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Loyalsock wins thriller against Central Columbia to earn District 4 Class AAA title

By Chris Masse 7 min read

Most Loyalsock players have been competing together since they first started learning the game as young kids.

They have experienced the ups and downs together.

And when Cassie Gee drilled the hit of her life into left field Saturday evening, they celebrated their greatest high yet. Whenever times grew tough, players bonded closer together and, together, they became district champions.

Gee laced a two-out, walk-off single which scored Summer McNulty and Marissa Helmrich and Hannah Winter combined on a dazzling two-hitter as Loyalsock dramatically edged Central Columbia, 2-1, capturing the District 4 Class AAA championship at Elm Park. McNulty ignited the game-winning rally with a one-out double, Helmrich twice left runners on second and third, and Loyalsock won the program’s third district title while earning a spot against District 2 champion Mid Valley in Monday’s state tournament at Central Columbia.

“We’ve been with this group of girls for 12 years now. I played with some of these girls since before they knew

how to swing a bat,” McNulty said. “We’re just a great group of girls and everyone has each other’s backs. I had a rough start to the game, but my teammates were on me and told me I could do it, so I went up there with a lot of confidence and Cassie did the same thing and we got the job done.”

Loyalsock (19-3) won the rubber match in what has been a super three-game series this year after it and Central split two regular-season games, as well as the HAC-II championship. Many thought the third contest might be the best and they were right. Loyalsock took a 1-0 fifth-inning lead, Central answered in the sixth and all three runs came with two outs. There was gutsy pitching, outstanding defense and two strong programs exchanging

haymakers all afternoon.

Gee finally delivered the knockout blow and was engulfed by ecstatic teammates after she produced her walk-off hit. Players literally jumped for joy as did some fans. After the heartbreak of losing in the 2019 district semifinals, to the heartache of completely losing last season, Loyalsock stuck together and celebrated with full hearts after winning this thriller.

“I was just so happy for the team because they’ve all worked so hard,” Gee said. “It was definitely a team win because we all did different things to help get the win. I was just happy we were able to get it done.”

“It feels awesome. It’s really emotional getting my first district title,” Helmrich said. “I was really excited the whole game. I had a lot of fun.”

That was something coach Mark Godfrey and his staff stressed all afternoon. These are big games, but they also

are the fun ones and the ones teams work hard all year to play in. Might as well go out, play as hard as possible

and embrace the moments. Different players did that throughout the game and two senior leaders produced some

of the biggest hits of their standout careers at the most crucial time.

McNulty used her blazing speed to turn what looked like a single into a double before Central ace Mea Consentino recorded her sixth strikeout. Gee made a series of big shots last winter when Loyalsock won the district basketball title and embraced the big spot again. Gee jumped on the first pitch, drilled it into left field and McNulty easily scored before joining her teammates as they chased down Gee and celebrated.

“Summer struggled a little early, but she got on and I just knew we had to get her in. I knew we were going to,” Gee said. “Our big thing this year has been confidence and when I went up there I was confident and I was feeling good, so when the first pitch came I felt good and got a good swing on it.”

“Cassie is just a young lady who doesn’t let anything faze her. She goes up there and puts a nice, sweet swing on there and once it got past the infield there was no way they were getting Summer,” Godfrey said. “We just kept trying to tell them relax and have fun. They were popping up a lot, but they made the adjustments and I’m so happy for them because they work so hard.”

McNulty set the stage for Gee’s game-winning hit when she belted her double. The senior has put together her

best season yet, so being 0 for 3 at that point did not faze her. All that mattered was the next at-bat, the next opportunity. When it came, McNulty pounced, lined a ball to right field and hustled into second, beating a quick throw. Loyalsock had hit the ball well the inning before and Natayah Abdul-Hakim came within a few feet of hitting a walk-off home run, so McNulty and her teammates remained confident.

The one-out hit lit a spark and Gee turned into a championship flame.

“I was going up there with the mentality that if I hit the ball hard somewhere good things will happen and that’s what happened,” McNulty said. “I’m really proud of our girls and our coaches persevering through everything. We didn’t get our season last year, so it was exciting to get back out there and make a statement and we’re excited to play Monday.”

Helmrich and Winter produced plenty of excitement in the pitching circle. Helmrich took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and scattered two hits in six innings while striking out eight. Winter relieved Helmrich in the seventh and threw two innings of hitless relief, striking out three. Olivia Hubler hit a two-out RBI single which tied the game, 1-1 in the sixth inning but Helmrich left the go-ahead runners at second and third, inducing an inning-ending

groundout to McNulty at shortstop.

Both pitchers were backed by excellent defense all afternoon with Gee and second baseman Kathryn Schluter also making impressive plays. Catcher Grace Shaible fired a perfect strike to McNulty in the third inning, throwing out a runner trying to steal and ending that inning. Putting the stellar pitching and defense together, Loyalsock had what it needed to slow a dangerous Central offense.

“I was really confident out there,” Helmrich said. “I also knew I had a great defense behind me to back me up if they did hit it. they made all the plays behind me.”

Consentino is one of the state’s premier pitchers and retired 10 straight Loyalsock batters before Shaible opened the fifth inning with a double to deep right field. Central made a snap relay throw and caught Shaible after she rounded second for the first out, but her hit broke the ice and Loyalsock struck out just two more times over the final four innings against a pitcher who routinely records double-digit totals.

The confidence was growing and senior Mari Houseknecht kept it going when she hit a two-out single. Hailey Berkhiser ran for Houseknecht and hustled home when another senior came through in a big spot a batter later.

Four days after driving in four runs against Bloomsburg in the semifinals, Cruz roped a single into right field. When the relay throw sailed past the third baseman, Berkheiser sprinted home, beat the tag and gave Loyalsock a 1-0 lead.

“I can’t ask for anything better,” Godfrey said. “They battled.”

Central 000 001 00 – 1 2 2

Loyalsock000 010 01 – 2 6 1

Mea Consentino and Payton Crawford. Marissa Helmrich, Hannah Winter (7) and Grace Shaible. W–Winter, (6-1). L–Consentino.

Top Central hitters: Olivia Hubler 1-3, RBI; Ally Heintzelman 1-4. Top Loyalsock hitters: Cassie Gee 2-3, RBI; Shaible 1-3, 2B; Jocelyn Cruz 1-3, RBI; Mari Houseknecht 1-3; Summer McNulty 1-4, 2B, run.

Records: Loyalsock (19-3), Central (18-4).

Starting at /week.