Pine Grove Area players congratulate Callee Leffler after she hit a leadoff home run against Tri-Valley in a Schuylkill League semifinal May 12, 2026, at Patton Field. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

ORWIGSBURG — Callee Leffler’s drive carried over the temporary girls’ softball fence at Blue Mountain’s Patton Field.

The drive carried over the permanent men’s softball fence 40 or so feet beyond.

And the drive clanged off a light pole beyond that fence.

Pine Grove Area’s senior standout led off the game with a towering solo home run as the Cardinals shut out Tri-Valley 18-0 in five innings in a Schuylkill League softball semifinal Tuesday evening at Blue Mountain’s Patton Field.

With the win, Pine Grove Area (20-2) reached the Schuylkill League championship game for the second straight season and for the 11th time since the playoffs resumed in 2009. The Cardinals will take on Division I rival Blue Mountain (20-1), which eliminated North Schuylkill 10-0 in six innings in the first semifinal. Game time is tentatively set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Patton Field.

Pine Grove Area defeated Tri-Valley 4-0 in last year’s league final. The Cards have six league titles overall since the resumption: 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2025.

“We jumped on them early with Callee’s leadoff home run and just added to it,” Pine Grove Area coach Ryan Leffler said. “I thought we had great at-bats again, getting themselves in hitter’s counts, and the kids did a great job swinging the bats.”

Pine Grove Area junior right-hander Jamie Dinger took care of the pitching, tossing a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts and two walks. Dinger didn’t allow a baserunner to reach third base all game.

This night, though, belonged to the hitters.

Callee Leffler reached base all five times she came to the plate with a home run, single, hit by pitch and two intentional walks. She scored three times, raising her season total to 54. Leffler also has 13 home runs and 41 RBIs.

Meadow Umbenhauer carried a big bat, too. Her two-run double in the first inning helped the Cardinals jump out to a 4-0 lead. Umbenhauer slugged her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth. She finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored.

Lily Flynn belted her first home run of the season, a solo shot to lead off the fifth. Flynn went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Pine Grove Area got contributions up and down the lineup.

Khloe Jessman went 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and a two-run single in the second inning as Pine Grove Area’s lead grew to 9-0.

Tailyn Bohr went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, while Mallory Schneck added a 2-for-2 night with one run scored. Nicole Morgan went 1-for-1 with a triple and three runs scored.

“If we can do this every game, I’ll sleep every night,” Ryan Leffler said with a laugh. “I’m just proud of them. They put the work into it. I see it at practice.”

Game Summary

Schuylkill League Semifinals

At Patton Field

PINE GROVE AREA (18) — Leffler cf 2 3 2 1, Aungst ss 4 2 1 2, Dinger p 4 0 1 1, Flynn 2b 5 2 3 2, Jessman rf 3 3 2 2, Geist ph 1 0 0 0, Umbenhauer 3b 4 3 3 5, Bohr c 4 0 2 3, Rumpf cr 0 1 0 0, Clark dp 3 0 0 0, Schneck lf 2 1 2 0, Morgan cr-ph 1 3 1 0, Behrent 1b 1 0 0 0. Totals 34 18 17 16.

TRI-VALLEY (0) — Leonard ss 2 0 0 0, Cupsta 2b 3 0 0 0, Witmer 3b 2 0 1 0, Schwalm p-1b 2 0 1 0, Rodichok c 2 0 1 0, Leese cr 0 0 0 0, Lupole cf 2 0 0 0, Tobin rf 1 0 0 0, E. Snyder lf 2 0 0 0, Wehry dp 2 0 0 0, Lettich 1b-p 0 0 0 0. Totals 18 0 3 0.

E — Pine Grove Area 0, Tri-Valley 4

LOB — Pine Grove Area 8, Tri-Valley 5

2B — Jessman, Umbenhauer, Aungst, Schwalm

3B — Bohr, Morgan

HR — Leffler, Flynn, Umbenhauer

SB — Umbenhauer, Jessman, Leffler

CS — Schneck

Pine Grove Area

Tri-Valley

Schwalm pitched to 4 batters in the 2nd.

HBP — by Lettich (Leffler). WP — Lettich. T — 1:42.