WPIAL champion Seneca Valley softball beats McDowell in PIAA Class 6A first round
MILLCREEK TWP, Erie County — The quick turnaround was no match for Seneca Valley’s softball team and neither was McDowell.
Just three days after defeating Norwin for the WPIAL title, the Raiders traveled north to Erie to face the District 10 champion Trojans. Another stellar pitching effort from Lexie Hames was backed by a 12-hit attack as SV advanced from the PIAA Class 6A first round with an 11-0, six-inning victory Monday at McDowell High School’s David P. Hanlon Sports Complex.
“Graduation was last Thursday and the (WPIAL final) was Friday,” said SV coach Marlesse Hames. “There was a lot of emotion involved in those two days and we gave the girls Saturday off. We came back with a full practice on Sunday, thought we could get the most out of them by doing it that way and we did.”
Hames worked the first five innings, struck out 12, walked four and allowed just one hit — Andrea Carnicelli’s single to right with one out in the third.
It came in stark contrast to SV’s effort at the plate. Three of SV’s 12 hits went for extra bases, including a two-run home run from Lexie Hames in the top of the third that put the Raiders up 5-0. Prior to that, Kylie Staudt’s fielder’s choice and Liv Herrem’s groundout had both scored a run in the second.
One batter before Hames sent the ball over the fence, Kara Pasquale singled in Abby Kalkowski, who led off the third with a triple.
The damage came against McDowell’s Gabby DeLuca, who had tallied 26 combined strikeouts in recent sub-regional playoff wins over Allderdice and State College. She struck out four and walked two in five innings Monday, allowing eight runs on eight hits.
“When she did miss today, they took advantage of it,” said Trojans coach Chip Gorzynski of the Raiders. “Seneca Valley has a very good lineup, one through nine.
“(Hames) is, by far, the best pitcher we’ve faced all year.”
SV junior first baseman Bella Gross singled and doubled while scoring twice in the victory.
“We knew she (DeLuca) has a good rise ball and needed to be patient, mostly lay off of it,” said Gross.
Leading 5-0, Lexie Hames got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third. Carnicelli’s single was followed by walks to Izzy Nageli and Ava Lockwood, but DeLuca and Gracie Miller were both retired to keep the Trojans (13-10) off the scoreboard.
“Lexie is such a good pitcher, she doesn’t get rattled with the bases loaded,” Coach Hames said.
The Raiders (22-1) scored three runs in the fifth off DeLuca and three more in the sixth off reliever Maddy Matlock. The latter spree included a two-run double off the bat of Lauren Folino.
Abby Kalkowski pitched a scored sixth to end the game. Her sister, Anna Kalkowski, singled three times and drove in a run.
“It feels good to be moving on,” said Gross. “It brings back memories from my freshman year.”
That was in 2022 when the Raiders reached the state championship game. Their next hurdle in an attempt to get back comes Thursday against defending state champion North Penn in a quarterfinal at a site and time to be determined.
Seneca Valley 023 033 x — 11 12 0
McDowell 000 000 x — 0 2 1
WP: Lexie Hames 5 IP (12K, 4BB). LP: Gabby DeLuca 5 IP (4K, 2BB).
Seneca Valley (22-1): Abby Kalkowski 3B R, Kara Pasquale 1B R RBI, Lexie Hames HR 2RBI, Bella Gross 1B 2B 2R, Anna Kalkowski 3-1B RBI, Kylie Staudt 2-1B RBI, Lauren Folino 2B 2RBI
McDowell (13-10): Gabby DeLuca 1B, Andrea Carnicelli 1B
Thursday: Seneca Valley vs. North Penn, PIAA Class 6A quarterfinal, TBA
