Calkins, Kutztown down Delone Catholic and head to District 3-AA Final

MILLERSVILLE>> After Delone Catholic’s Marlee Lackey lined the ball into right field to leadoff the bottom of the seventh inning, it looked like the Squires had put the game-tying run on base with no outs during Tuesday’s District 3-AA semifinal at Millersville University.

Kutztown right fielder Jillian Siefert had other ideas. She fielded the ball cleanly and fired a strike to first base to get Lackey out.

After issuing a walk to the next batter, Cougars’ pitcher Katie Calkins finished off the next two hitters to clinch the 1-0 victory for Kutztown, advancing her team to the District 3-AA championship and qualifying the Cougars for the PIAA playoffs.

“We practice that every day just for this situation,” Kutztown head coach Kevin Conrad said of Siefert’s throw to first. “That was a huge play.”

Kutztown grabbed the game’s only run in the top of the fifth inning. Siefert reached second base after Delone Catholic shortstop Shelbee Holcomb sailed her throw to first base out of play.

While Calkins shifted the defense by squaring to bunt, Siefert swiped third base. Calkins knocked her in with a groundball to second base.

“That was the key play right there,” Conrad said. “We actually had that same situation back in the fifth where we had runners on second and third with one out, and we couldn’t put the ball in play. It’s a situation where we’re going on contact and all they have to do is put the ball in play. Katie got the job done.”

For the second game in a row, Calkins pitched a gem for Kutztown. In her first district game on May 26 she allowed seven hits and gave up one run in six innings of work.

On Tuesday, she allowed four hits and worked her way around five walks for a complete game shutout. She’s allowed one run in 13 innings pitched in two district games.

“Not really,” Calkins said of any nerves heading into Tuesday’s contest. “I was excited to play and see what would happen.”

The Cougars’ defense played well behind her. Kutztown did not commit an error in the contest and made several standout defensive plays.

In the third inning, Delone Catholic third baseman Katie Laughman bounced a double off the wall to left center. Laughman tried to stretch the double into a triple, but Cougars left fielder Maria Meigio threw her out at third base.

Second baseman Kiley Balthaser made a backhand play up the middle in the sixth inning to strand a runner on second base and get her team out of the sixth inning unscathed.

“I was just really focused on getting the win today as a team … trying to help relieve the pressure off of Katie’s shoulders,” Balthaser said.

Delone Catholic righthander Cassie Rickrode held the Kutztown offense in check. She gave up four hits and didn’t walk a batter. She was perfect through the first three innings.

Shortstop Courtney Stump had the best day at the plate for Kutztown, going 2-for-3 with a double. Siefert and third baseman Megan Parks also had hits.

Rickrode got out of a jam in the fourth inning when Parks and Stump got one-out hits to put runners on second and third with one out. Rickrode struck out Meigio and got Balthaser to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.

“We have to sure that up a little bit,” Conrad said. “Because as the game go on, we’re going to need those runs. … A two-run lead would have been a lot more comfortable than a one-run lead.”

The Cougars play Pequea Valley for the district title on Thursday. Anything Kutztown accomplishes from here on out is an added bonus, according to its coach.

“Our goal at the very beginning of the year is to get to states,” Conrad said. “If we get a district title along the way that’s fine. District titles are nice, and we’re going to give it all that we’ve got, but it really doesn’t matter. We’ve gotten to where we wanted to go.”