Tunkhannock remained unscored upon through 16 innings in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Association Class 4A softball tournament.
Pitcher Kaya Hannon and the Lady Tigers defense posted their second straight shutout Thursday as they rolled over Hamburg, 8-0, in a quarterfinal game at Patriots Park in Allentown.
Tunkhannock needed nine innings to defeat Danville, 1-0, in Monday’s first round.
Extra innings were never an issue after Paige Marabell and Nicole Howell both drove in first-inning runs with extra-base hits Thursday.
The three-run first was easily enough with Hannon throwing a five-hitter that featured eight strikeouts and three walks.
Howell, Hannon and Ella McNeff all drove in two runs.
They combined to help send Tunkhannock into Monday’s state semifinal against District 11 champion Bethlehem Catholic at Marywood University at 4 p.m.
McNeff walked to lead off the game.
Marabell lined a double to left field to drive in McNeff and open the scoring.
Howell tripled to right with one out, scoring courtesy runner Maci Iddings.
Hannon drove in the third run of the first with a sacrifice bunt.
Howell finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI for the Lady Tigers, who added two runs in the third inning and three more in the sixth.
Gabby Wood tripled with one out in the third. Howell and Hannon came up with RBI singles.
McNeff’s two RBI came on the last of four straight Tunkhannock singles to begin the sixth inning.
Hamburg had runners in scoring position in all but the fifth inning, but could not break the shutout.
