Kutztown softball reaches semis; coach Conrad gets 100th victory
The Kutztown High School girls softball team lost 11-1 in five innings to eventual champion Brandywine Heights in the semifinal round of the Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association (BCIAA) playoffs on Tuesday, May 16 at Lyons Field.
The No. 6 seeded Cougars (6-4 Berks Conference III, 15-7 overall) upset No. 3 Muhlenberg in the opening round 10-5 on Monday, May 15. It was their first BCIAA playoff win since the 2014 season.
In the opening round win, the Cougars picked up 17 hits highlighted by Ashey Donat’s 4-for-5 showing. The senior had a double, two RBI and three runs scored while Olivia Kardohely was 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Katie Calkins picked up the win in the circle, giving way to five runs on seven hits in seven full innings. She walked seven and struck out five.
The Cougar offense was handcuffed the next night by Brandywine’s Jessie Davidheiser.
Kardohely had Kuztown’s lone hit and RBI as Davidheiser was dealing. She pitched all five innings while allowing an unearned run in the fourth inning.
The Cougars enter district play as
the No. 3 seed in the District 3 Class AAA playoffs. They’ll open up against No. 6 Susquenita at home on Tuesday, May 23 at 4 p.m. The winner of that game will go on to face Pequea Valley in the next round Thursday with a district semifinal and state playoff berth on the line.