New Phila upset by Boardman, Tusky Valley tops Harrison Central in district semis
No. 14 seed Boardman scored two times in the top of the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie en route to a 5-3 upset win over No. 3 and state-ranked New Philadelphia in a Northeast Division I sistrict softball semifinal played at Massillon on Tuesday.
The Spartans snapped the Quakers' 20-game winning streak as New Philadelphia, ranked No. 10 in the final coaches poll, ended its season at 20-5. Boardman will play Walsh Jesuit for a district championship.
Winning freshman pitcher Tori Strines helped her cause with an infield RBI single in the eighth that broke the tie. The Spartans added a run on a bases-loaded walk by New Phila senior Julia Miller to make it 5-3.
Strines made the final score stand up as she retired the side in the bottom of the eighth. She fanned six and walked two while allowing six hits.
The Spartans held a 1-0 lead with two outs in the top of the first inning when the rains came and washed out action Monday. Jenna Olexa had an RBI double.
The game resumed with a runner on base. Miller walked a batter but got a strikeout to end the frame.
Miller ended up with 15 strikeouts, but walked 10 and scattered seven hits.
The Quakers tied the game in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Olivia Jackson.
Boardman retook the lead in the fifth on a solo home run by Madison Lester, bur the Quakers rallied to take a 3-2 edge in the bottom of the frame on a Miller RBI single and an RBI groundout by Ellie Mason.
The lead was short-lived as Boardman evened the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Sophia Hoffman.
In addition to Miller's two hits, Reese Loveday had a triple and single for the Quakers.
The Quakers finished as East Central Ohio League, Ohio Valley Athletic Conference and sectional champions.
Tusky Valley 3, Harrison Central 2
No 5 Tusky Valley scored a mild upset of No. 2 Harrison Central in a Div. III semifinal played at Conotton Valley.
The Trojans will play top-seeded Martins Ferry Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Cambridge for the district crown.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: New Philadelphia upset by Boardman in a District semifinal
