Souderton defeated DuBois 2-0 to advance to Friday’s PIAA Class AAAA state title game at Penn State University. Semi-final game photos provided by Souderton Softball/The Yoders.
BLOOMSBURG – As second baseman Savannah Bostwick hauled in a soft line drive for the game’s final out of Souderton’s 2-0 win over DuBois in Monday’s PIAA Class AAAA semifinal, Erelle Sowers allowed herself a smile. If it seems as though Souderton’s senior pitcher might not have been excited, guess again.
“I think it takes a little (time) to set in that we won and that we’re going to the state championship,” Sowers said. “I’m freaking out inside.”
It wasn’t long before Sowers found herself swallowed up by a mob of giddy teammates celebrating the program’s first trip to the state title game.
“No one thought this was going to happen,” senior Amanda Brush said.
“No one expected us to go this far,” senior Paige Shelly added. “Coming into this season, we didn’t know what we had.”
What the Indians have is a team that has shown the ability to win slugfests and pitcher’s duels alike. Monday’s game at Bloomsburg University fell into the latter category as Sowers and Rachael Henry stole the spotlight in a contest that was over in 75 minutes.
Sowers scattered four hits while walking just one and fanning six.
“Erelle is outstanding,” Souderton coach Steph Rummel said. “She’s really stepped up for us this year.
“She wants the ball. Every single time she wants to be on that mound, she wants to hit, she wants to do everything. That’s how all four seniors are, but she stands out because she takes a lot of control of the game, and she steps up in that way where she gets the outs when we need them.”
While Sowers was credited with the shutout, she received an assist from the Indians’ defense, most notably centerfielder Amanda Brush. It was Brush’s you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it catch in the sixth inning that was a game saver. It came after the Lady Beavers put a pair on board with two outs and the Indians clinging to a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Beers stepped to the plate and hit a laser shot to right center that Brush – diving and fully extended – somehow caught and managed to hang onto as she tumbled to the ground. The catch saved two runs.
“Oh my gosh, it was crazy,” Sowers said. “She came into the dugout and said, ‘Erelle, you’re pitching great.’
“I said, ‘Amanda, as long as you catch every ball that comes to you, I’m happy,’ and that’s what she did. She caught every single ball. She put her body out, dove for everything and caught everything. It was a momentum stopper for them.”
Earlier in the game, Brush made a similar diving catch, robbing Rachelle Kryzelak of extra bases in the fifth inning.
“Before the pitch is thrown, I want every single ball that’s hit,” Brush said. “Nothing drops – I want to catch everything.”
“She said to me, ‘I am not letting a ball down,’” senior Haley DeLany said. “You’re still praying, but you know she can do it. We all believe in her.”
Sowers struck out the first 11 batters she faced before the Lady Beavers collected back-to-back singles in the fourth. Sowers ended that threat with a strikeout, and Rummel also tipped her hat to catcher Morgan Yoder.
“They work well together,” the Indians’ coach said. “Morgan has been catching Erelle for years, so I think that’s also a good thing. I’ve given the reins over to Morgan for calling the pitches, and she’s been doing a great job and also keeping the focus between them. I think that means a lot.
“Since they do know each other so well, I think that Morgan knows how her pitches work more than even sometimes Erelle does. It’s the battery there that is really a key to our team because they work so well together.”
The Indians plated the only run Sowers would need in the third. Angie Carty, who had two of her team’s seven hits, singled up the middle to open the inning, and she moved up to second on a sacrifice by Sowers. Carty tug up and went to third on Paige Shelly’s fly ball to deep center, a play that loomed large when the throw from short on Brush’s grounder pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing Carty to score.
In the sixth, DeLany roped a two-strike pitch to the fence in left center. Dayna Shelly followed with a single to right, and DeLany scored on Missy Wiley’s sacrifice fly to center, putting the Indians on top 2-0. That lead held until the final out was recorded.
“We’ve won games all season different ways,” Rummel said. “We can win tight ones, we can also win blowouts, and we can also win ones that are going back and forth. Our team always pushes to win.
“It is a complete package with our team. We have great fielders, we have good pitching we have good hitting, and that’s a good thing. If one thing isn’t doing as well – even today, we weren’t hitting as well, but our defense and pitching kept us in that game. That’s what we need to go to the championship. It has to be everybody.”
The team has bought into Rummel’s one-game-at-a-time philosophy.
“That’s what we told ourselves,” Sowers said. “That’s what we focus on. Now that we know we’re actually going to get there, that’s going to pump us up even more, knowing we can actually win this whole thing.”
Once again the Indians showed no signs of feeling pressure playing on the big stage.
“Stay relaxed, have fun and enjoy the moment,” Brush said of the team’s philosophy. “It’s amazing. There’s so much excitement. We’re just so happy.”
The Indians (20-5, 11-3 SOL) will face District 3 runner-up Lower Dauphin in Friday’s state title game at Penn State University. Lower Dauphin rallied from a 7-0 deficit to defeat Parkland 8-7 in eight innings. The loss snapped a 25-game winning streak for Parkland and was the first loss of the season for the District 11 champions.
The title game will come on the heels of Souderton’s graduation on Thursday night.
“This is the perfect ending of our senior year,” Paige Shelly said. “It’s like – hey, we’re still playing softball after we graduate.
“I’m ready to take this state championship. We’re going to come out strong.”
EXTRA INNINGS: The Indians, who committed just one error, were led defensively by Brush in center field with five putouts and Paige Shelly at third with four assists. “Our defense was phenomenal today,” Rummel said. “Whether it was outfield or infield, we did what we had to do to keep them down and keep momentum on our side.”…Plans were made to take a charter coach to Monday’s game – the players wanted no parts of it, insisting they make the trip by school bus. It was business as usual for the Indians on the trip to Bloomsburg with time spent playing karaoke and Headbanz in their yellow school bus. “We all had that relaxed, knowing-we-can feeling coming in,” Sowers said.
SOUDERTON (2) – Erelle Sowers p 2-0-0-0; Alex Gaydos cr 0-0-0-0; Paige Shelly 3b 2-0-0-0; Amanda Brush cf 3-0-0-0; Haley DeLany 1b 3-1-1-0; Dayna Shelly lf 3-0-1-0; Missy Wiley ss 2-0-1-1; Morgan Yoder c 3-0-1-0; Emma Kraus cr 0-0-0-0; Savannah Bostwick 2b 3-0-1-0; Angie Carty 3 1-2-0; TOTALS 24-2-7-1.
DUBOIS (0) – Cheyenne McKee ss 3-0-0-0; Shelbie Jamison rf 3-0-0-0; Sierra McKee c 3-0-2-0; Raegan Hanna 1b 3-0-1-0; Kaitlyn Beers 3b 3-0-0-0; Jackie Vizza dp 2-0-0-0; Anne Katchmarchi ph 1-0-0-0; Rachelle Kryzelak lf 3-0-0-0; Rachael Henry p 2-0-1-0; Abby LaBue 2b 3-0-0-0; Taylore Uplinger cf 0-0-0; TOTALS 26-0-4-0.
E-Souderton 1, DuBois 1. LOB-Souderton 5, DuBois 6. 2B-Haley DeLany, Angie Carty. SF-Paige Shelly, Missy Wiley.
SOUDERTON 001 001 0 2-7-1
DUBOIS 000 000 0 0-4-1
IP H R ER BB SO
Souderton
Erelle Sowers (W) 7 4 0 0 1 6
DuBois
Rachael Henry (L) 7 7 2 1 1 0
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