The Homer-Center Wildcats defeated Portage, 8-1, Monday afternoon in the District 6 1A quarterfinals at Floodway Park in Homer City.
The Wildcats scored seven of their runs in the first two innings and made it stick behind the pitching of Emily Worcester. Worcester gave up six hits and struck out seven batters while walking just one.
Worcester
Homer-Center’s Alyssa Smyers and Savanna Alhborn smacked back-to-back triples in the first inning to account for two of the team’s three runs. Abbey Ginter drove in the third run with a single.
In the second inning, Alhborn delivered a single to left field that drove in two runs in a four-run rally. Ginter and Holly George also had RBIs.
Alhborn led the team with three hits.
Homer-Center, the No. 4 seed, travels to No. 1 Glendale Thursday in the semifinals.
The District 6 2A quarterfinal in Northern Cambria between the Colts and the Marion Center Stingers was much closer, with the Colts pulling out a 2-1 win.
The Stingers took a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning on a RBI single by Morgan Straw. Northern Cambria tied it in the bottom of the inning, then Natalie Krug hit a single for the walk-off win in the seventh inning.
Kaitlin Kudlawiec picked up the pitching win. Northern Cambria had four hits. Marion Center had three hits.
Northern Cambria will face either Mt. Union or Southern Huntingdon on Thursday.
