JOHNSONBURG, Pa. (D9Sports) — Scoring nine runs in the first three innings, Cranberry advanced to the District 9 Class 2A softball title game for the fourth straight season with a 13-7 win over Johnsonburg at Knothole Park in Johnsonburg.

(Photo by Jared Bakaysa of JB Graphics. See more of Bakaysa’s work here)

“It feels good to get back to the finals,” Cranberry manager Glenn Barcinas said. “We weren’t sure if it was possible. We fought through a lot of adversity with injuries and losing some really close games to really good teams early on in the season.”

In a rematch of last year’s D9 2A champion game won by Cranberry, the third-seeded Berries (12-5) scored three in the first, one in the second and five in the third and actually led 13-4 going to the bottom of the seventh before second-seeded Johnsonburg (11-7) scored three times in the seventh to make the score look closer than it was.

Cranberry pounded out 17 hits with everyone in the starting lineup getting at least one base knock including six players with multiple hits led by four from Malliah Schreck, who was 4-for-5 in the game with a home run, a double, two RBIs and four runs scored.

“The bats really came alive today all through the lineup,” Barcinas said. “We had a pile of very hard-hit balls. We were very patient at the plate and adjusted quickly.”

Schreck’s first-inning home run, a two-run shot, helped Cranberry build the 3-0 lead before Johnsonburg ever game to bat, and Maddie Cornelius’ RBI double in the second staked the Berries out to a 4-0 lead.

But Johnsonburg, which lost ace pitcher Maria Jones to an injury earlier in the season, responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to temporarily make it a game.

Jenna Pavlock had a two-run triple to center to get the Ramettes on the board and she scored on an Amanda Williams bunt single.

Cranberry, however, shook off the three Johnsonburg runs by extending the lead to 9-3 with the five-run third.

After Rachel McCauley singled leading off the inning she went to third when Schreck reached on an error. Maria Anderson then doubled to center scoring both runners, and Emily Duncan followed with another double to make it 7-3. Following a Jenna Reynolds single that moved Duncan to third, Andrea Watson brought home a run with a sac bunt, and Cornelius doubled home another run to make it 9-3.

After Johnsonburg got a run back in the bottom of the third to make it 9-4, Cranberry scored single runs in the fourth and fifth to make it 11-4 before RBI hits by Anderson and Watson in the sixth pushed the lead to 13-4.

Johnsonburg tried to rally in the seventh scoring the three runs on five hits, all singles, but Watson was able to get Peyton Delhunty to ground out to Duncan at third base with runners on second and third to end the game.

Watson went the distance allowing seven runs, all earned, on 10 hits and three walks while striking out five.

Peterson took the loss also pitching seven innings allowing 13 runs, eight earned, on 17 hits and two walks while striking out three.

In addition to Schreck’s big game offensively for Cranberry, Anderson was 2-for-4 with the double, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Watson (2-for-3, 2 runs scored), Cornelius (2-for-5, 2 doubles) and Kaylie Bruce (2-for-5, 1 double, 1 run scored) each drove in a pair of runs as well.

Haylee Zimmerman was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for Johnsonburg with Williams going 2-for-3 with an RBI and Pavlock going 2-for-3 with the triple, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Cranberry will take on Redbank Valley in the District 9 title game at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at Heindl Field in DuBois.

CRANBERRY 13, JOHNSONBURG 7

Score by Innings

Cranberry 315 112 0 — 13
Johnsonburg 031 000 3 — 7

CRANBERRY — 13

Andrea Watson p 3222, Maddie Cornelius rf 5022, Kaylie Bruce dp 5122, Rachel McCauley 1b 5110, Malliah Schreck ss 5442, Megan Hadden cf 5021, Maria Anderson lf 4223, Emily Duncan 3b 2211, Jenna Reynolds c 3010, Olivia Plummer cr 0100. Totals 37-13-17-13.

JOHNSONBURG — 7

Amanda Williams cf 3021, Jordan Bundy dp 4000, Lindsey Kocjancic 3b 4111, Alyssa Kasmierski c 3200, Skylar Sherry ss 4021, Haylee Zimmersman 2b 4022, Peyton Delhunty rf 4110, Michaela Herzing 1b 2100, Jenna Pavlock lf 3222, Julie Peterson p 0000. Totals 31-7-10-7.

LOB: Cranberry 8. Johnsonburg 6. Errors: Cranberry 1. Johnsonburg 4. 2B: Schreck, Anderson, Bruce, Duncan, Cornelius (2), Sherry. 3B: Pavlock. HR: Schreck. SB: Schreck, Williams.

PITCHING

Cranberry

Andrea Watson 7 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Johnsonburg

Julie Peterson 7 IP, 17 H, 13 R, 8 R, 2 BB, 3 K

Winning pitcher: Watson
Losing pitcher: Peterson