When it comes to the District 3 softball postseason, no program has won more games and championships than the Chambersburg Trojans.
The Trojans — who have played in every district playoff tournament since 1982 and have compiled 93 wins and 13 titles — are District 3’s all-time best program. That’s not up for debate.
But Central Dauphin isn’t far behind. The Rams are in the postseason for the 47th time in school history, more than any other District 3 program, and possess 83 playoff wins and nine district titles.
Both the Trojans and the Rams will have a chance to add to their postseason legacies on Thursday when they meet at Millersville University in the District 3-6A Championship game. We’ve selected this matchup between historical powerhouses as our Game of the Week.
Central Dauphin, the No. 1 seed and defending PIAA state champion, enters this game as a slight favorite. But it would be a mistake to count out Chambersburg, which has already beaten the Rams once this season.
Look for an exciting matchup in this district final, before both teams go their separate ways on opposite sides of the state bracket next week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
District 3-6A Final
No. 1 Central Dauphin vs. No. 2 Chambersburg
First pitch: Thursday, 1 p.m., at Millersville University
Records: Central Dauphin comes in with a 20-1 record, while Chambersburg checks in at 18-3.
Last game: The Rams posted a 4-0 shutout over No. 5 South Western, while the Trojans are coming off a 10-4 win over No. 3 Wilson.
Last meeting: The teams have met twice in Commonwealth Division play this season. Chambersburg handed CD its only loss of the season, 8-6, on March 25 before the Rams returned the favor with a 2-1 victory over the Trojans on April 21.
What’s at stake: Aside from earning the championship trophy, the winner will open the state tournament against the sixth-place team from District 1. The loser of the game will face District 1’s fifth-place squad.
Meet the Rams: Central Dauphin hasn’t missed a step since winning the PIAA Class 6A title last spring, with coach Sam Hartley’s girls winning all but one game this season … That loss, of course, came from Chambersburg early in the season, but it’s been smooth sailing ever since, with the Rams eventually delivering their coach his 100th career win … Central Dauphin, a program that will be gunning for its 10th district title, advanced to the championship game with wins over No. 8 Red Lion (7-3) and No. 5 South Western (4-0) … The Rams are fueled by the stardom of senior shortstop Kayla Fletcher and sophomore southpaw pitcher Autumn Andreoli … Fletcher, a Duke University commit, is a three-time All-State selection who owns Central Dauphin’s school records in career hits and runs scored, and single-season runs scored … Andreoli exploded onto the scene as a freshman in the 2025 postseason, when she pitched the Rams to wins in the final three games of the state tournament … Gabby Shirk is a junior infielder who made her presence known to Chambersburg fans when she delivered a game-winning RBI single in CD’s victory over the Trojans this season … Brynn Barkley, a senior outfielder/infielder, is committed to play for Eastern University next spring … Other key players in the Rams lineup include infielders Racel Burke and Sadie Ross, outfielder Stella Gasper, and Elena Wolfe.
Meet the Trojans: For the 20th time in program history, Chambersburg is a finalist in the district championship game, and coach Chris Skultety’s girls will be aiming to win the school’s 14th district title … Call it bad luck if you’d like, but after winning their 13th district title in 2017, the Trojans have gone 0-2 in championship games with losses in 2021 and 2025 … Last year’s district title game saw Cumberland Valley squeak past Chambersburg by a 2-1 score … The Trojans, however, seem determined to put the past behind them and have marched to this year’s championship contest on the strength of victories over No. 7 Mechanicsburg (2-1) and No. 3 Wilson (10-4) … Chambersburg was trailing Wilson, 2-1, but showed resolve down the stretch with three runs in the fourth inning and sixth more in the sixth to complete a come-from-behind win … Erissa Varner sets the table for the Trojans offense. She leads Chambersburg in batting average (.461), runs (28), and stolen bases (22), while also totaling five extra-base hits and 10 RBI … Addison Gsell is batting .443 with a home run and 19 runs scored, and leads the Trojans in doubles (10) and RBI (35) … Kylee Perry (.409, 9 extra-base hits, 22 runs, 19 RBI) does a superb job in keeping the lineup moving, while two others are batting above .300: Marley Onomastico and Kendall Flory … Onomastico, batting .382, hits mostly for average, but she does have four extra-base hits and a knack for littering the box score with runs (17) and RBI (24) … As for Flory, she’s clubbed eight extra-base hits and is batting .311 with 10 runs and 14 RBI … Hensley Brookens (.283, 12 runs, 15 RBI) is a steady threat to reach base, Sanay Jones (.243, 12 extra-base hits, 16 runs, 16 RBI) has the power to change the game with one swing of the bat … Look for Chambersburg to go with Issie Slimmer in the pitcher’s circle. Slimmer has posted 15 wins this season and has posted a 1.91 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings of work this spring … If Slimmer gets in hot water, the Trojans have a capable No. 2 pitcher in Sanay Jones, who has fired 32 innings and owns a 1.53 ERA with 33 strikeouts.
Sandrik’s pick: Chambersburg by 1.
