Holy Cross’ Ava Schmidt pitches during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ McKinley Griffiths bats during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross softball players celebrate after winning the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game over Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross head coach Joe Ross talks to Lila Kolcharno before she bats in the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ Ava Schmidt bats during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Joselyn DeStefano high fives her teammate Lilianna Lenceski during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Holy Cross on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ Jules Galella throws to first during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Joselyn DeStefano catches a fly ball during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Holy Cross on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Caroline Revello hugs head coach Pat Revello as the team is presented with their silver medals after the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Holy Cross on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Kamryn Notari pitches during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Holy Cross on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Holy Cross’ Ava Schmidt pitches during the District 2 Class 1A softball championship game against Old Forge on Tuesday at Marywood University. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
SCRANTON — Holy Cross softball coach Joe Ross rarely is at a loss for words.
But even he has a tough time to come up with adjectives and superlatives to describe Ava Schmidt.
The senior pitcher left her coach speechless again with her performance Tuesday in the District 2 Class 1A final. She tossed a two-hit shutout with one walk and 10 strikeouts and also had three hits with two doubles to help lead the Lady Crusaders to an 8-0 win over Old Forge at Marywood University.
“The focus that she brings and how hard she works, what she put in to get to this level,” Ross said. “I’m just happy for her and her family that the culmination of all her hard work is a performance like that in the district championship game.”
Maya DeSantis also had three hits and two RBIs. Jules Galella and Keira Bauman added two hits and two RBIs apiece and McKinley Griffiths chipped in two hits for Holy Cross (18-3), which repeats as district champ and advances to the PIAA Class 1A playoffs. It will face District 4 champion Montgomery (16-6) in the first round June 1 at a site and time to be determined.
Singles in the sixth inning by Lilianna Lenceski and with two outs in the seventh inning by Kamryn Notari were the lone hits off Schmidt for Old Forge (15-7).
“I went out there and my rise ball was working really well,” Schmidt said. “I got three quick outs in the beginning and that just kind of fueled us for offense. We just kept the momentum up and played really great defense.”
After retiring Old Forge in order in the top of the first, Schmidt led off the bottom of the first with a double to center. One out later, Galella singled to score Schmidt and give Holy Cross a 1-0 lead.
“I faced her a lot of times so I knew what she was going to throw,” Schmidt said. “I just waited for my pitch and I attacked it. It felt really good to double off the fence. That just kind of fueled us for the rest of the inning so I could score.
“I felt confident that we could hold them. But also that wasn’t a big enough lead for us to win the whole game. Once we started to score more runs, I definitely felt a lot better after that.”
Schmidt got things going again in the bottom of the third with another double, this one down the third-base line. After Lila Kolcharno reached on a fielder’s choice, Galella singled again to score Schmidt and make it 2-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, DeSantis and Bauman singled. Emily Fitzpatrick bunted into a fielder’s choice with Old Forge getting DeSantis out a third. But Schmidt had an infield single and Kolcharno followed with a bloop single to center to score Bauman and extend the lead to 3-0.
It was a credit to Notari, Old Forge’s pitcher, that the Lady Devils only trailed by three runs midway through the game.
“We stayed in there and I don’t think the scoreboard represents how much Kam put into this game,” Old Forge coach Pat Revello said. “I thought she pitched very well. A bloop here and a bloop there. And, we didn’t hit.”
Ross agreed.
“Kamryn Notari really battled,” Ross said. “We left quite a few baserunners on. When she needed to make a pitch, she made a good pitch and got us out on our front foot.”
Holy Cross broke things open in its final two at-bats. Bauman had a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to increase the margin to 5-0. With two outs in the sixth, an RBI single by Griffiths and two-run single by DeSantis capped the scoring.
Last season, Holy Cross advanced to the state quarterfinals before losing a tough, eight-inning game. Schmidt said they learned from that loss and hope to use it as motivation to make a deep run this season.
“We kept it in the back of our minds and used it as a way to get better and grow,” she said. “Not make the same mistakes we made last year, work on keeping our hits going and playing good defense.
“We just need to be consistent, play our game and be calm throughout each inning. And score one more run than the other team.”
If his team focuses on the little things, Ross feels the Lady Crusaders can advance deep in the state tournament.
“We have No. 99 in the circle and we have a bunch of kids who swing the bat well,” he said. “If we catch the ball, throw it and hit it, we’re going to be a formidable foe in states.”
Revello thinks Schmidt can be the difference.
“She was great today. Ava was strong in the circle,” Revello said. “I think she’s going to do great in states. They have a great head coach and a great pitcher. They can go far with this.”