Jun 16, 2025
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Emma McLaughlin of South Williamsport gets the force against Williams Valley during the first inning of the state semifinals in Bloomsburg last Monday.
The run is over, but the memories last forever.
South Williamsport reached a second straight Class AA softball state championship this season, blitzing its way to a fourth straight district crown and second consecutive Eastern Region title. It was a tough road back to Penn State and the following is a look at 10 defining moments which every player created to make it a memorable one.
10–Myrtle Beach Success: South opened its season, playing five all 6 and 5A schools at the Myrtle Beach Tournament. The Mounties went 4-1 there, tying for first place and losing just one game in nine innings. The resilience which highlighted this team was displayed in a 9-8 win against Riverside, Ohio as the Mounties rallied from a four-run deficit.
9–Tournament champions: Following a surprise loss against Warrior Run, South thundered back and romped to the eight-team Williamsport Tournament championship. All that loss did was anger a determined team who outscored previously undefeated Upper Dauphin, District 4 Class AAA top seed Mifflinburg and co-HAC-III champion Montoursville, 31-2. Kendall Cardone threw a three-hitter in the championship.
8–Bald Eagle Area battle: Although South lost this game, 1-0, it was the third installment of a series which included two straight state semifinal showdowns with each team winning once. BEA moved to Class AAA this season and this pitching duel between Alizabeth Schuler and Sierra Albright offered fans a look at two squads which reached state championships and pushed each other to higher levels.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette South Williamsport’s Jewelana Jasper celebrates scoring in the 2nd inning vs. UDA in Williamsport.
7– Closing strong: South played one of the state’s most demanding 2A schedules, reflected in its regular season opponents having a .673 winning percentage. It hit some bumps in the road but smoothed them out in seven seniors final home game. Schuler threw a three-hitter and she; Gianna Goodman and Mikaiya Hills all had two hits in a 7-1 win against Mifflinburg. The seniors closed their careers at home having lost just twice there.
6–Starting strong: Building on that momentum, South opened its district title defense by stomping surging Wyalusing, 10-0 in five innings. Schuler threw a one-hitter on just 39 pitches while Lily Reidy went 3 for 3 as the Mounties again started elevating their play when the postseason hit.
5–The crown fits … again: Troy players proclaimed themselves, “The Dream Team,” in a preseason article, then provided South even more motivation when it talked some trash prior to the district championship. Bad move. Troy had never beaten this South team, the Mounties, eliminating it in consecutive seasons. South administered its biggest beat down of Troy this time around, routing it, 11-0 in six innings, while turning its dream into a recurring nightmare. Troy talked a good game, but South played a great one, excelling all facets and building a 7-0 second inning lead. Every starter reached base as well and the Mountie seniors became only the second area softball class to win four straight district championships, joining Milton which did so from 2006-2009.
4–Emma McLaughlin’s gem: After South bulldozed through Holy Redeemer in the opening round of states, District 6 champion West Shamokin came out strong in the quarterfinals. It looked like it would go up 2-0 in the top of the first until Emma McLaughlin made, which in hindsight, might have been the team’s biggest play of the season. The junior second base sprinted toward the area deep behind first base, extended her body as far as it could go and made a spectacular diving catch. McLaughlin’s highlight grab both revealed her determination and allowed South to escape the inning unscathed.
3–No fear: McLaughlin’s amazing catch took on more importance when West Shamokin took a 1-0 lead and held it until the fifth inning. The Mounties were down but far from out. Maddie Pinkerton hit a lead-off double and Hills a clutch, two-out game-tying RBI single. Schuler followed with a mammoth two-run home run and Cardone added another homer an inning later. Right fielder Sage Lorson’s catch of a bases-loaded line drive sealed victory and sent South to its third straight Final 4.
Gianna Goodman of South Williamsport encourages her team mates after she hit a double against Neshannock during the PIAA 2A championship at Penn State Thursday. Neshannock won, 8-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
2–Final 4 magic: Another fellow district champion pushed South hard in the semifinals as Williams Valley turned a 5-0 third inning deficit into 5-5 tie two innings later. Just when it appeared the Vikings had all the momentum, South again displayed the will that complemented its skill and stormed back. After Schuler hit a lead-off single, Reidy delivered the biggest hit of her decorated career, crushing a two-run home run. Abby Lorson repeated that achievement three batters later, Schuler retired the last six batters she faced and South was back in the state championship, winning, 9-5.
1–Fighting on: Just like a year ago, a huge blue-clad South crowd made Penn State’s Beard Field feel a lot like a home game at the state championship. The Mounties faced a monumental task against a Neshannock team which was 99-1 over the last four years, winning 51 straight games. South had Neshannock on the ropes and was eight outs from the state championship, but the Lancers fought back from a 2-1 deficit and won, 8-3. Still, South became the first team to hold a lead beyond the third inning against Neshannock, ranked among the country’s top 20 small school teams, and was the first team to hold a lead, period, against it in 23 games. Goodman and Abby Lorson both delivered two hits, Sage Lorson doubled and South’s performance was a microcosm of everything that helped it become a state power these last four seasons. The seniors closed their careers with 83 wins, including 19 in the playoffs, leaving behind a legacy highlighted by relentless work and marvelous chemistry.
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent A South player reps her District 4 championship medal after the team’s fourth straight title win.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette South’s Alizabeth Schuler gets high fives from her team during the state final at Penn State Thursday.
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