The District 11 softball tournament is scheduled to get underway this week. Multiple Schuylkill League teams enter the tournament looking to secure District gold and a PIAA state berth.
Class 1A
No. 4 Nativity (4-16) will face No.1 Tri-Valley (16-6), in the semifinals Friday, 6:30 pm at Blue Mountain High School. In the other semifinals matchup No. 3 Shenandoah Valley (4-16) will face No. 2 Marian (11-9), Friday, at 4:30 pm at Blue Mountain High School.
"The playoffs are a whole different world," said Tri-Valley's Marty Shade. "It depends on what teams can handle it."
The championship will take place Tuesday, May. 27 with time and place to be determined.
Class 2A
No. 4 Mahanoy Area (7-13) will face No.1 Williams Valley (19-2), Thursday, 6:30 pm at Pine Grove Area High School. The other semifinal matchup features No. 3 Minersville (9-11) and No. 2 Schuylkill Haven (15-6), Thursday, 4:30 pm at Pine Grove Area High School.
The winners will meet up in the championship game Tuesday, May. 27 with time and site to be determined.
Class 3A
The Schuylkill League champs Pine Grove (21-2) will open the District tournament against No. 4 Northern Lehigh (11-10) Thursday, at Blue Mountain High School at 4:30 pm. On the other side of the bracket No. 3 Pen Argyl (16-6) will face No. 2 Palisades (19-3), Thursday, 5 p.m. at Pates Park.
"We want to keep on rolling this time of the year," said Pine Grove's head coach Ryan Leffler. "We will take it one game at a time."
"No negatives, all positives," said Pine Grove's sophomore pitcher Jamie Dinger. "We all have clear minds."
The championship will take place Wednesday, May. 28 with time and place to be determined.
Class 4A
The quarterfinals will kick off Wednesday. No. 1 Northwestern Lehigh (21-2) will host No. 8 Bethlehem Catholic (5-15), at 4 p.m. No. 4 Tamaqua (14-7) will host No. 5 Notre Dame-Green Pond (13-8), at 4 p.m. No. 3 Blue Mountain (14-6) will host No. 6 Palmerton (9-10), at 4 p.m. In the final quarterfinals matchup No. 2 North Schuylkill (15-4) will host No. 7 Saucon Valley (9-10), at 4 p.m.
North Schuylkill's head coach Jack Flynn expects his team to win a couple games in the tournament after a tough 4-3 loss to Tri-Valley in the league semifinals.
The semifinals will get underway Friday, with times and places to be determined. The championship will take place on Wednesday, May. 28 with site and time to be determined.
Class 5A
The quarterfinals will take place Tuesday, at 4:30 p.m. No. 4 Pottsville (11-9) will host No. 5 Bangor (9-12). The semifinals will be Friday. The winner of Pottsville will face No. 1 Pleasant Valley (12-8) with time and place to be determined. In the other semifinals matchup. No. 3 Pocono Mountain East (10-10) will take on No. 2 Southern Lehigh (14-7), with time and place to be determined.