Irwin homered twice in the Polar Bears’ 10-6 win over Shippensburg.
READING — The Northern Polar Bears are a well-oiled softball machine, and Sammy Magee is the engine.
The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher tossed her third consecutive shutout and knocked in four runs in Northern’s 10-0 six-inning win over Upper Dublin in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs at Exeter Township High School.
“All season she was good, but it’s like a whole ‘nother level now that we’re in the playoffs,” Northern coach Emily Quatrale said.
The Polar Bears earned their first trip to the PIAA semifinals, scheduled for Monday at a neutral site and a time to be determined, where they’ll take on District 2 champion Abington Heights, a 9-7 quarterfinal winner over Oxford.
Northern (22-4), deemed the home team Thursday via coin toss, jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Cardinals recorded an out. Leadoff hitter Tayler Yoder worked a nine-pitch walk, followed up by back-to-back-to-back singles, including Magee’s knock that drove in two runs.
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“It makes me feel so much more confident on the mound and reassured that I know my team is backing me up, no matter what,” Magee said.
The first-inning explosion followed a familiar pattern for the Polar Bears, who scored eight runs in the first inning of their 13-0 first-round win over Hatboro-Horsham.
“It just makes the rest of the game feel a little bit more relaxed,” said Quatrale, in her fourth season as the Northern head coach. “You kind of feel more comfortable with the lead, and we just never looked back from there.”
Northern softball slugs its way to 13-0 win over Hatboro-Horsham in PIAA opener
Despite their early success, the Polar Bears went scoreless from innings two through five. Meanwhile, Magee went to work against the Upper Dublin bats, recording eight strikeouts and allowing just three Cardinals (17-8) to reach base.
“She has quite a presence on the mound,” Upper Dublin coach Heather Boyer said of Magee. “She’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the future.”
In the sixth inning, Northern once again cracked the scoreboard. They scored six runs — all with two outs — to trigger the mercy rule and secure the 10-0 win.
Magee and Jessie Li recorded RBI hits during the inning, while Hailey Irwin (2 for 3, one double, two RBIs) knocked in a run on a bases-loaded walk. During the final at-bat of the game, two runners scored on wild pitches for the final two runs.
“We felt like we were in control the whole time,” Quatrale said. “(Upper Dublin) made some good defensive plays and kept themselves in it for most of the game.”
The Polar Bears wore down Upper Dublin pitcher Kyla Garrison, refusing to strike-out looking while fouling off 39 pitches.
“You just get the confidence from your pitching and defense,” Quatrale said. “When everything’s working at the same time, you just have all-around confidence. The bats are alive right now.”
Magee has kept opponents scoreless in 27 of her last 29 innings pitched, dating back to the second inning of Northern’s District 3 playoff opener against Red Land.
“My team has done a really great job at hyping me up the whole time and making me feel confident on the mound,” Magee said.
The Polar Bears, who entered the playoffs with a single state tournament win, in 2006, are ready to continue their unprecedented run.
“It’s crazy,” Quatrale said. “We’re rolling right now.”
Photos: Northern defeats Mechanicsburg for District 3 Class 5A softball crown
Northern celebrates after defeating Mechanicsburg in the District 3 Class 5A Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern celebrates after defeating Mechanicsburg in the District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Mechanicsburg’s pitcher Sam Rybacki throws a strike during the first inning of their District 3 Class 5 Chapionship game against Northern on Thursday at Messiah University.
Mechanicsburg’s pitcher Sam Rybacki throws a strike during the first inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game against Northern on Thursday at Messiah University.
Mechanicsburg’s pitcher Sam Rybacki, right, makes a safe slide into second base ahead of the catch from Northern’s Jessica Li during the first inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern’s Hannah Galbraith, right, steals second base in front of Mechanicsburg’s Lauren Paul during the second inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern’s Sabrina Paulin smiles as she heads for third base after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game against Mechanicsburg on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern’s Sabrina Paulin, center, is cheered by her teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of a District 3 Class 5 Championship game against Mechanicsburg on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern’s Samantha Magee fires in a strike during the third inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game against Mechanicsburg on Thursday at Messiah University.
Mechanicsburg’s Lauren Paul catches a high pop fly ball to the infield for the out during the third inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game against Northern on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern takes the field during the third inning of their District 3 Class 5A Championship game against Mechanicsburg on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern’s Emily Randalls, left, gets the out at first base against Mechanicsburg’s Kelsea Harshbarger during the fourth inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Mechanicsburg’s Kelsea Harshbarger, left, gets the out at first base against Northern’s Sabrina Paulin during the fifth inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Mechanicsburg’s Lauren Paul catches a pop fly against Northern’s Tayler Yoder during the fifth inning of a District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern’s Kiera O’Brine catches a pop fly ball at home plate to make the out during the sixth inning of their District 3 Class 5 Championship game against Mechanicsburg on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern celebrates after defeating Mechanicsburg in the District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Northern celebrates after defeating Mechanicsburg in the District 3 Class 5 Championship game on Thursday at Messiah University.
Logan Moyer is an intern reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com. You can contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at: @ByLoganMoyer