Bald Eagle Area softball no-hits Penns Valley, claims spot in states, district title game

As the stakes were raised for Bald Eagle Area and Penns Valley in a playoff matchup on Friday afternoon, each of its starting pitchers stepped up to meet them.

For the Rams, it was Taylor Bumgardner that dominated the mound. Her final line included six innings of one-hit softball.

But sometimes, that one hit is the difference maker.

Bumgardner’s counterpart on the mound, Sierra Albright, held Penns Valley hitless in the second round of the District 6 Class 2A playoffs as BEA claimed a 1-0 win at home to advance.

“We have quality teams in our league, and Penns Valley is one of those ones that you throw out the books, because they’re well-coached,” BEA head coach Don Lucas said.

With the win, the Eagles punched their ticket to both states and the district title game, where they’ll match up against West Shamokin.

Friday’s contest between the Eagles and Rams was the second-straight year the teams met in the district playoffs, as BEA took down Penns Valley 5-1 in the 2023 Class 2A title game.

From the start, it was everything a pitcher’s duel is supposed to be.

As BEA continued its quest for a second-straight district title, Albright shut down Penns Valley’s lineup early on, while Bumgardner got through the bottom of the first with a 1-2-3 inning.

Ultimately, it was the second inning that made the difference.

First, it was the Rams that began to threaten — Albright walked Sydnie Dalton, who later found herself in scoring position. But the Eagles’ ace escaped the inning, notching three strikeouts along the way.

Albright would finish with 12 punchouts, while Bumgardner finished with 11.

“I don’t think you’re going to find two better pitchers in the state of Pennsylvania (that can) duel it out better than that,” Penns Valley head coach Terry Bumgardner said.

In the bottom half of the second, the Eagles struck gold for the game’s only run. Alexa Baney laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Sydney Thompson, who had just tripled into the right field corner.

In the moment, Baney’s RBI was just the first run of a district playoff matchup; by the end, that one short bunt earned her team a trip to states.

Both Albright and Bumgardner cruised the rest of the way. Thompson’s triple was the only hit in a game owned by the two pitchers.

Albright closed out the playoff matchup in the top of the seventh by doing it all herself — after striking out a pair of Rams, she snagged a soft flyout back to the mound to send BEA further into the postseason.

“This game came down to actually, one pitch,” Terry Bumgardner said. “(I) give credit to them, Sierra (Albright) pitched a great game.”

On Wednesday, Albright and the Eagles, now 17-4 this season, will look to stay hot against West Shamokin and claim another District 6 Class 2A title before the state playoffs begin.

“Each year is a new adventure with a new group of girls,” Lucas said. “It’s always fun to go back to the district finals … we’re looking forward to it and the challenge.”

Around the county

Bellefonte softball: Bellefonte advanced to the subregional final with a 21-1 win over Carrick of District 8 on Tuesday. The Raiders will take on the winner of the District 9 final between St. Mary’s and Clearfield, which takes place May 27. The winner will play Bellefonte on May 30 for the right to go to the state tournament.

State College softball: The Lions earned the Class 6A District 6 title Thursday with a 6-1 victory over Mifflin County. They will advance to a subregional game against McDowell on May 28 at Allegheny College. The winner of that game will advance to the state tournament.

Bald Eagle Area baseball: The Eagles will play West Branch for the District 6 title on May 28 at Mount Aloysius after defeating Mount Union 11-3 in the semifinals. They have already clinched a berth into states.

Bellefonte baseball: The Raiders defeated Carrick 17-2 Tuesday to advance to the subregional final and will take on Clearfield for a chance to go to states. The date, time and location for that game are to be determined.