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The Wellsboro Hornets advanced in dominant fashion Tuesday, May 19th, defeating the Bloomsburg Panthers 11-1 in the District 4 Class AAA quarterfinals. Wellsboro sealed the victory with a mercy rule in the bottom of the fifth inning after controlling the game from start to finish.

The Hornets struck first in the opening inning when Marek Mascho drove a shot into left-center field, bringing home Griffin Moral for the game’s first run.

Wellsboro’s defense kept the Panthers off the scoreboard early, while the offense continued to build momentum in the second inning. Reed Richardson delivered one of the biggest hits of the night, blasting a deep drive to center field that scored both Cameron Owlet and Gage Baltzley to extend the Hornets’ lead.

The Hornets broke the game open in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Mascho hit a ground ball to shortstop, but an errant throw rolled into the stands, allowing Richardson, Gabe Cuneo, and Moral to score and push the advantage to 8-0.

Bloomsburg avoided the shutout with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but Wellsboro quickly answered in the bottom half. Leading 9-1, Cohen Tennis lifted a pop fly into right-center field that dropped in for the game-ending hit, driving in Cuneo and Mascho to secure the 11-1 mercy-rule victory.

With the win, the Hornets move on to the District 4 AAA semifinals, where they will face the Warrior Run Defenders on Friday, May 22nd. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Mansfield University.