Berlin Brothersvalley, Chestnut Ridge prep for PIAA quarterfinal softball contests

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Thursday will represent uncharted territory for the Berlin Brothersvalley softball team as it competes in the PIAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
For Chestnut Ridge, the Lions seek a breakthrough after reaching the same round for the third straight season and for the fourth time in five years.
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District 5 Class 1A champion Berlin Brothersvalley (19-3) takes on District 10 champ Cambridge Springs (16-2) at noon Thursday at North Allegheny High School in Wexford.
In Class 2A, District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge (16-6) battles District 7 champ Neshannock (23-0) at 11 a.m. Thursday at Norwin High School in North Huntingdon.
Berlin Brothersvalley defeated District 7 runner-up and 2024 PIAA Class 1A runner- up Carmichaels 3-0 Monday.
Freshman left-hander Sam Walker fanned six batters in a two-hit shutout. She added an RBI double in the third inning for the game's first run. Sophomore Cayley Poorbaugh scored on an errant throw in the fifth.
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Junior Sydney Walker collected her second hit of the game in the sixth with a solo homer to left field for an added insurance run.
Bryn Prosser, Coral Prosser, Elena Ritchey and Sam Walker are members of the softball and 2024-25 state championship basketball team for Berlin Brothersvalley.
After fouling off a bunt in the sixth, Sydney Walker homered in the same at-bat, showing the Mountaineers' propensity to create on the fly.
'If something doesn't work, you got to try something else,' Sydney Walker said after she hit her sixth homer of the season.
'That's what we do.'
Depth and versatility have helped Berlin Brothersvalley advance this far.
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'We have a special team this year,' Berlin Brothersvalley coach Brian Slope said. 'I tell my players all the time, no disrespect to any other teams, but our reserves would be starting on a lot of teams. We have some depth. We have a lot of softball ability on that team, whether they're in the starting nine or someone we have to sub in.
'With the injuries and things we had to fight through, I couldn't be more proud of this team.'
After losing junior catcher Elsie Barna (.500 average with three homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games) May 8 to injury, freshman Bryn Prosser has filled in behind the plate. Bryn Prosser gunned down a runner at second base on a steal attempt in the fifth.
'She's our starting outfielder,' Slope said of Bryn Prosser. 'Injuries forced her to go behind the plate. Because she was willing and she had the most experience on our team, she's thriving back there. She's rising to the occasion. That was an unbelievable throw. We're on a great run at the moment.'
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Ritchey leads the Mountaineers with a .559 average, .649 on-base percentage, 1.136 slugging percentage, nine home runs and 38 RBIs. She posted a 1.49 ERA with 62 punchouts in 47 innings before suffering an injury. Sam Walker has a 2.36 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 77 frames. She has a .493 average with 13 stolen bases, six doubles, three triples, one homer and 24 RBIs. Coral Prosser is batting .473 with 35 hits, 35 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, one homer, 14 stolen bases and 15 RBIs. Sydney Walker is hitting .412 with two doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs. Poorbaugh has driven in 20 runs.
Bryn Prosser has six doubles.
Cambridge Springs received two home runs and three RBIs from Jaydan Simmons in Monday's 9-0 victory over District 7 third-seeded West Greene.
Kayla Crawford threw a three-hit shutout and totaled 10 strikeouts. Aubri Crawford drove in three runs.
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The Berlin Brothersvalley- Cambridge Springs winner will face either District 9 champion DuBois Central Catholic or District 7 winner Union Area Monday in a semifinal.
Chestnut Ridge senior right-hander Britni Motter faced 22 batters and struck out 17 in Monday's 4-0 first-round victory over Redbank Valley. The Mansfield University signee pitched four perfect innings and gave up just one hit in the fifth. Motter started her outing by striking out all nine Redbank Valley batters through the first three innings.
The Lions tallied three runs in the first inning. Natalie Short delivered a two-run double. Emma Callihan added a run-scoring knock. In the sixth, Serenity Oeser produced an infield sacrifice fly to set the final. Monday's starting lineup had seniors Grace Lazor, Jenna Mauck, Motter, Nikki Shippey and Short; juniors Bree Harbaugh and Yarnell; sophomore Callihan; and freshman Izabella Datillo in it.
Chestnut Ridge advanced to the 2023 and 2024 Class 3A quarterfinals.
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The Lions face a dominant opponent in four-time defending District 7 champion Neshannock. The Lancers have won 49 straight games, the longest streak in District 7 softball history. Neshannock – which won state titles in 2012, 2022 and 2024 – beat District 10 runner-up Sharpsville 10-0 in five innings Monday.
Senior right-handed pitcher Addyson Frye, a Providence College signee, allowed three singles and struck out seven in five innings. Frye, who fanned 15 in a semifinal victory, blasted a two-run homer to left in the first inning. She is 20-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 102 innings, allowing just 12 walks and 11 earned runs.
Junior Jaidon Nogay, who has two older sisters playing Division I softball at Fordham and Kent State, was 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Freshman Brenna Frengel added a run-scoring double. Senior and Kent State commit Miley Anderson produced a three-run double.
Neshannock, which is 20-4 in PIAA play over its history, has outscored its opponents 263-24 this season. Since the start of the 2022 season, Neshhanock is 97-1. The Lancers' lone loss was to Everett in the 2023 state final.
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Nogay is batting .589 with 33 hits, six doubles, two triples, 12 stolen bases and 33 RBIs. Frye is hitting .564 with 31 knocks, 12 doubles, seven homers, 36 RBIs and a 1.164 slugging percentage. She has drawn 19 walks compared to one strikeout. Freshman Gabriella Antuono has a .533 average with two triples and 10 RBIs. Frengel is batting .524 with three doubles and 15 RBIs.
Senior catcher Gabby Quinn is committed to Kent State. She is batting .435 with six doubles, three triples, eight homers, 29 RBIs and a 1.016 slugging percentage. Anderson is hitting at a .522 clips with 41 runs, 36 hits, 13 doubles, nine triples, 14 stolen bases and 36 RBIs. Junior Payton Newman has four homers.
The Chestnut Ridge-Neshannock winner will face either District 7 runner-up Chartiers-Houston or District 10 champ Seneca Monday in a semifinal.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.