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Hughesville softball captures tournament championship, sweeping two games

By Chris Masse 7 min read

HUGHESVILLE–The foul ball which sailed toward the fence between left field and third base felt like a lost Hughesville cause. But shortstop Sara Stroup never let up, seemingly sprinting from Laporte and making a spectacular diving catch as she rolled into the fence.

That was the final tremendous play Stroup made in a day filled with them and it perfectly illustrated the fighting spirit which made Hughesville champions Saturday afternoon.

Stroup conducted a defensive clinic, BrookeLynn Walters capped a big day by hitting a go-ahead, two-run, sixth-inning single and pitcher Ella Breneisen escaped enough pressure situations to make David Blaine envious as the Spartans rallied past Cowanesque Valley, 8-6 and captured the inaugural Hughesville Tournament. Hughesville (3-2) defeated Millville, 18-8 in a five-inning semifinal win and received steady contributions throughout the roster, while making a statement against a 2022 District 4 finalist returning most of its starters this season.

“It really feels great because we know we have it in us,” Stroup said after also going 3 for 6 with three runs in the victories. “We just need to push through the whole way.”

That is exactly what Hughesville did against CV (5-2). The Spartans fought back from being down 5-2 in the fourth inning and 6-5 in the fifth to beat a team coming off a 7-3 semifinal win against East Juniata. The Spartans scored three sixth inning runs, courtesy of Walters’ clutch hit and freshman Eve Breon’s sacrifice fly.

Breneisen already was pumped up going out for the seventh inning and seeing Stroup make her believe it or not catch against the fence was like Popeye getting some extra spinach. She retired the next two batters via pop out and a grounder, and Hughesville became tournament champions.

“I’m ecstatic. I’m still on adrenaline from the game,” Breneisen said. “It’s crazy to think about it.”

“I was like, ‘Sara you can get there,'” Stroup said of her seventh inning highlight grab. “That’s all that went through my mind. As long as I got there, I knew I could make the catch.”

That confident mentality permeated through the roster Saturday and has Hughesville trending upward following a 5-15 finish last year. The Spartans remain a young team, starting three freshmen, but experienced or new, they can all play. It certainly showed against Millville and CV as Hughesville erased deficits in both games and collected 22 hits in 11 at-bats.

Equally encouraging, nine different players generated those hits, including freshman Kiana Peck who went 1 for 1 with a walk and RBI in two pinch-hit appearances. Walters, Stroup, Madeline Miller, McKenna Sones, Jayla Koser and Lauren Mook also delivered multiple-hit performances, while Breneisen and Loralie Bennett consistently made big pitches in key moments while earning pitching wins.

“It feels like this year we have more underclassmen who are producing and who we can put in positions and know they’ll do well,” Walters said. “It feels (Coach Dave) Dimoff is playing a lot of freshmen and it feels like if we’re losing energy he puts in the freshmen and the underclassmen get us going again.”

Sure enough, it played out that way in the sixth inning when CV led 6-5. Junior Madeline Miller drew a lead-off walk before Stroup singled and sophomore McKenna Sones dropped a bunt. Peck later walked that inning and fellow freshman Breon capped the rally with her sacrifice fly.

In the middle of that was the game’s biggest hit.

Walters is one of the area’s premier catchers and a weapon behind the plate. She also is a dangerous hitter and went 5 for 7 with a triple and four RBIs in the two wins. Her best moment came when Walters stepped in the box with the bases loaded and her team still trailing by one.

After falling behind 1-2, Walters took a pitch before scorching her go-ahead, two-run single down the third-base line. Miller and Stroup easily scored and Hughesville had a lead it never relinquished.

“We felt like as long as we stayed disciplined in the box we could come back,” Walters said. “I was just trying to get it in play because I wanted to move the runners. It felt really good.”

Breneisen seemingly felt her best when the situations were their toughest. The sophomore never buckled and stranded eight runners, including seven in scoring position. That poise helped Hughesville stay in the game for six innings and then win it in the seventh.

