ST. MARYS — The core group of current 12-year-olds on the St. Marys Little League All-Star softball team made it four District 10 titles in four years Friday night by capturing a hard fought 6-2 victory against DuBois in the winner-take-all, if-necessary championship game played at Benzinger Park.

The matchup, the third this week between the two teams proved to be your typical DuBois-St. Marys All-Star softball game — one that was tight late into the contest before one side grabbed control.

And that proved to be St. Marys, which grabbed a 3-0 lead on a clutch two-out, three-run double by Mila Thorwart in the top of the third as St. Marys was the visitors on its home field.

DuBois answered back in the bottom of the fourth, as Emma Brubaker smacked a two-run single to center to make things interesting at 3-2. However, that proved to be all DuBois could muster on this night against St. Marys’ Gia Straub.

The lefty gave her team a strong performance in the circle one night after allowing seven runs to DuBois in a 7-3 loss Thursday evening in the first D-10 title game. St. Marys won the first meeting between the teams, 7-5, on Monday and used a big four-run fifth to help pull that one out.

Straub and her defense looked like a different team Friday though, as she allowed the two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out five and walking four.

However, Straub did a nice job getting out of trouble when DuBois did put runners on. DuBois stranded seven in the game, while St. Marys actually left 10 — as DuBois’ pitchers also did well at limiting the damage outside of the third and sixth innings.

St. Marys struck for three more huge insurance runs in that top of the sixth, getting an RBI double by Ella Herzing and a two-run single from Maddie Thorwart, who finished the game 3-for-3 with the two RBIs. Herzing and Mo Orlic each went 2-for-3 for St. Marys in the win.

Suddenly trailing by four instead of just one, DuBois tried to make some noise in the bottom of the sixth.

Paityn Thompson led off the inning with a single to center and went to second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield to turn over the lineup. Straub buckled down from there and got leadoff hitter GiGi Sachs to line out to shortstop before Liza Gray grounded out to short.

Thompson took third on that play but was stranded there when Straub struck out JoJo Helm to end the game and secure yet another district title for St. Marys. Straub, a 12-year-old who has been St. Marys’ main pitchers throughout her career, and a host of her teammates, have now won two Minor League D-10 title and a pair at the Little League level.

“I can’t say enough good things about DuBois and what they have put together,” said St. Marys manager Doug Straub. “Coming into the tournament, we knew we’d play them and said it would be the best two of three. We were fortunate enough to win on Monday … probably with not our best game. We had a really good fifth inning. Then last night (Thursday) we were not at our best.

“It was really nice to put a good team win together tonight. We got some timely hitting, that we didn’t get last night, and looking at the stats we got some really good pitching, which we didn’t get the first two games (vs. DuBois).

“There heads were always in a good place (even after loss). This is a good group, and they have played a lot of softball. Going in with that mindset of best two out of three … we had one game to go out and win. And fortunately, we were able to get enough hits tonight to get the ‘W.’”

Both teams had a chance to grab the lead right out of the chute in the first.

Straub and Orlic ripped back-to-back singles to open the game, but Straub was thrown out by center fielder Helm trying to take third on Orlic’s hit. DuBois starter Avery Pfingstler then got back-to-back outs to strand Orlic.

DuBos then put two on with one out in the bottom of the inning when Gray walked and Helm singled to left. St. Marys then cut down Gray at third on a fielder’s choice before Pfingstler drew a walk to load the bases.

DuBois couldn’t push a run across though, as Straub got Brubaker to pop up to second to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

The game remained scoreless into the third before St. Marys grabbed the lead.

Lydia Swanger led off the third with a double to center, then Straub walked and Orlic beat out an infield single to load the bases. Pfingstler countered with a strikeout of Aria Wendel, but St. Marys didn’t let her off the hook this time as Mila Thorwart smacked her two-out, three-run double to right-center to put her team up 3-0.

Straub responded with a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the third, but DuBois broke up her shutout bid an inning later in the fourth. Helm got things started with a one-out single to center. Aubree Wright then hit a grounder that saw Helm reach second on an error on a high throw.

Pfingstler then drew a walk to load the bases before Brubaker smacked a single to center to plate both Helm and Wright to make it 3-2. Straub halted the rally there though, getting a comebacker off the bat of Paisley Pisarcik before shortstop Wendel made a nice play to just through out Audrey Brubaker to end the inning and leave a pair of runners in scoring position.

Helm relieved Pfingstler to start the fifth and stranded a pair of runners in scoring position to keep it 3-2, while Straub enjoyed a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth.

St. Marys got to Helm in the sixth, though.

Wendel led off the inning with a single to center before Mila Thorwart was hit by a pitch. Herzing followed with a double to deep left to score Wendel, while Maddie Thorwart singled home both Mila Thorwart and Herzing to put St. Marys up 6-2.

DuBois turned to Wright in the circle at that point, and she got her team out of the inning without any more runs scoring. However, the damage had already been done.

Straub then worked around Thompson’s leadoff single in the bottom half of the sixth to finish off her complete-game effort.

With the win, St. Marys earned a trip to the Section 1 Tournament, which begins Tuesday in Knox.

ST. MARYS 6, DUBOIS 2

Score by Innings

St. Marys 003 003 — 6

DuBois 000 200 — 2

St. Marys—6

Gia Straub p 1110, Mo Orlic 3b 3120, Aria Wendel ss 3110, Mila Thorwart 1b 2113, Ella Herzing lf 3121, Maddie Thorwart c 3032, Mya Floravit cf 3000, Mackenzie Roberts eh 3000, Jill Cunningham 2b 1000, Quinn Newell rf 3000, Peyton Adamson eh 2010, Lydia Swanger eh 2110. Totals: 31-6-12-6.

DuBois—2

GiGi Sach ss 3000, Liza Gray 2b 2000, JoJo Helm cf-p-rf 3120, Aubree Wright 3b-p 2100, Avery Pfingstler p-cf 0000, Emma Brubaker eh 2012, Paisley Pisarcik 1b 2000, Audrey Brubaker rf 1000, Kenley Camise eh 2000, Zoey Lee lf-3b 2000, Willow Helm eh 2000, Paityn Thompson c 2010. Totals: 23-2-4-2.

Errors: St. Marys 2, DuBois 0. LOB: St. Marys 10, DuBois 7. 2B: Mi. Thorwart, Herzing, Ma. Thorwart. HBP: Mi. Thorwart (by Helm).

Pitching

St. Marys: Gia Straub-6 IP, 4 H. 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO.

DuBois: Avery Pfingstler-3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB. 6 SO; JoJo Helm-2+ IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1 HB; Aubree Wright-1 IP. 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO.

Winning pitcher: Straub. Losing pitcher: Pfingstler.