Palisades, Emmaus advance to title games in District 11 softball

Krista Morrone and Sarah Faust, two of the hardest-throwing pitchers in local softball, both came to Pates Park on Tuesday night for the District 11 semifinals coming off stellar quarterfinal-round performances.

But only one stayed hot.

While Morrone tossed a five-hit shutout in Palisades' 1-0 win over Saucon Valley in a 3A semi, Faust couldn't find her stride in a 9-2 Nazareth loss to Emmaus in a 4A final four contest.

So, Morrone and the Pirates advance to Thursday's 5 p.m. 3A title game against Southern Lehigh, while the Green Hornets will play Stroudsburg -- a come-from-behind, 8-7 semifinal winner over Easton -- in the 4A finals that will follow at 7 p.m. Thursday at Pates.

''It just wasn't our night,'' said Nazareth coach Michelle Schoeneberger, whose team won the Lehigh Valley Conference title and then beat Northampton 1-0 in the quarters behind Faust's no-hitter, a gem that included 17 strikeouts.

''You can make a million excuses for it, but it is what it is,'' Schoeneberger added. ''Emmaus came out hitting Sarah today. She wasn't on her game today, but that's softball.''

Nazareth defeated Emmaus 6-4 in the LVC semis 15 nights earlier. But even in that defeat, the Hornets made her work.

''Our girls didn't mind seeing [Faust] again because they know they can battle her and can hit her,'' Emmaus coach John Eyer said. ''We just made too many mistakes in the field the last time we played them and that's why we lost.''

This time, the Hornets were stinging from the beginning.

Leadoff batter Sami Ashley had three hits and scored two runs and winning pitcher Kayla Kresley hit a home run in the fourth.

The night ended better than it started for Kresley, who was coming off a shutout quarterfinal-win over Pleasant Valley, but had to sit out the first two innings for an unspecified infraction of team rules.

''She understood what she did wrong,'' Eyer said. ''Nicole Golembeski [another sophomore] came in there and pitched two scoreless innings for us in place of Kayla and that's all we wanted.''

Kresley said she learned from her mistake and was eager to atone for it.

''It bothered me not to be able to start,'' Kresley said. ''But I accepted it and I really did learn from my mistake. I couldn't wait to get out there and when I did, I knew what I had to do. The home run was so exciting for me.''

Emmaus (16-7) had a baserunner in every inning.

Ashley led off the game with a double and scored on Bri Howell's sac fly.

A wild pitch scored the second run in the third inning and Kresley's homer over the fence in left made it 3-0 in the fourth. The Green Hornets then put it away with three runs apiece in the fifth and sixth.

Nazareth was shut down on two hits until it scored two runs with help from an error in the sixth.

''Our girls kept battling,'' Schoeneberger said. ''It was 9-0 and they were still trying to chip away. They can hold their heads high.''

The Blue Eagles finished 17-7.

Meanwhile, Emmaus is guaranteed of two more games because District 11 gets two 4A teams in the state tournament.

''I am not surprised,'' said Eyer, whose program has won four district titles since 2000. ''We've been playing such great ball over the bottom half of the season. I knew we had the bats, I knew we had the ability and I knew we had the heart to win this one.

''We have a young team and it's going to be a great experience for them to get into the state tournament and see what it's all about.''

But first things first.

''We can't win to come back here on Thursday and go for the district title,'' Kresley said. ''It's going to be exciting.''

The Palisades-Saucon game was an exciting pitchers' duel for 61/2 innings.

But Mary Beth Sadow's single to right with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh sent the Pirates on to Thursday's 5 p.m. 3A title game against Southern Lehigh -- a 2-1 winner over Pottsville in the other 3A semifinal.

Palisades, enjoying the greatest era in program history thanks to the amazing Morrone, is in the district finals for the third straight year. The Pirates won the 2008 district title but lost to Becahi in last year's championship game

''It feels great to be in the finals three years in a row,'' said Morrone, who was coming off a one-hitter with 21 strikeouts in a 1-0, 11-inning win over Wilson in the quarters. ''I feel really good right now. I'm really loose and everything is coming together at the right time.''

Morrone allowed five hits, walked none and fanned 13. She helped herself by throwing out a runner at third on a delayed steal attempt in the fourth after the first two Saucon hitters had singled.

Saucon Valley senior Colleen Garrity matched Morrone through six innings and took a one-hitter into the seventh.

But in the seventh, an error at shortstop on Sam Sherrard's grounder started the game-winning rally. Taylor Rundatz followed with a single to left. The runners moved up on a wild pitch.

Morrone was then walked intentionally to load the bases. Sadow, a senior headed to West Chester, ripped a 2-1 pitch down the line in right.

It would have gone for at least a double and two runs, but one was all that Palisades needed to return to the finals.

Just like the Palisades' victory, Stroudsburg's win over Easton was attained with a big hit down the right-field line in the bottom of the seventh.

Stroudsburg's Caitlin Noyes had missed batting in recent games because of a fractured foot, but on Tuesday night, Noyes' bat broke Easton's heart.

Her single down the right-field line with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning capped a wild, 8-7 come-from-behind win for the Mounties in the District 11 4A semifinals at Pates Park.

The game, which ended at about 11:20 p.m., was a classic. The Mountain Valley Conference champs (19-5) rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to take a 7-5 lead, and then shook off the disappointment of having the Red Rovers (15-8) tie the game with two outs in the top of the seventh.

But in the bottom half of the seventh, Kayla Humphries doubled to start things and moved to third on an infield out before scoring on Noyes' drive to right.

''My girls came to battle,'' said proud Stroudsburg coach Maynard Frantz. ''I think the girls were a little nervous being at Pates Park for the first time and dug a big hole. But they battled, battled and battled.''

Morgan Booth led Stroudsburg with three hits, including a homer, and Bridget O'Malley had a three-run double.

But the biggest noise was from Noyes.

''I really wanted it,'' she said. ''Even down 5-0, I never doubted we'd come back.''

Easton -- 230 - 000 - 2 -- 7-8-3
Stroudsburg -- 021 - 004 - 1 -- 8-12-1
Dalrymple and Brown; Berger and Noyes. HR: Stroudsburg, Booth (3rd, none on).

Emmaus -- 101 - 133 - 0 -- 9-6-2
Nazareth -- 000 - 002 - 0 -- 2-4-2
Golembeski, Kresley (3) and Solarek; Faust, Frace (7) and Ammon, Morgan Calabrese (6). HR: Emmaus, Kresley (4th, none on).

Saucon Valley -- 000 - 000 - 0 -- 0-5-1
Palisades -- 000 - 000 - 1 -- 1-3-1
Garrity and Seneca; Morrone and Sadow.

FROM KEITH GROLLER