District 9 softball: Karns City falls to St. Marys in 3A championship on 9th-inning walk-off
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Karns City's Ronni Radaker (18) and Aubrey Taylor (6) hug after losing to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City pitcher Addison Burrows (2) delivers a pitch against St. Marys in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City's Addison Burrows (2) celebrates with teammate Ronni Radaker (18) at the end of an inning against St. Marys in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City batter Jess Rodgers (12) hits the ball against St. Marys in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Karns City lost to St. Marys 7-6 in the District 9 Class 3A softball championship Monday, May 26, 2025, at DuBois' Heindl Field. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
DUBOIS — Monday’s District 9 Class 3A softball championship game turned into a roller coaster ride. When it finished, so too was Karns City’s season.
Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Saint Marys’ leadoff hitter, speedy Addison Beimel, singled off Abigail Dunlap and stole second base.
She moved to third on Taylor Gornati’s sacrifice bunt and scored the decisive run on a passed ball at Heindl Memorial Field.
“When Addison gets on base, it’s almost a guarantee that she will score,” Dutch coach Matt Eckels said. “It was just a question of when and how.”
The sequence came as heartbreak to the Gremlins, who led 3-0 early and rallied to score three runs in the top of the seventh to earn a 6-5 edge.
“That’s a great team over there,” KC coach Michael Grazioli said of Saint Marys. “Our girls have a lot of character, and they showed great perseverance today.”
KC had gone quietly over the previous four frames, entering the top of the seventh down 5-3. An infield single from Addison Burrows in the top of the fifth was the only blemish against Saint Marys pitcher Avery Eckels in that span.
In desperate need of a spark, Addison Fox provided it with a leadoff double.
Lyrik Reed and Burrows both singled to score KC’s fourth run. Aubrey Taylor’s fielder’s choice led to no outs recorded as the throws to get a force out at both second and first were late and another run scored.
Another tally came across on a throwing error, and the Gremlins took the field in the bottom of the seventh three outs away from a district crown and a berth in the state playoffs.
“The mood was still up,” Matt Eckels said after his team gave up the lead late. “Our players look forward to the last at-bat.”
The Dutch (16-2) forced extra innings when Giuliana Muccio tripled with one out and scored on a groundout from Alison Mertz.
The seventh inning proved to be the last in the circle for Burrows. She allowed six runs (four earned) on 11 hits. At the plate, she tallied four hits and was part of KC’s early onslaught.
Reed and Burrows singled in the top of the first, and Taylor doubled them in. The Gremlins held a 2-0 lead just three pitches into the game. They added a third run in the second on Burrows’ RBI base hit.
Avery Eckels had pitched a one-hitter in a 12-0 win over the Gremlins in mid-March.
“The (two-week) layoff for us since the regular season ended really helped,” Grazioli said. “We worked on hitting and wanted to get off to a fast start today.”
Avery Eckels settled in, though, and did not allow any more runs until KC’s outburst in the seventh.
Saint Marys plated five combined runs between the second and fifth frames, highlighted by a three-run third. Two runs came home on a throwing error, and Beimel singled in another.
The Gremlins end the season with a record of 11-8.
“We played a very tough schedule, and I asked our AD to make it that way,” Grazioli said. “I wanted us to be prepared for games like this.”
Karns City 210 000 300 — 6 11 4
Saint Marys 013 010 101 — 7 12 1
WP: Avery Eckels 9 IP (7K, 2BB). LP: Abigail Dunlap 2.1 IP (1K, 2BB).
Karns City: Lyrik Reed 2-1B 2R, Addison Burrows 4-1B R 2RBI, Aubrey Taylor 2B R 3RBI, Ronni Radaker 2-1B, Addison Fox 2-2B 2R
Saint Marys: Molly Hanslovan 1B R, Avery Eckels 2-1B R, Kaylen Eozzo 2B R, Kelsie Fledderman R RBI, Giuliana Muccio 1B 3B 2R, Alison Mertz 1B 2RBI, Addison Beimel 3-1B R RBI, Sophia Surra 1B RBI