Breneisen effectively pounded the strike zone and retired CV’s final six batters. She did some of her best pitching in the sixth inning. After Zeraya Wilson reached third on an error with no outs, the sophomore produced a strikeout, groundout to Koser at third base and a grounder to the pitching circle. Keeping it a one-run game provided a turning point and the offense built on the momentum during the bottom of the inning, going ahead to stay.

“I feel like I came in as a freshman last season and was pitching, so it really helps going year by ear. I feel like I’m improving every time I come out,” Breneisen said. “There’s a lot going on, and you just need to focus on one pitch at a time.”

“I feel like this season she’s improved so much compared to last season,” Walters said. “She was good last year, but this season she’s completely put together. She’s put the work in, and she can fight through it.”

Hughesville fought back from two one-run deficits against Millville, scoring nine runs in the second inning and seven in the fourth. That burst flowed into the championship and Hughesville took a 2-0 first-inning lead when Koser’s infield pop up was lost in the sun and brought in two runs. CV scored five runs over the next three innings, but Hughesville tied with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by freshman Avery Puderbaugh hitting a two-run single and Sones a game-tying RBI single.

Logan Hamilton led CV with three hits and an RBI. Seven Indians generated hits and Katie Adams went 2 for 4.

Hughesville’s defense shined throughout the final, with Koser making some terrific plays at third base. And Stroup delivered a performance which Ozzie Smith surely would endorse. She made leaping catches in both games which prevented three hits, in addition to her sprinting catch in the seventh inning of the final. Stroup moving to her left and jumping high to rob Ella Churchill of a second-inning single, ultimately, saved two runs and made a huge impact on the game’s outcome.

“Defense is probably my strongest suit in this game,” Stroup said. “Any good play anyone makes gets the team pumped up, and then we come in and bat and it carries on.”

The offense really carried on a lot throughout the semifinal, scoring multiple runs three times in four innings. Stroup, Walters and Madeline Miller all tripled. Miller and Tori Barto each produced three hits and combined for five RBIs. Koser went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, as did Lauren Mook.

“We really played like a team today,” Stroup said. “We really put it all together.”

Championship

Hughesville 8, Cowanesque Valley 6

CV 021 210 0-6 11 2

Hughesville 200 303 x-8 7 1

Ruby Sherman, Mak Surine (5) and Logan Hamilton. Ella Breneisen and BrookeLynn Walters. W-Breneisen. L-Surine.

Top CV hitters: Hamilton 3-4, RBI; Katie Adams 2-4; Maddie Millard 1-1, RBI; Tabitha Piper 1-2, 2 RBIs, R; Sherman 1-2. Top Hughesville hitters: Walters 2-4, 2 RBIs, R; McKenna Sones 2-3, RBI, 2R; Sara Stroup 1-3, BB, R; Jayla Koser 1-4, 2 RBIs; Avery Puderbaugh 1-3, 2 RBIs.

Records: Hughesville 3-2. CV 5-2.

Semifinals

Hughesville 18, Millville 8, 5 innings

Millville 120 41-8 10 5

Hughesville 290 7x-18 15 4

Cooper Fought, Morgan Difebo (3) and Maddy Evans. Loralie Bennett and Walters. W-Bennett. L-Fought.

Top Millville hitters: Carlee Charles 3-3, 2 2Bs, RBI; Alaina Riefendifer 3-3, 3B, 3 RBIs; Difebo 2-3, 3R. Top Hughesville hitters: Stroup 2-3, 3B, RBI, 2R; Walters 3-3, 3B, 2 RBIs, 2R; Tori Barto 3-3, 3 RBIs, R; Kiana Peck 1-1, RBI; Lauren Mook 2-4, 2 RBIs, 2R; Koser 2-4, 2 RBIs, 2R; Madeline Miller 3-4, 3B, 2 RBIs, 2R.

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