CURWENSVILLE – The District IX Softball Class A playoffs are set to begin Monday, however, with just 10 teams in the 16-team format, only two games will take the diamond for the opening round. The Curwensville Area High School team will enter the tournament as the number five seed and receive a bye before traveling to meet Coudersport (#4) on Wednesday.
The games that will be played on Monday include Northern Tier rivals Otto-Eldred (#9) at Port Allegany (#8) with the winner to meet top seeded Elk County Catholic. Number 10 DuBois Central Catholic will travel to meet the number seven squad of Keystone in the opening round while second seeded Smethport awaits the winner on Wednesday.
The final match-up for the second round on Wednesday finds Brockway (#6) battling defending champion Clarion (#3).
The Lady Tide have been disappointed in the second round for the past two years in district play. Last year they were eliminated in by Smethport in a 1-0 game. Two years ago the road closed at Coudersport in the second round by a 4-2 count.
“I feel pretty good about where we are in the bracket,” said Curwensville head coach Allen Leigey. “We are about where we wanted to be. The only move I would make if I could would be to change places with Clarion as far as the match-ups are concerned. Regardless of where we are, the process is the same – we have to keep focused on winning the game and keep our bats rolling.”
Perhaps the toughest pill to swallow from last year’s departure was the fact that sophomore pitcher Tierra Shope tossed a one-hitter in the game against the Hubbers who were undefeated at the time. Unfortunately, the one hit was a walk-off home run that was the difference in the game. But that was her freshman year. As a sophomore, Shope has pitched the Lady Tide to a 14-3 mark in 2012. She has struck out 94 batters this season while allowing 35 free passes. Her current ERA stands at 2.29 and has given up only one home-run this season.
Offensively, the Tide sends eight batters to the plate with averages over .300. Senior first-basement Madi Peterman currently leads the team in hitting with a .476 mark, while shortstop Cheyenne Pentz and third baseman Molly Demchak are keeping pace hitting at .467 and .456 respectively. Also turning in averages over the .400 point are senior designated player Megan Barrett (.429), and juniors Taylor Goodman (.417) and Sarah Wriglesworth (.412). Catcher Tiffany Carter is hitting at a .392 pace and left-fielder Abby Johnson stands at .370.
“Alot of these girls have been around for the past two years of playoffs and have been a part of the ‘Big Game’ atmosphere,” Leigey said. “They really won’t be nervous for this run and are ready to go further than we have in recent years. There is not an easy out in our line-up, and they have shown that anyone can be the hero in any game.”
The Falcons are currently 13-2 on the season with a slightly higher power rating to give them the higher seed than Curwwensville. The winner of this quarterfinal match-up would meet the winner of the ECC vs Otto-Eldred/Port Allegany winner for the semifinal.
“Nothing is easy when you’re facing a one-and-done schedule,” said Leigey. “There’s a little redemption in our bag from the last two years, but we have to be ready to play to be able to move on.”
Wednesday’s game in Coudersport is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
The District IX Class AA and AAA brackets feature just three teams in each. Moniteau will travel to Redbank Valley in the Class AA semifinal before the winner meets Cranberry. The AAA semifinal contest will see St. Marys hosting Clearfield for the right to play Punxsutawney in the finals. Golden Tide fans may want to pay attention to the AA results as the Lady Tide will play in that class next year.
Lady Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 3/27 | @ DuBois Central | 8 – 7 | 1 – 0 |
| 3/29 | BROCKWAY | 2 – 6 | 1 – 1 |
| 4/02 | @ Sheffield – DH | ppd. | 1 – 1 |
| 4/04 | @ Ridgway | 11 – 3 | 2 – 1 |
| 4/11 | KANE | ppd. | 2 – 1 |
| 4/13 | @ Keystone | ppd. | 2 – 1 |
| 4/13 | KANE | 5 – 1 | 3 – 1 |
| 4/16 | @ Glendale | 11 – 0 | 4 – 1 |
| 4/17 | @ Johnsonburg | 17 – 1 | 5 – 1 |
| 4/19 | @ Elk County Catholic | 1 – 6 | 5 – 2 |
| 4/23 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | ppd. | 5 – 2 |
| 4/25 | @ Brockway | ppd. | 5 – 2 |
| 4/26 | @ Keystone | ppd. | 5 – 2 |
| 4/27 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | 3 – 5 | 5 – 3 |
| 4/30 | @ Sheffield | 10 – 0 | 6 – 3 |
| 4/30 | @ Sheffield – DH | 16 – 1 | 7 – 3 |
| 5/01 | @ Harmony | ppd. | 7 – 3 |
| 5/02 | @ Harmony | 23 – 0 | 8 – 3 |
| 5/03 | RIDGWAY | 11 – 2 | 9 – 3 |
| 5/04 | @ Mo Valley | 6 – 5 | 10 – 3 |
| 5/07 | @ Kane | 19 – 3 | 11 – 3 |
| 5/08 | @ Brockway | ppd. | 11 – 3 |
| 5/09 | JOHNSONBURG | 12 – 2 | 12 – 3 |
| 5/14 | WEST BRANCH | ppd. | 12 – 3 |
| 5/15 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | 5 – 3 | 13 – 3 |
| 5/16 | ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC | ppd. | 13 – 3 |
| 5/17 | @ Brockway | 6 – 3 | 14 – 3 |
| 5/23 | District 9 “A” Playoffs | ||
| @ Coudersport |