Bill Rudick

DOWNINGTOWN — Haverford shook off some early frustration to come up with some key hits, then played solid defense behind starter Alli Daly as the No. 11 Fords turned back Downingtown West 4-1 at Downingtown High School Wednesday afternoon.

DOWNINGTOWN — The Haverford High softball team shook off some early frustration to come up with some key hits, then played solid defense behind starting pitcher Alli Daly to turn back Downingtown West, 4-1, on Wednesday in the second round of the District 1 6A playoffs.

Alli Daly pitches Haverford High past Downingtown West in District 1 sofball action.

The top-seeded Vikings (21-2 overall) will now move on to next Wednesday's championship final for the second straight season. East will square off against the No. 2 Springfield (Delco). The game is scheduled to be played at Spring-Ford.

After coming up just short the last two seasons — falling to Marple-Newtown in the PIAA District 1 3A Finals two years in a row — West Chester East finally broke through. The top-seeded Vikings are the district champs this year, for the first time since 2021, following a 5-0 shutout win over No. 2 Springfield (Delco) Wednesday afternoon at Spring-Ford High School.

WEST GOSHEN — The way West Chester East's softball season ended last year did not sit well with the Vikings.

Though the Vikings chipped away and battled until the end, they simply couldn’t overcome back-to-back four-run innings by Abington Heights, and the Comets held on for the 9-5 victory at Patriots Park in Allentown.

Here is the 2026 Daily Local News All-Area Softball Teams: FIRST TEAM Pitcher

In the circle, Ferri, simply put, wins. Her win total jumped from 18 to 23 this season, thanks to laser-sharp focus and a supreme thrust in her teammates. She finished the season 23-3, with a 1.72 earned run average.

Jill Wimmer of Coatesville, an LSU commit, one of the many stars on the team