Cathedral Prep completes season sweep of Conneaut, advances to D-10 softball 4A title game
Madison Simmerman patiently waited for her chance to pitch in the playoffs.
She spent the past two years behind Division I standout Jenna Wagner who moved on to Saint Joe’s this past year.
Simmerman took advantage of the opportunity on Thursday by striking out 11 and allowing just one unearned run and two hits in a dominant win.
Each hitter in Cathedral Prep’s lineup had at least one hit as the Ramblers beat Conneaut 8-1 in the District 10 Class 4A softball semifinals at Penn State Behrend.
“The key was for us to play this game like it was any other game,” said Simmerman, who recently committed to Maine. “We needed to not let the moment become too big and have that mindset going into the game.”
Prep (15-6) gets a chance to defend its D-10 championship on Monday against Hickory at a site to be determined, while Conneaut ends the season 8-11.
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Conneaut took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out Prep error, but Simmerman then retired 13 in a row.
The Ramblers then went to work at the plate.
Simmerman singled with two outs in the first inning to bring in the tying run. In the bottom of the second inning, Addison Baldi lifted a sacrifice fly and Mackenzie Moore added a two-out RBI single to give Prep a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Mya Kaliszewski had an RBI single, Sophia Primavere had a two-run double and Baldi added a two-run single as the Prep offense dominated throughout the game. The Ramblers collected 11 hits with each starter having at least one hit.
“From top to bottom we are strong and when the top of the lineup is down the bottom picks them up and vice versa,” Baldi said. “We’ve been taking a one game at a time attitude and the positive attitude really helps us get through these games.”
Baldi drove in three runs while Primavere drove in two runs on two hits and Emily Dudenhoeffer had two hits as well.
“I’m very happy with our club one through nine as we start six freshmen and sophomores and they all came up big,” said Prep coach Scott Baldi. “Conneaut always gives us problems because they are well-coached and have some awesome players on that team. We’re happy to get away with a win.”
Prep will look to regroup this weekend and knock off the upset-minded Hornets on Monday.
“It feels great to play for D-10 and I’m really excited to go back to the championship game a third time,” Simmerman said. “I’m grateful to pitch in the playoffs for the first time and this team has really become solid as the season went on.”
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 4A softball semifinals: Cathedral Prep beats Conneaut
