The Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy softball team made history on a cold and windy Thursday afternoon in Loganton.
The Wolfpack came from behind in the seventh inning to defeat Sugar Valley Rural Charter School 12-10 for the Boalsburg school’s first softball program win.
Though the team was set to play its inaugural season in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it until this spring. After an 0-4 start, Saint Joe’s broke through behind a never-quit offense and some clutch pitching by Lizzie Weller.
“By getting our first win in our first season is a testament to the tremendous commitment by the school administration at Saint Joseph’s toward the softball program,” coach Bill Myers said in a news release. “It’s also a tribute to the hard work put into what we are trying to build here by the players and my assistant coaches.”
Sugar Valley raced out to a 5-1 lead after two innings, but the Wolfpack stormed back with five of their own in the third and fourth to pull ahead 6-5. Weller struck out the side in the third and held the Lady Phoenix scoreless in the fourth.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the fifth, however, as Sugar Valley plated five more to take a 10-6 lead.
In the top of the sixth, sisters Grace and Jordyn Rose scored for Saint Joe’s and another scoreless inning from Weller had the Wolfpack in striking distance going into the final frame.
Katie Pase led off the inning with a single and scored on a hit by Kelsey Prospero. A single by Morgan Wolf brought Prospero home to tie the game at 10-10.
A Weller single to left knocked in Wolf and Grace Rose to give the Wolfpack a 12-10 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Weller struck out the first two Sugar Valley batters then snagged a line drive up the middle to secure Saint Joe’s first program victory.
“I am so happy for the players and really proud in the way they accomplished it,” Myers said. “They never stopped fighting.”
According to the school, this is the first year playing softball for some players — and for a few, the first playing a sport of any kind.
“I never played sports growing up because I could never understand why people enjoyed it… but winning Saint Joe’s first ever game in softball history and experiencing that indescribable feeling of excitement and pride finally made me understand why people love it so much,” freshman Emma Nichols said.
Next up for the Wolfpack (1-4) is a home game at 4:30 p.m. on Friday against Mount Union at the Hess Softball Complex.
