Pittston Area will go right back to the same site for the same starting time as it tries to extend its Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 5A softball playoff run to the state final.
The Lady Patriots are again at Patriots Park in Allentown Monday at 6 p.m. to face District 1 runner-up Oxford (16-9) in a semifinal. The winner advances to Thursday’s 4 p.m. state final at Penn State’s Beard Field against the winner of the western game between District 7’s top two teams, Armstrong (22-4) and Penn Trafford (20-3).
Pittston Area (23-0) again follows District 2 Class 4A champion Tunkhannock, which is playing at 4 p.m. against Villa Joseph Marie in the opener of Monday’s Patriots Park doubleheader.
Oxford entered the District 1 tournament as just the seventh seed in a 12-team field from among the district’s 22 Class 5A teams.
After opening the district playoffs with a 4-3 win over Pottsgrove, Oxford knocked off second-seeded Springfield-Delco, 4-1, and third-seeded Upper Perkiomen, 13-3, to reach the final. West Chester Rustin downed Oxford, 7-6, in district championship game.
West Chester Rustin was then eliminated with a 12-7 state loss to Lampeter-Strasburg, the defending state champion that Pittston Area rallied to defeat, 3-2, Thursday.
Oxford beat two district champions to reach this point. It handled District 12’s Cardinal O’Hara, 6-1, and District 3’s Exeter Township, 7-3.
The Hornets are led by .500 hitters Molly Friel and McKenna Frank.
Friel doubled twice and drove in two runs while Frank went 3-for-3 with a double, run and RBI against Exeter Township. Hannah Aker scored twice and drove in two runs.
Frank had three of the team’s 15 hits against Cardinal O’Hara.
