GREENCASTLE — Paiton Gordon pitched a shutout and Kindal Rice belted a game-ending home run and Greencastle-Antrim’s softball team put it all together Friday afternoon.

Paiton Gordon

In the third-place game in Class 5A of the District 3 softball tournament, the No. 1 seed Blue Devils romped over Twin Valley, 11-0, to take back a little pride after a surprise loss to Red Land in the semifinals.

“We needed a win to keep our confidence up,” G-A coach Mark DeCarli said. “Twin Valley’s pitcher was pretty good — she had 3 or 400 strikeouts —  but we hit her around pretty good.”

Greencastle (19-3) will face District 1 champion Marple Newtown (21-2) in the first round of the PIAA State Tournament on Monday evening at 6 p.m. in Newtown Square. The Tigers beat West Chester East 2-0 to win their district title.

On Thursday, G-A scored 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but came up short against Red Land, falling 7-5.

DeCarli said, “I told them to take the energy of the seventh inning yesterday into today’s game. And we hit the ball very well.”

The Blue Devils racked up 15 hits against the ace of the Raiders (18-4), Erin Cromwell. They did not score until getting two runs in the third inning, then added six in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Kylie Kerns ripped a double and Erika Hoover drew a walk. Then Kindal Rice cracked a 3-run home run, her second of the season, to end the game via the run rule.

In the third, a walk to Zhen Reuter, base hits by Caroline Logsdon and Kerns and two Twin Valley errors helped G-A to a 2-0 lead.

Kindal Rice

The six-run sixth began again with a walk to Reuter and Logsdon bunted her to second. Meadow Gambacurta singled to center for a run, then ran home on a double to left-center by Kerns. Kaidyn Zimmerman kept it going with a base hit, then another double, by Hoover, brought in a pair of runs for a 6-0 lead.

Rice then hit the third double of the inning to bring in the next run and Aliyah Masser’s single plated the final run of the inning.

All of that offense made it more comfortable for Gordon to finish her complete game. She ended up allowing 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 3.

DeCarli felt confident not throwing his ace, Kiersten Swain, who pitched Tuesday and Thursday.

“I thought Kiersten needed a break,” DeCarli said, “Plus, Paiton has pitched well for us all year, and I wanted to see how she’d do in this game. (As a coach), you have to do what you feel is right. Once she worked out of trouble in the first inning. she did really well.”

In the top of the first, the Raiders loaded the bases with one out on a single and a pair of walks. But Gordon then got a huge out by fanning Emma Hahn and induced Maggie Stoltzfus into a fielder’s choice grounder.

Gordon threw 86 pitches and 54 were for strikes.

Rice ended up with a 3-for-4 day, with a double, home run and 4 RBIs. Kerns was 3-for-4 with two doubles, while Gambacurta and Zimmerman each collected a pair of hits.