Bald Eagle softball seniors reflect on hard-fought season following PIAA Class 3A semifinals loss
Bald Eagle and Avonworth were locked in a stalemate at the PIAA Class 3A state semifinals in the top of the fourth inning on Monday.
Avonworth’s Leah Kuban stepped up to the plate, facing off against Bald Eagle pitcher Sierra Albright. Up to that point, Albright pitched 3.1 innings, allowed zero hits, walked two batters and struck out eight. Kuban hit a home run and her team wouldn’t look back, winning 9-2.
With the team finishing 17-5, Bald Eagle head coach Don Lucas expressed how proud he was of his senior players. Marina Shawley, Maddie Perry, Katelyn Smitchko, Kierra Serb and Autumn Tobias each played a big role in showing the younger players the ropes of varsity softball.
“They just took a bunch of young girls and put them underneath their wings and after a difficult end to our season last year, they rallied them and got them to believe,” Lucas said. “That’s what you want out of your group of seniors. They never talked down to them, they always talked to them. When you have so many freshmen starting, you need a group of girls that are going to show them the way and they did.”
Smitchko recalled a cold game earlier in the season against Penns Valley on the road. Bald Eagle fell 8-4 that day, May 2, and rallied to win 12 straight games after. That’s when she felt that her team came of age.
“We just pretty much were like, ‘We need to make the defensive plays, we need to hit the ball and we can’t hang our heads,’ ” Smitchko said. “We have to have the confidence to go out there and do what we do best. I think the biggest word of advice that I can give them (younger players) is to not hang your head and never give up. Just play like you’ve always played and have fun. That’s the most important part.”
Tobias was often heard from the dugout. The third baseman gave everything she could to the program, in her own estimation. That ranged from her voice, her work in practice, the play she provided on the field and the leadership that she gave to her Lady Eagles teammates. She fully expects the first-year players to become stars and take over the leadership role next season.
“They’re going to be amazing – I can tell you that right now,” Tobias said. “They came into this game, they were playing hacky sack and they were acting like it was just another scrimmage. They were just so cool about it. When I was a freshman and we were at this point, I was shaking and about ready to barf, but they just played it off like it was nothing.”
Following Kuban’s home run in the fourth on Monday, Rylee Gray drilled a three-run blast to give Avonworth a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
The Lady Eagles still had an opportunity to come back in the bottom of the sixth inning. Trailing 4-0, Shawley blasted a two-run home run to pull Bald Eagle within two runs. However, Avonworth continued to pile on with singles by Alivia Lantzy, Cassie Heinauer, Cat Barie and a double by Megan Fissore to drive in runs, giving their team a 9-2 lead.
Tobias, Ava Stere and Shawley each collected hits for the Lady Eagles.
Lantzy was the starting pitcher for Avonworth, going seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out eight. Albright allowed seven hits and nine runs over seven innings, striking out 12 batters.
