FAYETTEVILLE — Chambersburg used the first three innings to build an impressive lead.

It was big enough to withstand being outscored 6-0 over the final 3.5 innings by Mifflin County on Thursday at Norlo Park, enabling the Trojans to take a 14-9 Mid Penn Commonwealth softball victory and hang onto first place.

Chambersburg (12-6, 10-2 MPC) can clinch the Commonwealth title by beating Central Dauphin in an away game Friday. Should the Trojans fall to CD and beat Mifflin County on Monday, they would be tied with CD for first place.

An eight-run third inning put Chambersburg way out in front, 14-3, after spotting the Huskies a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

“We have to finish games a little better than that,” Trojan coach Chris Skultety said. “But we wanted to get everybody in the game, and the bats got a little weak in the last three innings. We should have been able to coast, but when you’re up 14-3 it’s hard.

“You don’t want to keep running, and you try to be sportsmanlike, but you have to be careful because teams can come back, like they did.”

Perhaps the biggest factor in the game was that Mifflin County’s ace pitcher, Hanna Kanagy, who is also the team’s leader in batting average and RBIs, did not play because of tendenititis.

So after the Huskies scored three runs on four hits off Mackenzie Stake in the first, the Trojans got to work on offense against some inexperienced pitching.

After two walks in the bottom of the first, Brooklyn Miller’s single plated a run, and another scored on a wild pitch. With two outs, Hannah Weagley delivered a line-drive base hit to right to drive in two and give Chambersburg a 4-3 lead.

Kara Neidigh’s double and two errors led to two more runs in the second for a 6-3 lead.

Then came the decisive third, when eight runs piled up. One-out singles by Molly Keefer, Sara Washabaugh and Weagley scored a run, and two more scored on a wild pitch and error.

Alexis Estep lined an RBI double, and Taylor Myers followed with a run-scoring triple to centerfield. She scored on a wild pitch, then Kirsten Johnson singled. Miller ended the scoring by belting a two-run home run to left.

That was it for the offense — the five baserunners in the last three innings came on four walks and an error.

The Huskies pecked away at the lead, with three runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh, but the deficit was simply too much.

NOTES: For Mifflin County (13-5, 8-4 MPC), which outhit Chambersburg, 14-10, Sydney Orwig was 3-for-5 and Emily Bingman was 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs … Miller and Weagley each had 3 runs batted in for the Trojans … Chambersburg stole six bases in the first three innings.

Chambersburg 14, Mifflin County 9
Mifflin County: Madison Amspacker, cf 4-1-1-0, Sydney Orwig, lf 5-2-3-1, Eleana Eckley, 2b 4-0-1-1, Olivia Ahern, 1b 5-2-2-0, Alyssa Schell, dp 5-2-2-1, Ralie Goss, 3b 0-0-0-0, Emily Bingham, c 2-1-2-3, Maxie Johnson, ss 3-1-1-0, Analisa Yoder, rf 4-0-2-2, Cassidy Wilson, p 2-0-0-0, Selena Breneman, p 0-0-0-0, Hannah Fitzgerald, p 0-0-0-0, Morgan Weston, ph 1-0-0-0, Morgan Ream, p 1-0-0-0. Totals 36-9-14-8.
Chambersburg: Taylor Myers, cf 5-1-1-1, Kirsten Johnson, 2b 2-3-1-0, Haiden Brookens, dp 2-1-0-0, Mackenzie Stake, p 0-0-0-0, Hailey Privett, dp 1-0-0-0, Brooklyn Miller, 3b 4-2-2-3, Molly Keefer, rf 2-2-1-0, Alyssa Wenger, ph 1-0-0-0, Sara Washabaugh, 1b 3-0-1-0, Erin Pattillo, p 1-1-0-0, Hannah Weagley, c 3-1-2-3, Kara Neidigh, lf 2-2-1-0, Laikyn Wagner, lf 1-0-0-0, Alexis Estep, ss 4-1-1-1. Totals 31-14-10-8.
Mifflin County               300   031   2   —   9
Chambersburg              428   000   0   —   14
E — MC 4; Chbg 3. LOB — MC 11; Chbg 5. 2B — Bingman, Schell, Ahern; Neidigh. 3B — Myers. HR — Miller (3). SB — Johnson 2, Keefer 2, Pattillo, Wagner. SAC — Amspacker.
Mifflin County Pitching
                                        ip   h   r   er  bb  k
Wilson, L                      2.1  6  10   9   3   1
Breneman                      1   4   4    4   1   1
Fitzgerald                      .2   0   0    0   3   0
Beam                              2    0   0    0   0   0
Chambersburg Pitching
Stake, W (6-4)               5   10   4   4   1   6
Pattillo                           1   2     3   1   2   0
Miller                             1   3    2    1   0   0
WP — Wilson 2, Breneman; Pattillo.