HEGINS – There was a time on Thursday when Marian’s softball team was riding a crest of confidence.

The Fillies never looked bewildered and didn’t show signs of being a decided underdog.

Despite suffering a loss via the 10-run rule during the regular season, Marian battled the top-seeded Bulldogs the full seven innings in the District 11 Class 1A semifinals.

In the end, Tri-Valley shook free from the pesky Fillies by continuing to add to its lead and eventually register a 7-0 victory.

The win puts the Bulldogs into the finals, where they’ll face another Schuylkill League team in Nativity.

“I was impressed the way (Marian) played,” said veteran Tri-Valley head coach Marty Shade. “They have the makings of a good pitcher in Morgan Kelly. For a freshman, I was really impressed.

“I told their coach, Joe (DeAngelo), they’re going to be really good with the way she can pitch. She kept them in the game, she kept us off balance. I mean it, they will be very good as long as they get that type of pitching and the way they played defense behind her.”

Both teams ended up playing solid defense, but on offense the Fillies just couldn’t pull the trigger with runners in scoring position.

“We had chances, but we just couldn’t get a big hit - a key hit here or there,” said Marian mentor DeAngelo. “Had we been able to score in the early innings, things might have been different.”

Mia Nemeth and Kelly both found a way to get on base at the start of the game, and the Fillies and were a hit away from taking an early lead. But winning pitcher Sydney Schelly avoided a whole lot of trouble by getting a liner to first and a pop up to first.

The Dawgs struck for their first run in the second when Brittany Rice roped a three-base hit, then tug up on a shallow pop behind first base. Marian’s second baseman, Gracie Gallagher, made a terrific play to record the out, but she stumbled and was unable to make a throw home.

In the next inning, Marian threatened again. Athena Matenkoski lined a single to center. Tri-Valley got two quick fly outs before Alice Heisey tore into a fastball for a double, sending Matenkoski to third. But Eden Arnold’s stinging grounder to third ended the Fillies’ change to get on the board.

“I thought they had a big chance to score there,” said Shade. “Had they been able to get a few big hits with runners in scoring position, we’d have had our hands full.”

The Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the home third when Ally Huhn singled, moved up on a wild pitch, went to third on a fly out and scored on Faith Calahan’s sacrifice fly.

The lead doubled in the fourth as Hope Calahan drew a walk before Emma Masser drilled a deep shot over the left fielder’s head for a two-run homer.

Marian tried to cut into the deficit in the fifth when Nemeth and Kelly singled with two outs, but Schelly got a huge defensive play at short from Giana Poletti to ward off the threat. The left-handed hurler then received more offensive support in the bottom half of the inning.

Huhn drew a walk, but Marian catcher Anna Grabosky made a great throw to nail Huhn on a steal attempt. Poletti reached on an error and scored on Faith Calahan’s single. Kelly looked as if she would avoid further trouble by getting a pop out, but hits by Lexi Snyder and Rice drove in runs to make it 7-0.

“We really got better and better as the season moved on,” DeAngelo said. “We get a good summer under our belts, and it will only help these kids get better, too.”

IMPRESSIONS … Kelly is bound to get better. She was consistently in the strike zone, tossing 96 pitches - 60 for strikes. She had one rough inning, the fifth, when she threw 37 pitches. For Tri-Valley, Schelly tossed 89 pitches, including 64 strikes.

HIT PARADE … Tri-Valley collected seven hits, two for extra-bases. Besides Masser’s homer, Rice tripled and singled. Faith Callahan also singled twice.

FILLIES SWATTERS … Marian also had seven hits, led by Nemeth’s two. Heisey and Arnold each doubled, while singles came off the bats of Matenkoski, Kelly and Gallagher.

THEY DID IT … Marian catcher Grabosky made some really strong throws to second; web gems came from Taylor at second and Nemeth at third on a liner. TV third baseman Rice took a hit away from Julia Meiss in the fifth with two runners in scoring position.

Marian 000 000 0 - 0 7 1

Tri-Valley 011 230 x - 7 7 1

Kelly and Grabosky; Schelly and Snyder. W - Schelly. L - Kelly. HR: Tri-Valley - Masser (4th, one on).