If Pen Argyl's softball team received a scouting report about Tamaqua heading into their matchup against the seventh seeded Lady Raiders, it would have proven to be inconclusive.

With wins against quality programs, losses to sub-par squads, and an overall record of 9-11 heading into its District 11 Class AA quarterfinal matchup, Tamaqua was certainly a mystery.Add into that mix, a heartbreaking loss by his own team in the Colonial League championship and Green Knight head coach Bill Schankel wasn't exactly sure what to expect.Because of the up-and-down unpredictability of the Raiders, Schankel wanted his team prepared for a tough game.That method proved to pan out well, as Tamaqua brought its "A-game" and eventually came up just short in a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Colonial League runners-up."I looked at their record and saw that they had beaten Northwestern and played Southern Lehigh extremely tough and I thought, 'how?" Schankel said. "I knew how tough those two opponents were, so despite their record, I knew that (Tamaqua) was capable of some impressive play."With the help of two runs in the bottom of the first, and some solid, strong defense by his squad throughout the entire game, second-seeded Pen Argyl will advance to take on North Schuylkill in the district semifinals.The senior-laden Lady Raiders out hit Pen Argyl 5-3. But those hits were spread thin and some clutch fielding plays prevented Tamaqua from pulling off the upset."Tamaqua worried me even though I knew that we had been playing well lately," Schankel said. "Also, after we had lost a tough one in the Colonial League championship to Southern Lehigh, I was worried that we might have come out a little bit flat today. But, I'm proud of the way our girls responded and showed composure to get the win."When asked about the way the game panned out, Tamaqua head coach Jillian Barron said, "That's been our season. We are usually good for one bad inning, but fortunately for us, today, that bad inning was at the beginning of the game and our girls had the chance to battle back throughout the rest of the game."I'm definitely proud of my girls, though, and the way they played. The heat was atrocious and for them to play the defense they did today against a great team made me prouder."For Tamaqua (9-12), Jordan Nowacki finished with two hits and had her team's sole RBI.Pen Argyl's Delilah Schriner proved to be a force on the mound as she struck out seven.Barron also wanted to commend her seniors, who will be departing in a few weeks."I'm definitely proud of my seniors," she said. "they're such a great group of people to be around and I'll definitely miss them."Tamaqua 000 100 0 - 1 5 2Pen Argyl 200 000 x - 2 3 1Sotak and Zancofsky; Schriner and Stem. W-Schriner. L-Sotak