ORWIGSBURG - Blue Mountain flexed its muscles early and rolled to a 13-1 victory over Marian in the semifinals of the Schuylkill League softball playoffs on Tuesday.

Monday’s storms caused the game to be pushed back a day, but the delay certainly didn’t affect the Division 1 champion Eagles, who exploded for nine second-inning runs and breezed to the five-inning victory.

“They’re a very good team,” said Marian coach Joe DeAngelo. “They have strong pitching and they keep coming at you offensively.

“But we did some things that we can build on. I thought we played well defensively, and we battled.”

After a scoreless first inning, the Eagles took control in the second, sending 14 batters to the plate and banging out eight hits. They also benefited from three walks.

Madison Heim had a pair of two-run singles in the frame, while Paige Bergan ripped a two-run double.

“It was a combination of some solid hits, a few bleeders, a few walks ... but that’s what Blue Mountain can do to you,” DeAngelo said. “They are solid up and down the lineup.”

Marian answered with its only run of the game in the third when Rhiannon Brady reached on an error and Alise Heisey eventually singled her home.

Blue Mountain added four runs in the fourth to increase the margin to double digits and set the stage for the mercy rule victory.

“We knew what we were up against coming into the game,” said DeAngelo, who returned this season for his second stint as the Fillies manager. “Blue Mountain can put a lot of pressure on you, but we wanted to try and not let that impact how we played. We wanted to be aggressive offensively and defensively - and for the most part, I think we accomplished that.

“That said, there are still areas where we need to improve. (Olivia) Labe is a quality pitcher, and we need to do a better job of putting the ball in play against top-notch pitching. Ten of our 15 outs in the game were strikeouts, and that’s way too many.”

Although the loss ends Marian’s Schuylkill League championship hopes, the Fillies have qualified for the District 11 Class 1A playoffs.

“This is a great group of kids who have been a pleasure to work with all year,” DeAngelo said. “I’m confident that they will put this loss behind them and refocus their sights on the district playoffs.”

HITTING STARS ... Maria Freiwald, Heim and Bergan all had three hits for Blue Mountain, which has now won seven straight games. Heim had four RBIs, while Bergan added three.

TROPHY PRESENTATION ... The Fillies - who had won eight of their previous nine games entering Tuesday’s contest - received their Schuylkill League Division 3 championship trophy before the start of the game. Marian’s last division championship came in 2017. That was also the last year DeAngelo coached the team before beginning his second stint at the helm of the Fillies this season.

RECORDS ... Marian drops to 15-6 overall, while Blue Mountain improves to 19-2. The Eagles will now face Tri-Valley - a 3-0 winner over North Schuylkill in the other semifinal - tonight at 6 o’clock at Blue Mountain High School for the league championship.

COMING UP ... Marian will be the No. 2 seed in the District 11 Class 1A playoffs that are scheduled to start on May 26.

Marian 001 00 - 1 1 1

Blue Mountain 090 4x - 13 15 2

Kelly, Heisey (4) and Grabosky; Labe, Freiwald (5) and Bergan. W - Labe. L - Kelly.