The Bellwood-Antis girls softball probably couldn’t have imagined a worse start to their District 6 2A playoff semifinal at home yesterday against Southern Huntingdon.

B-A got off to sort of a shaky start where on the first pitch of the game Lainey Stinson gave up a double. Then just a few pitches later a home run.

That’s not an ideal situation for a team as young as B-A, which started five freshmen and  two sophomores, but the Lady Devils responded to score 8 unanswered runs to  win 8-2 and move on to the championship against either West Shamokin or West Branch.

”We knew our team had potential, but to see this level of resiliency is impressive,” said Coach Heather Quick. “You never know how young players will handle the  transition to the varsity level. This team stays composed, supports each other, and competes no matter what the situation.”

By the third batter of the game, Stinson had already allowed two extra-base hits, including a 2-run homer by Emma Young. But for the rest of the game the freshman allowed an impressive two hits, one of which did not leave the infield.

She also racked up 8 strikeouts through 7 innings.

At the plate, the team heavily relied on junior Palynn Gregg, who had an strong day going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

It took B-A a couple innings to get started offensively, but the Lady Devils broke through with three runs in the third, including a 2-run, go-ahead single by Avery Conlon. They added one more in the fourth before putting the game away with a 4-run fifth.

Izzy Sweet and Karley Sweigart also added RBIs.

B-A will now advance to the championship game in search of their first District 6 title since 2015, but Quick believes the team has already accomplished a lot no matter the outcome.

“Winning a playoff game was exciting and rewarding,” she said. “Getting to move on shows all of their hard work is paying off.”