In terms of first-round draws, Elizabeth Forward (20-2) isn’t a team many programs hope to draw. The Warriors enter Monday’s contest having won 19 of their last 20 games, most recently downing Blackhawk in the District 7 Class 4A final, 5-3, while also having notable wins over Neshannock – a two-time defending state champ – and Thomas Jefferson (21-5).

Nonetheless, the Red Raiders have a lot going for them heading into states. In hopes of pulling off an upset to propel themselves into further rounds with momentum, they’ll look to have all hands on deck on Monday.

“I just hope that we continue to stay composed and within ourselves throughout the rest of the season,” said Bellefonte starting pitcher Abby Herr following the team’s 5-2 win over Juniata in the District 6 Class 4A championship. “I think we’ve built ourselves up really well. We started out rough, and we’ve gotten a lot better throughout the season.”

Monday’s contest is set to take place at 4 p.m. at Boston Ballfield in McKeesport.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte’s Riley Santostefano (17) swings at a pitch during the District 4 Class AAAA softball championship against Juniata. The Red Raiders face Elizabeth Forward in the first round of states Monday.

After starting the season 4-7, Bellefonte steadily put the pieces in place through late April onward. It won four of its next five to get back to .500, with its only loss within that span coming against 20-win Bedford. And though it closed the regular season with a few blemishes, it finished it strong with a 9-1 win over Central before carrying that momentum into the postseason.

Against Juniata in the district final, Herr tied her career high in strikeouts with 19 while the offense got going in the fifth. An inside-the-park homer from Sloan Moore and two-RBI double from Peyton Rimmey helped the Red Raiders pick up four crucial runs there. And though chaos materialized in the seventh, they held firm.

“The team is working really hard, and games like this prove that,” said Bellefonte manager Erica DeVinney following that win. “We’re really growing as a team and working together to get that one goal at the end.”

Bellefonte (11-10) carried that forward and then some in last Tuesday’s sub-regional. Against Carrick, Adrienne Masullo struck out 12 batters while allowing two hits, and the Bellefonte offense exploded for 13 combined runs in the fifth and sixth, winning 18-1 in six innings to clinch its second straight state bid.

Against Elizabeth Forward (20-2), the Herr and/or Masullo will be tasked with slowing down one of the best offenses in the state. Senior Addy Nigut headlines an offense that has hit 23 homers this season, batting .521 with 31 RBIs, 11 doubles and four homers. All nine Warrior starters bat above a .300, six of which have hit multiple homers this season.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte’s Sloan Moore (2) swings at a pitch during the District 4 Class AAAA softball championship against Juniata. The Red Raiders face Elizabeth Forward in the first round of states Monday.

On the mound, the Warriors are led by junior Berlyn Holibaugh, who’s pitched 120 innings this season. Holibaugh isn’t entirely unexploitable, with 54 walks, 129 hits and an ERA of 3.44. But she also has 105 strikeouts, a big reason why Elizabeth Forward has surrendered double-digit runs just twice this season.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express A Bellefonte runner gets home for a run during the District 4 Class AAAA softball championship against Juniata. The Red Raiders face Elizabeth Forward in the first round of states Monday.