Story byThe Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.

PIAA SOFTBALL: Monday’s semifinal capsules

Scott Walsh, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.Sun, Jun 7, 2026·10 min read

2-1 Abington Heights (23-1) vs. 1-3 Upper Dublin (18-8)

When: Monday, 1 p.m.

Where: Patriots Park, Allentown

Admission: Tickets can be purchased online through Hometown Ticketing. Visit piaa.org, click on the link and find the game you’d like to attend. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate for $10.

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How they got here: District 2 champion Abington Heights defeated Upper Moreland, 6-0, in the first round and West Chester East, 9-5, in the quarterfinals. District 1 No. 3 seed Upper Dublin defeated Southern Lehigh, 2-0, in the first round and Springfield-Delco, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.

Up next: The winner moves onto the state final Thursday at 4 p.m. at Penn State University’s Nittany Lion Softball Park to face off with the winner of the other semifinal between District 7 No. 4 seed Thomas Jefferson (19-5) and District 7 champion Shaler (22-1).

Breakdown: The Lady Comets enter Monday’s game with an 18-game winning streak, and last lost April 11 on the road at District 4 school Loyalsock. … Abington Heights, making its sixth PIAA appearance (9-5), looks to reach the state final for the first time. It is 0-3 in the semifinals. … The District 2 champion Lady Comets will try to make the state final via District 1. They beat that district’s No. 4 seed (Upper Moreland) and No. 1 seed (West Chester East) in their first two state games. … Junior and Syracuse commit Adrianna Condrad is 15-1 with a 1.40 earned-run average and 171 strikeouts. She also bats .494 (40 for 81) with 13 doubles, nine home runs, 16 runs and 35 RBIs. … Junior second baseman Eva Kane sparks the Lady Comets attack from the leadoff spot. She is batting .481 (38 for 79) with 13 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 40 runs and 14 RBIs. … Junior left fielder Avary Brister is batting .616 (53 for 86) with 17 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 40 runs and 43 RBIs. … Upper Dublin is making just its second PIAA appearance (3-1). The other came in 2023. … Senior pitcher Kyla Garrison leads the Flying Cardinals. The Howard University commit has a 1.89 ERA and 297 strikeouts in 169.2 innings this season. She has more than 800 strikeouts in her career. … Senior Madison Small is batting .338 (22 for 65) with three doubles, 16 runs and eight RBIs. … Junior shortstop Kate Brannigan is batting .273 (18 for 66) with one double, two home runs and 10 RBIs. It was her RBI single in the top of the sixth inning that broke a tie and gave Upper Dublin its quarterfinal win over Springfield-Delco.

Class 4A

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2-1 Valley View (22-3) vs. 1-1 Pope John Paul II (14-9)

When: Monday, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Lehighton Area High School

Admission: Tickets can be purchased online through Hometown Ticketing. Visit piaa.org, click on the link and find the game you’d like to attend. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate for $10.

How they got here: District 2 champion Valley View defeated Northern Lebanon in the first round, 5-0, and Archbishop Carroll in the quarterfinals, 2-0. District 1 champion Pope John Paul II beat Science Leadership Academy in the first round, 12-2, and Blue Mountain in the quarterfinals, 2-1.

Up next: The winner advances to the state final Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Penn State University’s Nittany Lion Softball Park to play the winner of the semifinal between District 7 runner-up Blackhawk (14-5) and District 10 champion Harbor Creek (19-5).

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Breakdown: Valley View rides a 10-game winning streak into Monday’s game and has eight consecutive shutouts. It has not allowed a run since the bottom of the fifth inning May 5 against Scranton Prep — a span of 52 innings. … Abbi Call is a big reason why. The Clemson University-bound senior took a perfect game into the seventh inning in the quarterfinals and settled for a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts. Call is 15-2 with a 2.17 ERA and 150 strikeouts. Offensively, she is batting .638 (37 for 58) with four doubles, nine home runs, 25 runs and 33 RBIs. … Bryant commit Zoie Krupovich is batting .430 (34 for 79) with five doubles, four home runs, 25 runs and 23 RBIs. … Le Moyne commit Ella Swingle is batting .346 (27 for 78) with three doubles, four triples, one home run, 32 runs and 17 RBIs. … Sophomore Ashlan Palickar is batting .365 (27 for 74) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 19 runs and 19 RBIs. … Valley View, making its 15th PIAA appearance (22-11), won three state titles — Class 2A in 2000, Class 3A in 2013 and Class 4A last season. It also was Class 3A runner-up in 2012. … Pope John Paul II is making its third PIAA appearance (4-2). The Panthers are hot at the right time, winning four straight and eight of their last 11. … Freshman Harper Haddle is batting .523 (34 for 65) with three doubles, six triples, two home runs, 28 runs and 25 RBIs. … Freshman Alyssa Satalin is batting .362 (25 for 69) with five doubles, three triples, three home runs, 28 runs and 16 RBIs. … Sophomore Alexis Henderson is batting .351 (20 for 57) with one double and seven RBIs. … Freshman pitcher Gianna Forte is 7-6 with a 2.36 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 74 innings. Senior Lexi DiBricida is also used in the circle and is 5-2 with a 3.97 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. … In the quarterfinals against Blue Mountain, Pope John Paul II scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to erase a 1-0 deficit. … These schools met previously in the state tournament. In the 2011 Class 3A quarterfinals, Valley View won, 14-1, in five innings.

