Two pitches were the difference in Sto-Rox High School's appearance in the PIAA Class AA softball quarterfinals, which took place last Thursday.

The Vikings dropped a 7-0 decision to District 6 champion Bald Eagle Area, but most of the damage was done by center fielder Jasa Mitchell, who accounted for five Eagles runs with a pair of home runs.

"She came up in the first inning with two runners on and shipped it over the fence in left-center field," Sto-Rox coach Bill Palermo said. "She did the same thing during her second at bat, this time to right field and with one runner on base.

"Other than those two pitches, Kristen [Olejar] pitched a good game. She allowed only one hit in the last five innings."

Mitchell's sixth and seventh home runs of the season were all Bald Eagle Area (22-3) needed to earn its fourth PIAA title game berth in six years. The Eagles were the PIAA runner-up last year.

"Late in the game, the home plate umpire commented to my wife that two pitches were the difference in this game," Palermo said. "The pitching of Bald Eagle's Megan Shaw was also a big factor."

Shaw did not allow a runner past second base. She gave up just three two-out singles, struck out five and did not walk a batter.

"[Shaw] moved it around nicely," Palermo said. "She's not a strikeout pitcher, but she moves it around and you don't get any good licks on it. They also have a strong defense backing her up."

Sto-Rox earned its PIAA playoff berth by placing second in the WPIAL. The Vikings opened the playoffs with a 7-4 win against previously unbeaten Chestnut Ridge.

"The one bright spot for us was the play of Kaylee Hudson, a freshman who was recently inserted in the starting lineup as a designated hitter. Kaylee was 2 for 2 against Bald Eagle. She also had two hits and two sacrifice bunts in the Chestnut Ridge game."

Hudson is one of seven underclassmen in Sto-Rox's starting lineup.

"We have four sophomores and two freshmen starting," Palermo said. "Kristen [Olejar] is one of only four seniors."

The other three seniors are: third baseman Kerry Connolly, left fielder Danielle Ringel, and back-up catcher Sarah Stillwell.

Olejar pitched in all 25 games and had a 19-6 record. She had a 1.89 earned run average and 154 strikeouts in 159 innings. Connolly had a .378 average, 23 runs scored and seven doubles.

"Freshman Talia Smarra will move from behind the plate to the mound next year," Palermo said. "That's something you don't often see."

Smarra led the team with a .421 average, 25 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. She also had 11 extra base hits, including a pair of home runs.

"We have a bright future ahead of us with this young team," Palermo said. "It's been enjoyable this season watching them develop into solid players."

Smarra and Connolly are two of six Sto-Rox players who had a .300 or better batting average. The others are sophomore outfielder Chelcie Washington (.400), junior first baseman Alexa Golling (.397), sophomore catcher Erin McBane (.323) and sophomore third baseman Victoria Vuljanic (.319).

"Many of my girls are playing club ball, so they are playing almost year-round," Palermo said. "That really helps to prepare them for the high school season."

Sto-Rox earned its PIAA berth by placing second in the WPIAL final. The Vikings opened the WPIAL tournament with a 2-1 win against Mount Pleasant, then recorded a 5-1 win against No. 6 seed McGuffey in the quarterfinals, and a 4-3 win against No. 7 Greensburg Central Catholic in the semifinals.

Sto-Rox faced defending WPIAL champion Riverside in the WPIAL final May 25 and dropped an 8-0 decision.