ORWIGSBURG — Taryn Wilson had it all working: Blazing fastballs on the black, devilish dancing change-ups and airtight defense behind her.
The Tri-Valley senior looked unhittable at times, pitching a five-inning perfect game Thursday night to lead the Dawgs past Marian 10-0 in a District 11 Class A semifinal at Blue Mountain’s Patton Field.
Wilson retired all 15 batters she faced, 10 by strikeout. She needed just 57 pitches (44 for strikes) in the gem.
“I felt great. All my pitches were working today,’’ Wilson said. “I had the defense to back me up once again, and that’s what happens.’’
With the victory, Wilson (20-2) became the school’s single-season wins leader. She broke Ashley Miller’s record of 19.
And with the victory, top-seeded Tri-Valley (20-2) advanced to the District 11 final. The Dawgs will take on Division II rival and No. 2 seed Williams Valley (19-2), a 10-2 winner over Minersville in the first semifinal.
Championship game time is 6 p.m. Tuesday at Patton Field.
“I’m really excited, but the job’s not done yet,’’ Wilson said.
Despite the lopsided final score, Tri-Valley led just 1-0 after three innings.
Megan Boyer used her speed on a trip around the bases to give her team the lead. She reached on a bunt single, stole second, took third on an error by the catcher and scored on a rundown play.
Boyer broke for the plate when the ball got away from the catcher but got hung up halfway down the line. When the catcher threw to third during the rundown, Boyer put on the breaks and headed for home. She dove headfirst, getting her hand on the plate just ahead of the tag on the return throw home.
“We looked a little tentative at first, but then Megan Boyer’s baserunning skills started to fire the team up,’’ Tri-Valley coach Marty Shade said.
Over the next two innings, the Dawgs sent 17 batters to the plate
and put nine more runs on the board.
In the fourth inning, Tri-Valley used a few well-placed singles to set the table, with Jordyn Ebersole’s infield hit doubling the lead to 2-0. One out later, Boyer laced a three-run triple over the right fielder’s head to push the advantage to 5-0.
“It was a little high. I probably shouldn’t have swung at it,’’ Boyer said, “but I did anyway and luckily it went over her head. I surprised myself, actually.’’
With the way Wilson was dealing, Marian (15-8) had no chance. The Fillies had a strong second half to win the Schuylkill League Division III title and make the semifinals of both leagues and districts. Struggling at 6-5 on April 25, Marian had gone 9-2 since heading into Thursday’s game.
“To get to that level, you have to compete in these type of games and learn what it takes to be successful,’’ Marian coach Joe DeAngelo said.
Tri-Valley continued to pour it on in the fifth inning. The Dawgs bunched four hits, an error, a wild pitch and a stolen base to score five times.
“Once we started hitting, it got a little contagious,’’ Shade said.
The Dawgs batted around in the fifth, with Kat Sherry and Brittany Geist delivering RBI singles. Geist’s line drive down the right-field line ended the game via the 10-run rule.
Eight different Tri-Valley players had at least one hit, and every starter reached base at least once.
The other spark came from the Dawgs’ first three batters in the lineup: Wendy Header, Taylor Header and Maddie Horn.
The trio combined to go 4-for-8 with a walk and five runs scored.
In the Dawgs’ 6-5, 11-inning loss to Tamaqua in the Schuylkill League semifinals, they combined to go 0-for-15.
“That’s been key all year. When the first three girls get on base, it makes the team go,’’ Shade said. “Sometimes the girls kid around a little bit and they say, ‘Turn on the Headers.’
“We could have used that tonight, but it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be.’’
Game Summary
District 11 Class A Semifinal
At Patton Field, Orwigsburg
MARIAN (0) — Stroia 2b 2 0 0 0, Pearson 3b 2 0 0 0, Salerno c 2 0 0 0, Joy 1b 2 0 0 0, Shaud p 2 0 0 0, Wimmer lf 2 0 0 0, Lencovich lf 0 0 0 0, Antiga cf 1 0 0 0, Kowker ss 1 0 0 0, Galasso dp 1 0 0 0, Erbe rf 0 0 0 0. Totals 15 0 00 0.
TRI-VALLEY (10) — W. Header ss 3 1 1 0, T. Header lf 3 2 2 0, Horn cf 2 2 1 0, Wilson p 3 0 1 1, Underkoffler cr 0 2 0 0, Troutman c 3 0 0 0, Jordan cr 0 1 0 0, Ebersole 2b 3 1 1 2, Sherry 3b 3 0 1 1, Boyer 1b 2 1 2 3, Otto ph 1 0 0 0, Geist dp 3 0 1 1, Deeter rf 0 0 0 0. Totals 26 10 10 8.
Mar (15-8) 000 00 — 0
TV (20-2) 001 45 — 10
E — Marian 2, Tri-Valley 0. LOB — Marian 0, Tri-Valley 1. 3B — Boyer. SB — T. Header, Boyer.
Marian IP H R ER BB K
Shaud L,12-8 4.2 10 10 6 1 1
Tri-Valley IP H R ER BB K
Wilson W,20-2 5 0 0 0 0 10
WP — Shaud. T — 1:09.