SHIPPENSBURG — For five and a half innings, Chambersburg had one hand on the District 3 Class 6A softball championship trophy.

But Cumberland Valley star Sydney May had a different idea.

Karley Skultety

May's two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning wiped out a 1-0 Trojan lead they'd had since the top of the first inning, and May also pitched a three-hitter from the circle in a 2-1 Eagles victory at Shippensburg University's Robb Field on Thursday afternoon.

Chambersburg pitcher Kori Leedy also pitched a brilliant game, allowing only four hits. But she walked Emma Stroup on four pitches to open the bottom of the sixth and the next batter, May, took a pitch over the fence in left-center field to put the Eagles ahead.

"I just missed my spot by a little, and she's a good hitter," Leedy said of May. "We had a good idea about what pitches we wanted to throw to them. I thought the defense, especially the outfield, played great."

The Trojans (18-5) will host a first-round PIAA Tournament game on Monday at 4:30 at Norlo Field against the District 1 No. 5 team, either Avon Grove or Conestoga — those teams play for fifth on Friday. CV (18-2) will host the District 1 No. 6 team.

Chambersburg got to May for a run in the top of the first inning. Bree Paetow worked a full-count walk after starting behind 1-2 on the count. She stole second base and trotted home when Karley Skultety crushed a line drive to the fence in left-center. Skultety got a second chance when her foul pop-up was dropped.

But May, headed to Fordham next year, settled down after that, allowing only a double to right-center by Addison Gsell in the third inning and a base hit hit by Paetow in the fifth. She walked two and struck out nine, pushing over 500 strikeouts for her career.

In three playoff games, May has thrown 20 innings and allowed just 6 hits and 1 run, and has struck out 17.

"May did get better as the game went on," Chambersburg coach Chris Skultety, "especially when she figured out the strike zone. We had a couple of opportunities, but they came with two outs both times."

Gsell's double came with two outs and Paetow got to third in the fifth with her hit, a stolen base and a throwing error, but there were two outs.

Leedy was able to get out of jams in the first and third innings, despite having to adjust to a strike zone that gave her fits. Her bread-and-butter is hitting the outside corner and the low zone, and she wasn't getting those called strikes. She struck out two and relied on a fantastic, air-tight defense to keep CV off the board for five innings.

"We practice intense on defense, and we practice they way we play," Karley Skultety, the catcher, said.

In the second inning, Paetow, at second base, made a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch of a soft line drive for the first out. Then, with two runners on and two outs, leftfielder Erissa Varner snagged Izzy Kertes's rising line drive hit right at her by reaching up over her head to make the catch.

The Eagles flew out 10 times to Chambersburg's outfielders.

The Trojans thought they had the leadoff runner on base to open the top of the seventh, but a 3-1 pitch to Josie Snavely was called a strike, and May eventually got a K. With two outs, Marley Onomastico reached base on an error, but with Paetow waiting to bat next, May struck out Varner on her tough riseball.

"She's a stud," Skultety said of May. "She showed it."

Both on offense and defense.