Saegertown overcomes slow start to beat Seneca in District 10 Class 2A softball semifinals

MEADVILLE — The usual playoff adrenaline was present as Saegertown and Seneca prepared to play in a District 10 Class 2A softball semifinal Wednesday.

Then the rain came.

The two teams were sent to their buses to wait out the storm, which turned into a 2-hour, 15-minute delay.

After a slow start, Saegertown scored 11 runs over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to beat Seneca 12-5 and move on to the D-10 championship on Monday against Maplewood.

“I had some concerns after the delay because the girls took a nap with it being perfect napping weather,” said Saegertown coach Jenn Bowes. “But the girls came out ready to play so I can't complain.”

Saegertown seemed to be missing energy early on as the Panthers went through warm-ups with groundballs skipping off gloves.

For Maggie Triola, it was seeing Seneca score right away that snapped the Panthers into game mode.

“Everything was really low early and it was hard to get the energy up,” said Triola, who had four hits. “After Seneca scored their first run, we realized we had to get going.”

Seneca (8-11) took an early 1-0 lead on an Alara Bem RBI triple, but Saegertown tied the game on a Bobcat error in the bottom of the first inning.

Seneca retook the lead in the fourth inning as freshman Haylee Farrell doubled in a run and the Bobcats made it 3-1 on a Saegertown error.

It was all Panthers the rest of the way.

Rhia Paris doubled in a run before two runs scored on an Alyssa Arblaster single to give Saegertown a 4-3 lead. The Panthers added on in the fifth inning as two runs scored on a Triola base hit before an error scored another run and Saegertown scored on a fielder's choice. Mikaila Obenrader, who rolled in the circle, doubled in two runs to make it 10-3 after five innings.

“We had a lot of kids step up with big hits in big times,” Bowes said. “We had to settle in and execute as the game went on.”

Bem led Seneca with three hits, while Arblaster, Obenrader and Natalie Halsey had two hits apiece for Saegertown.

What's next?

The Panthers (15-2) have to beat Maplewood a third time to win D-10 on Monday. Maplewood was originally eliminated by Sharpsville 9-3 in the quarterfinals but was placed back in the bracket after a forfeit by the Blue Devils. Maplewood then upset Wilmington 2-0 on Wednesday.

“I think we can make some noise Monday,” Bowes said. “We have the ability to perform in high-pressure situations and I think we got some nerves out. We're ready.”

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Saegertown softball beats Seneca after slow start in D-10 playoffs