By Steve Svetovich
The Holy Cross Lady Crusaders softball team battled to the end, losing in the District 2 Class 2A final, 4-3, to Elk Lake Tuesday, on May 28, at Marywood University.
Elk Lake scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning in the comeback win over the Lady Crusaders.
It was the fourth straight district title for Elk Lake (20-1). All four came against Holy Cross (15-7 this year). All four were decided by one run.
Holy Cross sent nine hitters to the plate in the top of the first inning and jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Lady Crusaders sophomore pitcher Ava Schmidt led off the first inning with a single and beat the throw to second to reach safely on Alison Ross’ fielder’s choice. Peyton Graboske then singled off the left field fence to score Schmidt. Freshman Jules Galella followed with an RBI single to score Ross.
With one out, consecutive walks to Megan Hassaj and Lila Kolcharno forced home the Lady Crusaders third run.
“We wanted to get out early,” Holy Cross veteran softball coach Joe Ross said.
Holy Cross standout pitcher Schmidt retired the first 10 Elk Lake batters, striking out six.
Leah Traver then hit a single in the bottom of the fourth off Schmidt. She advanced to second on an error. With two outs, Mati Lord hit a line drive double to left-center to score Traver.
In the bottom of the fifth, Brynn Warriner led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Cheyenne Horn doubled to score Warriner.
Paige Keeney sacrificed pinch-runner Kylie Shingler to third. Holy Cross tried to pick off Shingler, but an errant throw allowed the tying run to score.
Hannah Howell then reached first base on a wild throw, then Layla Weaver singled. Traver next blooped a single to shallow right field scoring Howell from second base with the go-ahead run.
Singles by Hassaj and Helring gave Holy Cross runners at first and second with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Elk Lake’s Marissa Horn retired the next hitter and three straight batters in the seventh to seal the district title for the Lady Warriors.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” coach Ross said. “We competed offensively, defensively, and on the mound.
“We had a good year. Our pitching was very strong all year with senior Mia Scalese and sophomore Ava Schmidt. They were dominant.
“We battled offensively all year and found ways to score runs. Through our experiences on and off the field, our players understood it is something special when you play for something bigger than yourself. Despite losing in the district final, we couldn’t be prouder of our team. We competed with everyone and were physically, mentally, and emotionally engaged.”
His daughter Alison, a senior standout second baseman on the team, shared her sentiments. “I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” she said. “Being a captain for these girls this year has been so much fun despite our loss. We battled every pitch, every at bat, no matter what happened. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out on top.
“Each person on this team has so much to be proud of. We put in so much work to get to this point. We just fell a little short in the district championship game.”
The Lady Crusaders beat Dunmore, 11-0, in the district semifinal contest Wednesday, May 22. Schmidt pitched a five inning no-hitter, striking out six in the win. She also had two hits, two runs, two RBIs and homered. Ross, Scalese and Graboske all hit doubles. Scalese and Graboske had two hits each. Graboske and Hassaj each drove in two runs.
Holy Cross defeated Lakeland, 13-2, in the district quarterfinal Monday, May 20. Schmidt pitched a five inning one-hitter with three strikeouts, no earned runs and no walks in the win. She also had two hits, three runs and three RBIs in the game. Ross had three hits, three runs and one RBI. Galella had three hits, one run and four RBIs. Kolcharno had two hits, one run and one RBI. Hassaj drove in two runs on a hit. Grace Rogers had two hits and one run.
The injured Mia Galella led the team with a .571 batting average, three homers, 19 stolen bases and a .714 on base percentage this year.
Kolcharno batted .471 and Jules Galella hit .415.
Graboske, a sophomore standout, led the team with 23 RBIs and hit two homers.
Schmidt led the team with 20 runs, 17 hits, eight doubles and a sparkling 0.91 ERA on the mound. She also stole eight bases.