semifinal.

Williams Valley, before the win, had lost five of its last seven games, but hopes that its semifinal win over Mahanoy could spark it to a district title and potentially more.

Liv Hand has led the Vikings at the plate this season with five home runs and 36 RBI while hitting .379. Quin Smeltz has driven in 23 runs of her own, while Megan Pehach and Kamri Koppenhaver have both driven in 20 or more runs.

Hand is the expected starter for Williams Valley and has posted an ERA just under 3.00 this season.

Schuylkill Haven enters the matchup as one of the district’s hottest teams. After losing six of their first 10 games, the Hurricanes have now won 12 of their last 14, with only losses to Tri-Valley and Pine Grove coming during that run.

Aisley Jenan and Joie Schofstall have led the Hurricanes offensively this season with 31 and 29 RBI, respectively, while hitting .550 and .446.

Allison Scherer is expected to get the start in the championship game. She’s posted a 3.18 ERA so far this season in 79.1 innings. She’s also hitting .492 this season with 18 RBI.