2-1 Mid Valley (21-3) vs. 11-1 Pine Grove (25-2)

When: Monday, 4 p.m.

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Where: Hazleton Area High School

How they got here: District 2 champion Mid Valley defeated Warrior Run in the first round, 2-0, and Villa Joseph Marie in the quarterfinals, 8-0. District 11 champ Pine Grove defeated Littlestown in the first round, 5-4, and Mifflinburg in the quarterfinals, 3-0.

Up next: The winner advances to the state final Thursday at 1:30 p.m. a Penn State University’s Nittany Lion Softball Park to play the winner of the semifinal between District 10 champion Sharon (23-0) and District 7 champ South Park (22-1).

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Breakdown: This is a rematch of last year’s Class 3A semifinal at Hazleton Area, won by Pine Grove, 3-0. In that game, pitcher Jamie Dinger tossed a complete-game two-hit shutout with no walks and seven strikeouts. … Dinger is back this season. The junior is 14-2 with a 0.76 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 100.2 innings. She also is batting .404 (36 for 89) with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 24 RBIs. … Pine Grove lately also used junior Chelcy Clark in the circle. In five playoff appearances, the Monmouth University commit has a 0.83 ERA with two runs and 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. In the quarterfinals against previously unbeaten Mifflinburg, she threw a complete-game shutout on five hits, two walks and one strikeout. … Senior center fielder Callee Leffler paces the Lady Cardinals attack. The Florida State commit is batting .646 (42 for 65) with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. In seven postseason games, she is 9 for 17 with nine walks, five home runs and 10 RBIs. … Pine Grove, making its eighth PIAA appearance (16-5), and has 10 straight state playoff wins that includes winning the Class 3A state title in 2019 and last season. … Mid Valley allowed just one run in four playoffs games: a home run by Lake-Lehman’s Hannah Chipego in the District 2 championship game at Wilkes. … Junior pitcher Ava Hazelton has 613 career strikeouts and is 62-8 in her Spartanettes career. This season, she is 21-3 with a 1.98 ERA and 236 strikeouts. … Freshman Marley Morano was 4 for 4 in the quarterfinal win over Villa Joseph Marie and is batting .463 (31 for 67) with 13 RBIs. … Freshman Angela Laskowski is batting .447 (38 for 85) with 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 36 runs and 34 RBIs. … Junior Parker Bennett is batting .444 (32 for 72) with 11 doubles, one triple, 23 runs and 23 RBIs. … This is Mid Valley’s 18th PIAA appearance (21-16). The Spartanettes are 2-5 in the semifinals … These schools met twice previously in the state tournament. Besides last season, Pine Grove won in the 2017 Class 3A semifinals, 10-5.

2-1 Holy Cross (20-3) vs. 11-1 Tri-Valley (19-5)

When: Monday, 3 p.m.

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How they got here: District 2 champion Holy Cross beat Montgomery in the first round, 9-1, and Claysburg Kimmel in the quarterfinals, 6-5, in nine innings. District 11 champ Tri-Valley beat Dock Mennonite in the first round, 7-1, and Bucktail in the quarterfinals, 13-4.

Up next: The winner advances to Thursday’s final at 11 a.m. against the winner of the semifinal matchup between District 7 champion Union Area (20-2) and District 5 champion Berlin Brothersvalley (22-2).

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Breakdown: This is a rematch of last year’s first-round game at the University of Scranton’s Magis Field, won by Holy Cross, 3-2, on a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning by Ava Schmidt. … Tri-Valley is making its eighth PIAA appearance (12-5). The Lady Bulldogs won Class 1A state titles in 2021 and 2023. … Tri-Valley started the season 4-3, but won 15 of its last 17. The two losses came against Class 3A semifinalist Pine Grove. … Junior Summer Cupsta-Klinger is batting .559 (38 for 68) with eight doubles, six triples, two home runs, 35 runs and 23 RBIs. … Sophomore Myah Schwalm is batting .471 (32 for 68) with 13 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 19 runs and 33 RBIs. Schwalm also was the winning pitcher in the quarterfinals against Bucktail, striking out 10. … Junior OIivia Witmer is batting .416 (32 for 77) with 14 doubles, two home runs, 26 runs and 30 RBIs. … Senior Olivia Lupole is batting .406 (28 for 69) with nine doubles, four triples, two home runs, 23 runs and 26 RBIs. … In the District 11 final, Tri-Valley overcame a five-run deficit in the first inning to beat Marian Catholic, 14-8. … Holy Cross, making its sixth PIAA appearance (5-5), is in the semifinals for the first time and seeking its first trip to the state final. … Senior pitcher Schmidt is 20-3 with a 1.54 ERA and 204 strikeouts. She also is batting .461 (37 for 79) with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 37 runs and 17 RBIs. … Senior catcher Peyton Graboske is batting .479 (34 for 71) with six doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 23 runs and 36 RBIs. … Junior shortstop Jules Galella is batting .440 (33 for 75) with six doubles, four home runs, 26 runs and 32 RBIs. … Junior outfielder Claire Helring is batting .422 (27 for 64) with two doubles, six home runs, 23 runs and 19 RBIs. … Junior Lila Kolcharno, freshmen McKinley Griffiths, Maya DeSantis and sophomore Kiera Bauman all bat .343 or higher. … The Lady Crusaders’ three losses came against district champions who are still alive in the state semifinals: Abington Heights (Class 5A), Mid Valley (Class 3A) and District 1 Bristol (Class 2A).