BEAVER TOWNSHIP — Whether in the pitching circle or the batter’s box, South Range’s Jayli Wilt knows how to hit her spots.

The junior tossed a three-hitter against Northeast-8 rival Poland on Wednesday, striking out 14, while also delivering the biggest hit of the night in the Raiders’ 4-1 home victory.

With runners at first and second and one out in the bottom of the first inning, Wilt turned on a 1-2 fastball from Poland’s Olivia Horn and deposited it over the left-center field fence for a 3-0 lead.

“It was 1-1 for the next six innings,” South Range coach Jeff DeRose said. “I told the girls after the game, you have a target on your back. These teams are out to beat you.”

The Raiders (14-1, 8-0 NE8) are ranked No. 1 in Division III in the state coaches poll and figure to be one of the top seeds, along with Champion, in Sunday’s tournament draw.

Poland, despite its youth and record (7-9, 6-3 NE8), is a formidable test. The Bulldogs, who advanced to the Div. III district championship game last spring — losing to the Raiders 6-5 — are the only conference opponent thus far to take South Range past five innings.

“We’re putting four sophomores, two freshmen and one junior on the field, and this is [Horn’s] first year pitching varsity,” Poland coach Jim Serich said. “She’s done really well; she’s kept us in most of the games. Of our nine losses, eight of them are to teams ranked in the top eight in the state.”

“They [the Bulldogs] have an outstanding defense,” DeRose said. “They played fantastic today.”

Horn (7-6) made one mistake, the 1-2 fastball to Wilt. She allowed seven hits but the Raiders were just 1-for-5 against her with runners in scoring position.

“We have to do better against changeups,” DeRose said. “In the last inning we popped up three times on changeups. So we just have to be more patient.”

Wilt said she was more excited with her pitching performance than the power she displayed at the plate.

“The home run was a big deal because I was having trouble at the plate hitting the center of the ball,” she said. “But I’m really proud of myself for the 14 strikeouts.

“I’ve really been focused on hitting my spots. I feel like I’ve been a lot more accurate this year.”

Wilt (14-0) had a couple of hiccups. In the fourth inning, she walked two of the first three Poland hitters she faced before getting out of a jam. Then, in the sixth, the Bulldogs averted a shutout when Elliana Thompson led off with a walk, went to third on a bunt single by Mary Brant and scored on Leanne Williams’ single to left field.

South Range catcher Heidi Bartels then made an impressive diving catch in foul territory a few feet in front of home plate — her second of the game — and Wilt got a called third strike to end the rally.

“She kept us off-balance, she threw a nice game,” Serich said. “Fourteen strikeouts. You’ve got to come with a different approach. We get them again next Thursday so we’ll see; we’ve got to make some adjustments.”

Wilt then set the Bulldogs down in order in the seventh, ending the game with — what else? — a strikeout.

“Jayli is a junior; she waited her turn to get on the mound because we had some good pitching last year,” DeRose said. “She got her chance … she always wants the ball. We’ve played 15 games and she’s pitched in 14 of them. I’ve asked her if she’s burnt and she says ‘No, I want the ball.'”

South Range also scored in the fifth inning when Keira Brogan led off with a triple just inside the first-base bag and scored on Giada Pauline’s sharp grounder back to the mound.

Brogan finished 3-for-3, scoring two runs. Wilt had a single in addition to her home run, while Ashley Rupert and Gretchen Bartels also singled.

For Poland, Leanna Boccieri and Williams both went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk, and Brant was 1-for-3.

“They’re No. 1 in the state for a reason,” Serich said. “But we didn’t help ourselves. We didn’t get a bunt down, we popped one up, just little things.”

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