How Bald Eagle Area softball used ‘small ball’ to win the district championship
Coach Don Lucas smiled near the pitcher’s circle as Kaleigh Kinley, Bald Eagle Area softball’s lone senior, hoisted the District 5/6 Class 3A trophy above her head. Teammates crowded around Kinley, and the Lady Eagles bounced up and down in celebration, basking in a moment they’d never forget.
The Lady Eagles won their first District 6 championship since 2014 on Friday evening, triumphing 9-5 over No. 1-seed Chestnut Ridge at St. Francis University. They’ll now face South Park in the first round of the PIAA playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Monday on Penn State’s Beard Field.
It was Lucas’ fifth district championship as a coach; the former Penns Valley leader guided the Lady Rams to district titles in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and a PIAA crown in ‘02. And, on Friday, BEA utilized what has generated so much success for Lucas over the years: Small ball.
“Anyone who knows me knows it’s how I coach,” Lucas said, nodding his head. “We stress squaring up the ball and advancing the runners and putting people in scoring position. You can score a lot more different ways from second than you can from first.”
The No. 2-seed Lady Eagles (17-3) proved that to be the case in Loretto.
Although Chestnut Ridge (19-4) cleared the fences twice, BEA didn’t homer at St. Francis. The Lady Eagles hit a few timely doubles to the wall, but they were set up by meticulous coaching on Lucas’ part and flawless execution by the Lady Eagles. BEA stole three bags, advanced on four wild pitches and bunted four times.
In the top of the first, leadoff hitter Makena Baney ripped the first of her four hits, lacing a line drive down the third-base line. Mara Hockenberry followed up with a bunt single, and both advanced a bag on a wild pitch shortly after. BEA’s No. 3 hitter, Maralee Caldana, belted a double to the center field wall, plating both Baney and Hockenberry.
Hockenberry, only a sophomore, said manufacturing those two early runs “kept our energy level really high.” It continued into the second frame, when the Lady Eagles scored two more runs thanks to RBI singles by Baney and Madison Eckley — and heads-up baserunning.
BEA added on to its early lead, too, making it 5-0 with a fourth-inning suicide squeeze bunt. Eckley singled, stole second and got to third on passed ball before Baney looked down the third-base line to Lucas.
“He gave me the squeeze sign,” Baney said. Typically a tricky task, BEA’s leadoff hitter met the bunt with confidence. Not only did she lay it down and score Eckley, but Baney legged out a single.
“No one really knows what to do,” BEA sophomore Madison Peters said of the small-ball effect. “People get confused.”
As for Peters, she was far from confused in the circle. BEA’s reliable starter went the full seven innings, striking out six and shutting out Chestnut Ridge for the first three frames. Peters surrendered a fourth-inning solo home run, and Chestnut Ridge climbed back into the game with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Lady Eagles’ advantage to 5-3.
But BEA responded with — you guessed it — small ball. An Eckley sacrifice bunt set up a two-run double for Baney, who “knew it was going to the outfield” off the bat. Chestnut Ridge changed its pitcher after Baney’s shot to the right-center wall, but it didn’t matter. The Lady Eagles extended their lead to 9-3 with two more runs, coasting to their district crown from there on out.
It was an emotional championship for Lucas — and not only because the Lady Eagles executed his small-ball gameplan. In January, Lucas survived sudden cardiac arrest and the five-hour surgery that followed. According to the American Heart Association, 90 percent of people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. But Lucas returned to the dugout in time for preseason practice, in time to mentor the Lady Eagles to a title.
“Oh boy,” Lucas said, when asked what this win meant to him. “I don’t want to talk about me. But with the winter I had, it meant a lot to be able to come back and experience something like this with these young ladies.”
The Lady Eagles were grateful to bring Lucas his fifth title and, as they hoisted the trophy, showed how happy they were to claim the crown.
And BEA isn’t done, either. The Lady Eagles still have the PIAA tournament ahead of them.
“Those 6 a.m. practices have definitely paid off. It’s a big accomplishment for all of us,” Baney said of the district championship. “This is what we’ve been looking forward to. And now we have something bigger ahead of us.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 9:52 PM.