Highlands softball beats Bishop McDevitt, earns rematch with Beaver in state semifinals
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Thursday, June 10, 2021 | 10:07 PM
Highlands celebrates Jess Cekada’s home run against Bishop McDeviit in the sixth inning during the PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinals Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands’ Jess Cekada hits a home run against Bishop McDevitt in the sixth inning of a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands starting pitcher Jaycee Haidze throws against Bishop McDevitt during a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands’ Jess Cekada runs down a ball hit by Bishop McDevitt’s Olivia Murphy in the sixth inning during a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands’ Jess Cekada tags out Bishop McDevitt’s Maddy Lehigh trying to steal in the first inning during a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands’ Peyton Smalley makes a running catch on a ball hit by Bishop McDevitt’s Gianna Ordanoff in the second inning during a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands’ Joie Beacom hits a two-run single against Bishop McDevitt in the fifth inning during a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
Highlands’ Kylie Zourelias makes a running catch on a ball hit by Bishop McDevitt’s Gianna Ordanoff during a PIAA Class 4A softball quarterfinal on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Central Cambria High School.
EBENSBURG — The Highlands softball team had to wait through a four-hour delay from the original 4 p.m. start of its PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game Thursday against Bishop McDevitt.
It also practiced patience as the game was moved from Mt. Aloysius College to nearby Central Cambria High School.
In the end, the wait for the Golden Rams was worth it.
Highlands won for the 18th time this season and advanced to the PIAA semifinals for the first time with a 6-1 victory over the District 3 champion Crusaders.
The Golden Rams are set for a WPIAL title game rematch with Beaver.
The Bobcats defeated Elizabeth Forward on Thursday to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
“It is amazing,” senior second baseman Joie Beacom said. “We knew we had an opportunity. We knew we were playing, no matter what. We stayed focused through it all. I am just so glad we are still going (in the state playoffs).”
An RBI single from Kylie Zourelias and a two-run homer from Jess Cekada in the bottom of the sixth gave Highlands three insurance runs.
Golden Rams starter Jaycee Haidze pitched a complete game, striking out nine and giving up just four hits in seven innings.
An RBI single from catcher Liz Safford in the top of the sixth accounted for McDevitt’s lone run. The Crusaders left the bases loaded in that same inning.
The Golden Rams finished the game with nine hits.
Highlands got on the board in the bottom of the second as Haidze led off with a triple and came home on a ground out to short by Abbie Deiseroth.
The Golden Rams added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth as Cekada and Maera Williams connected on back-to-back one-out singles.
After a strikeout, Beacom came through in the clutch with a single to center to drive in both Cekada and Williams.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
Tags: Highlands
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