GREENCASTLE — The top two softball teams in the area clashed in a non-league game Friday afternoon, and the game lived up to its hype.

Kiersten Swain

Greencastle-Antrim scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge Chambersburg in a playoff-like contest at G-A.

“That was one of the best games I’ve ever been in,” Blue Devil coach Mark DeCarli said. “My girls showed all heart. We battled and left it all on the field.”

Trojan coach Chris Skultety said, “It was a great battle between two of the better teams in all of District 3. There was a good atmosphere that will benefit both teams down the road. It all came down to a couple pitches and a clutch hit like it usually does when teams like that play.”

Both pitchers — Kiersten Swain for the Blue Devils (13-1) and Kori Leedy  for the Trojans (9-4) — were masterful. Each pitcher threw 107 pitches; Swain threw 76 strikes and Leedy had 68 strikes.

Swain (7-0) handcuffed Chambersburg on 4 hits and one walk, while striking out 12. She fanned 8 of the 9 batters in the Trojans’ lineup. She also put her opponent down 1-2-3 in 5 of the 8 innings.

Chambersburg’s lone run came in the fourth inning and gave it a 1-0 lead. Bree Paetow led off with a double. Karley Skultety walked and Addison Gsell bunted the runners to second and third. Malia Cramer then hit an infield single to score Paetow, eventually leaving runners at second and third again with one out.

Malia Cramer

But Swain bore down and induced a pop-up to the catcher and a strikeout to end the threat. The Trojans got a one-out double by Bailey Summers in the fifth inning and Kylee Perry had a leadoff single in the seventh, but stranded both runners.

“Swain is going to be really tough to beat in Class 5A,” Skultety said. “She’ll only get better over time — pretty scary for her opponents. I’m hoping that facing four quality pitchers in a row will only make us stronger come playoff time.”

Greencastle tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth inning. Meadow Gambacurta was issued a leadoff walk, was bunted to second by Kylie Kerns and scored when Kaidyn Zimmerman belted a double to left-center.

That same formula produced the winning run in the eighth.

Gambacurta again led off, this time reaching base on a hit by pitch. One again, Kerns came through with a sacrifice bunt to move her to second. After Zimmerman drew a walk, Erika Hoover smacked a base hit and Gambacurta raced around to score on the play and win the game.

Leedy (9-4) gave up 8 hits and walked 3 in 7.1 innings, striking out 4. Paiton Gordon of G-A was the only player with two hits and one of them was a double.