UNION CITY — The DuBois Minor League All-Star softball squad finds itself in the driver’s seat at the Section 1 Tournament, as the District 10 champs rode dominant pitching performances in a pair of victories to reach the championship game as the undefeated team in Union City.
The duo of Zoe Lee and Emma Pfingstler combined to allow just two runs on two hits while striking 31 as DuBois beat both Titusville (9-0) and LeBoeuf (3-2) on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Lee tossed a two-hit shutout Sunday in the 9-0 win vs. Titusville, striking out 15 while walking just one.
On Monday, Pfingstler and Lee combined on a no-hitter — although LeBoeuf managed to score a pair of runs, one earned, off Pfingstler in five innings of work.
Pfingstler, who struck out 14 but also walked seven, earned the win, while Lee came on to pitch a 1-2-3 top of the sixth to earn the save. She recorded a pair of strikeouts.
With the two wins, DuBois earned a day off Tuesday and now awaits the winner the loser’s bracket contest between Titusville and LeBoeuf. The championship game is set for Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. The if-necessary title game would follow at 8 p.m.
In Sunday’s opener, Lee was backed by an offense that churned out 10 hits and scored in bunches. DuBois got all the runs it needed with three in the top of the first, then later scored two in the third and four final runs in the fifth.
Pfingstler jump-started the three-run first with a leadoff single, then worked her away around the bases on stolen bases to make it 1-0.
Emma Brubaker then drew a walk, while Lee reached on an error. Titusville countered with back-to-back strikeouts, but Cali Gibson came through for DuBois with a clutch two-out single to left that plated Brubaker and courtesy runner Abigail Miller for a 3-0 lead.
The score that way until the third when DuBois tacked on two more runs.
Willow Helm started that rally with a leadoff walk. She promptly stole second and score on a Pfingstler double to center. Pfingstler in turn scored on a Lee single to center to put DuBois up 5-0. Pfingstler was DuBois’ hitting star in the game, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored.
DuBois later put the game well out of reach with its big four-run fifth.
Brooklyn Billock led off the fifth with a single, while Kenley Camise walked. Titusville countered with back-to-back outs, but Pfingstler sparked a two-out rally with a two-run double to left to make it 7-0.
Brubaker then singled to plate Pfingstler, while Lee kept things going with a single of her own to left. Lee was 2-for-3 with a RBI. Felicity Clark then capped the inning with a two-run single to center to set the eventual final at 9-0.
While DuBois enjoyed all that offense Sunday, hits were hard to come by Monday as the the District 10 champs had just two in the tight 3-2 win vs LeBoeuf that saw the combined no-hitter by Pfingstler and Lee.
LeBoeuf actually struck first, using a pair of walks in the top of the first to score a run on a groundout to grab the early 1-0 lead.
The game remained that way until DuBois pushed a run across in the bottom of the third to tie things up.
Helm led off the inning with a walk, then stole second and third as LeBoeuf’s pitcher recorded back-to-back strikeouts. That brought Miller to the plate, and she delivered a clutch two-out single to score Helm to even things at 1-1.
DuBois took the lead an inning later when Pfingstler drew a walk with one out, then stole second and third before scoring on a passed ball with two outs to put her team up 2-1.
LeBoeuf came right back with a run in the top of the fifth, turning a leadoff walk into a run on a passed ball with two away.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the bottom of the fifth, with DuBois regaining the lead.
Lainey Lepionka jump-started the rally with a leadoff single. Lepionka quickly stole second and later third before scoring on a Helm groundout to put DuBois back on top 3-2.
Lee then took over the mound and enjoyed a quick 1-2-3 top of the sixth. She struck out the first two batters before a groundout to Lepionka at second ended the game.