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Marc Cohn to perform at Kirby Center Thursday

<p>A chance at revenge went out the window Tuesday.</p><p>No big deal. That&#8217;s not what the Hazleton Area softball team&#8217;s goal was anyway. Winning the PIAA Class 6A championship is.</p><p>So while the Cougars won&#8217;t get to face Hempfield Area, the team that defeated them for the 6A title in 2017, they&#8217;ll get another crack at the crown.</p><p>It starts at 11 a.m. Thursday &#8212; weather permitting &#8212; at Penn State when District 2 champion Hazleton Area (23-1) plays District 3 champion Central Dauphin (24-2).</p><p>Game time was switched from 4 p.m. to accommodate Hazleton Area&#8217;s graduation Thursday night. The time change was also beneficial to fans unable to attend, as the game will now be televised live on PCN. It will be the only softball championship shown live on cable. The others will be available live online via subscription to PCN Select or on tape delay on PCN.</p><p>All the baseball championship games will be live on PCN.</p><p>Three starters remain from the Cougars team that lost 5-3 to Hempfield Area back in 2017 &#8212; juniors Kyra Antolick, Marissa Trivelpiece and Tiana Treon.</p><p>&#8220;I think we&#8217;re just glad we&#8217;re here,&#8221; said Antolick, who has provided some slick fielding in left field in the postseason. &#8220;We just wanted to get here. A couple of us have the experience and it will be better this year. You know, how to calm your nerves and played with such a big crowd.&#8221;</p><p>Central Dauphin enters with less playoff experience. The Rams were bounced in the first round of states in 2018. They made a strong run this season, culminating in a 4-1 victory over three-time defending state champion Hempfield Area in the semifinals.</p><p>However, Central Dauphin has passed every postseason test. The Rams defeated North Penn 2-1 in 11 innings in the state quarterfinals and shut down a surging Hempfield Area squad. Pitcher Samantha Gress has been a main reason. The North Carolina State recruit struck out 12 in a 1-0 victory against Warwick for the D3-6A title, fanned 17 more vs. North Penn and added six strikeouts against Hempfield Area.</p><p>&#8220;Their pitcher is a power pitcher,&#8221; Hazleton Area coach Bob Bertoni said. &#8220;She&#8217;ll also throw a change-up and her screwball is probably her best pitch. It&#8217;s pretty much what we&#8217;ve been seeing all along. We have to be disciplined. She&#8217;ll want us to chase her pitch. We have to stay in the zone and be disciplined.&#8221;</p><p>Central Dauphin&#8217;s top hitters are Gress, second baseman Bella Culp, shortstop Samantha Burns and outfielder Alondra Figueroa.</p><p>Bertoni is in his first season running Hazleton Area, and he sort of stumbled into the job. He also officiates soccer and called Hazleton Area athletic director Fred Barletta for directions to the soccer field. Barletta told him coach Heather Natt was resigning because she was having a baby, so Bertoni applied.</p><p>&#8220;We had to make some big moves with some personnel,&#8221; Bertoni said. &#8220;Kaitlynn (Peters) became our full-time first baseman. And making (Julia) Mooney our full-time catcher allowed us to move (Olivia) Wolk to center. She&#8217;s been remarkable in center field as well as Peters at first and Mooney.&#8221;</p><p>Hazleton Area left Wednesday afternoon for Penn State despite an unfavorable weather forecast of an 80 percent of rain for Thursday.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m actually excited,&#8221; Mooney said. &#8220;This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we have to take in every moment of it.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely going to be nerve-wracking, but I think we&#8217;re all going to push through.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Tiana Treon is one of three starters that played in Hazleton Area&#8217;s 2017 state championship loss to Hempfield. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Hazleton-Spring-Ford-6-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tiana Treon is one of three starters that played in Hazleton Area&#8217;s 2017 state championship loss to Hempfield. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By John Erzar</p><p>jerzar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>PIAA CLASS 6A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP</p><p>Hazleton Area vs. Central Dauphin</p><p>11 a.m. Thursday, Penn State</p><p>TV: Live on PCN</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</p></shirttailMeta></div>

PIAA Softball: Hazleton Area ready for shot at Class 6A state championship