Union City did almost everything it set out to do in the regular season, including winning its first conference title in five years.

But today, the Bears begin a new season with a whole new set of goals, the biggest of which is winning the District 10 Class A championship and the district’s lone berth into the state tournament. First up for the Bears in that quest: Eisenhower.

Union City will take on Eisenhower at 4 p.m. today at Allegheny College’s Roberston Field in the District 10 Class A semifinals. The winner will face the winner of the Cambridge Springs versus Kennedy Catholic contest for the District 10 title on Monday at Penn State Behrend.

Union City is searching for its first District 10 title since 2003.

“We accomplished a lot during the regular season,” Union City coach Jerry VanZandt said. “But this is a new season and our new season can end with one loss. I have a small group of players and they all love to play softball. So their goal is to keep playing as long as possible.”

Union City enters today’s game at 17-1 with its lone loss coming to Cambridge Springs on April 16. The Bears have won nine straight since then capped by a 1-0 win over the Spa on May 13 that clinched the Region 2 championship.

A big reason for the Bears’ success has been junior pitcher Carrie Williams. Williams has pitched all 18 games for the Bears this season. She is 17-1 with a 1.06 earned run average and 132 strikeouts in 119 innings of work.

Wiliams also leads the Bears offensively with a .444 batting average. She has seven doubles and 18 RBIs. Also offensively, Kelsey Sullivan is batting .400 and Lori Beth Nunemaker is hitting .354.

Williams and Co. will have to keep up the good work today against an Eisenhower team VanZandt said is better than its record of 8-10 indicates.

“They come from a strong region,” VanZandt said. “We’re not going to surprise them. They’ve seen some talented pitchers all season. I don’t think their record is indicative of what we’re up against. This is not a game we are going to take lightly.”

The Knights finished their Region 3 season in sixth place at 6-10, but were the top finishing Class A team in a region that includes Villa Maria and ace pitcher Ali Grab and Iroquois.

Katie VanOrd is batting a team-best .318 for the Knights with a home run. Emma West is next at .311.

On the mound, Sarah Hitchcock and Sarah Lundmark have shared duties. Hitchcock is 4-5 on the year and Lundmark is 3-4.

Lisa Byers can be reached at 724-6370, ext. 277 or by e-mail at lbyers@meadvilletribune.com.