Dallastown's Amanda Jones is safe at first base after a throw to Central York first baseman Darrian Schade was too high during Wednesday's District 3 Class AAAA semifinal game. Dallastown won, 6-5, in 10 innings to reach Thursday's championship game. (For the Daily Record/Sunday News -- Mike Zortman)
York, PA - Though only a freshman, Dallastown's Haylee Anders has played enough softball to know what she needed to do with the bases loaded in the top of the 10th inning of Wednesday's District 3 Class AAAA softball semifinal against YAIAA Division I foe Central York.

"I just tried to put it in play. Yeah (I made good contact), but I wanted to get a hit pretty bad," Anders said after the game played at York's Memorial Park.

Anders may have wanted a hit, but her fly ball plated Kelsey Collins with the go-ahead run and the Wildcats defense made the big play it needed in the bottom of the inning.

With a runner at third and one out, Panther freshman Kyla Caruso dropped a terrific squeeze bunt that

Dallastown pitcher Kelsey Collins pitched all 10 innings of Dallastown's 6-5 win against Central York in the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals on Wednesday. (For the Daily Record/Sunday News -- Mike Zortman)
Collins fielded and threw home to Sam Hartman, who expertly blocked the plate to preserve Dallastown's incredible come-from-behind 6-5 win.

The third-seeded Wildcats (19-3) move on to today's 6:30 p.m. district championship game at Millersville University against fourth-seeded Central Dauphin, which surprised top-seeded Lower Dauphin, 2-1. It will be Dallastown's first district championship appearance in softball.

"It's hard to believe with the young team that we have," Dallastown coach Jeff Deardorff said. "The goal they set at the beginning of the year was to make this game. Now they have surpassed that. I knew we were going to be a good team, you don't really know how good."

No. 2 seed Central (21-4) will face Lower Dauphin in today's third-place game, which determines District 3's final PIAA playoff berth. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Garrett Park in Willow Street.

At the start of the 10th inning, the international tie-breaker rule put Collins -- who made the final out of the ninth inning -- on second base. She went to third when Julia Snyder reached on an error. And after a fielder's choice loaded the bases, Anders delivered her big hit.

The Panthers threatened in the bottom of the 10th. Ally Dziwis was placed at second and was sacrificed to third by Courtney Jones before the second bunt was foiled by Collins and Hartman.

"The catcher blocked the plate. We work on the squeeze and we are going to use it," Panthers coach Barry Brenneman said. "(Caruso) got it down perfectly, (Dziwis) just didn't get to the plate. If teams have to play 10 innings to beat us, we are doing our job. Sometimes you come out in the short end, that's all."

Still, freshman Kelsey Wisner followed that play with her third hit of the game, but Collins ended the game with a strikeout in just one of many pivotal moments between the rivals, which split two meetings during the YAIAA season.

The Wildcats needed two runs in the top of the seventh to continue playing -- and got three. Anders singled with one out and scored on Hartman's double. Amanda Jones tied the game with a single and came home on a Kayla Collins double.

Kayla Collins finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs, rewarding Deardorff, who moved the freshman up in the lineup because of her previous success against Central hurler Taylor Rohrbaugh.

"The two other games we played against them, I was hitting great off of her," Kayla Collins said. "For this game, coach Deardorff said if I keep doing that we are going to win. I was so nervous coming to bat (in the seventh). I was shaking so much."

But the Panthers evened things up in their half of the seventh when Rohrbaugh led off with a double, was

The Dallastown softball team celebrates its 6-5, 10-inning win against Central York in Wednesday's District 3 Class AAAA semifinal game at York's Memorial Park. (For the Daily Record/Sunday News -- Mike Zortman)
sacrificed to third and scored on a Dziwis single.

Dallastown pounded out 11 hits, a rarity off Rohrbaugh this season. The Wildcats scored twice in the top of the first inning when Jenna Eckenrode (3-for-5) plated Anders with a base hit and Kayla Collins followed with a run-scoring single.

Central scored three times in the first. After Resh and Rohrbaugh walked, Jordyn Miller knocked in the first run with a single and Angela Delise added scored two with her double.

The Panthers added a run in the second when Wisner led off with a triple and scored on a Rohrbaugh single.

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DALLASTOWN 6, CENTRAL YORK 5, 10 innings
Dallastown  200 000 300 1 -- 6 11 2
Central York  310 000 100 0 -- 5 9 1

   Dt, Kelsey Collins and Sam Hartman; CY, Taylor Rohrbaugh and Ally Dziwis. SO-BB -- Dt, Ke. Collins 12-5; CY, Rohrbaugh 7-4W -- Collins. L -- Rohrbaugh. 2B -- Dt, Hartman, Kayla Collins; CY, Angela Delise, Rohrbaugh. 3B -- CY, Kelsey Wisner.