WILLIAMSPORT - What a gamble. What a payoff. What a finish.
Southern Columbia, trailing Muncy 2-1 Wednesday at Elm Park in Williamsport, a field the Tigers have never had much luck at, made sure its season didn't end in the same place it had so many times before with a 3-2 win that vaulted the Tigers into the District 4 Class A championship game and an automatic berth in the state playoffs for the first time in the program's history.
"That was something," Southern Columbia head coach Al Cihocki said.
"We got it done and we'll play for the district title. We've never played for a district title because we've always lost this game here," Cihocki said about the team's arch-nemesis - the semifinals. "At least we're getting a shot at it."
The Tigers will play Northeast Bradford, a 6-1 winner over Wyalusing, today at Elm Park at noon. The time was moved up because Northeast Bradford has its graduation commencement scheduled for this evening.
With one out, Southern's Mallory Tomaschik, limping slightly as she ran because of a turned ankle in the top of the seventh on a play that gave Muncy the lead, hit a triple over the head of the Indians' leftfielder.
Kayla Lavella, who had safely reached base twice, flied out to Muncy's shortstop for the second out.
Taylor Hoffman then drew a walk and made it to second on a single by Erin Troup, who was also celebrating her birthday, that scored Tomaschik to tie the game.
Taylor Hoffman was then pulled for pinch runner Nicole Hoffman, who was given the sign to steal on the first pitch to Mary McGinley. As Hoffman slid, the throw from Muncy's catcher got away from the third baseman and the ball skittered away, allowing Hoffman to score the winning run.
"They had it in the bag, but Mal popped that one and Troup came through," Cihocki said. "That was one great ballgame and the kids played tough.
"I figured maybe they'd throw it the heck away, so let her go and they did (throw it away). We were gambling."
Tomaschik also pitched a gem of a game. The junior, who guided the Tigers to 18 wins in the regular season, allowed just three hits and struck out 11 Indians' batters.
The post-game celebration wasn't an instant cure for her ankle, but Tomaschik was too happy to let it bother her. She also had a tremendous amount of confidence in her teammates because they'd beaten Muncy, a fellow Heartland Conference Division III team, four straight times.
"We were all really excited," Tomaschik said. "We just made the state playoffs and no Southern team has ever done that. We knew we had a pretty good chance because we've seen them so many times the past two years."
Muncy got on the scoreboard first when Crystal Good tripled to center and then scored on a passed ball in the fourth inning.
Southern tied it in the bottom of the fifth when Lavella reached on a single and scored when Taylor Hoffman hit a towering shot that would have easily cleared a normal softball fence but was held to a triple inside Elm Park's 320-foot fence.
Game Summary
MUNCY (AB-R-H-BI) - Ja. Jones 2-0-0-0, Good 3-1-1-0, Cole 3-0-0-0, Dauberman 3-0-0-0, Lamoreaux 3-0-0-0, Kaustenbauter 3-0-0-0, Jo. Jones 2-1-1-0, Ebner 3-0-1-1, Ruby 3-0-0-0. Totals 25-2-3-1.
SOUTHERN COLUMBIA (AB-R-H-BI) - Blass 4-0-1-0, Tomaschik 3-1-1-0, Lavella 4-1-1-0, T. Hoffman 3-0-1-0, N. Hoffman 0-1-0-0, Troup 4-0-1-1, McGinley 3-0-2-0, Lupold 3-0-0-0, Yoder 3-0-1-0, Reigle 3-0-1-0, Chaundy 0-0-0-0. Totals 30-3-9-1.
Muncy 000 100 1 - 2 3 2
Southern 000 010 2 - 3 9 1
Extra-base hits: 2B - Ebner, McGinley. 3B - Good, Tomaschik, T. Hoffman.
IP H R ER BB K
Muncy
Kaustenbauter 6.2 9 3 2 2 10
Southern
Tomaschik 7 3 2 2 2 11