As they huddled around another championship trophy every South Williamsport player and coach flashed four fingers.

Any district championship is special, but this one was a little more significant, especially for seven Mountie seniors. Those seven have now achieved something which can be equaled but never eclipsed.

The fingers tell the story. For a fourth straight year, South is District 4’s best Class AA softball team. And the Mounties left no doubt.

Alizabeth Schuler and Mikaiya Hills both went 3 for 3, Schuler stifled a potent offense, and Lily Reidy smashed a two-run walk-off double as South battered Troy, 11-1 in six innings Tuesday at Elm Park, capturing a fourth straight district championship. Seven South seniors now have a unique spot in program history, adding to their decorated high school careers and capping a perfect four-year district run.

“These milestones are the things we’ll remember for a lifetime,” Reidy said after belting two doubles and driving in four runs. “You look up on that wall at South and you see that banner now with four years in a row on it and it’s like, ‘We accomplished that. We did that together as a team.'”

They sure did. South, which plays District 2 champion Holy Redeemer in Monday’s state tournament at a District 2 site, proved it in emphatic fashion. Every starter combined to produce 14 hits, and second baseman Emma McLaughlin fueled a super defense which made no errors. Schuler took a shutout into the sixth inning and South built a 7-0 second inning lead.

Troy was one of many teams who tried unseating South these last four years, the Mounties defeating them in each of the last three postseasons. So many came after South, but no District 4 team could end its run.

The Queen remains firmly entrenched upon the throne.

“It’s really awesome,” Schuler said after scattering seven hits and driving in three runs. “It’s unbelievable to know that these girls from South Williamsport have won four district titles in a row. That’s crazy.”

“It’s such a great accomplishment,” shortstop Gianna Goodman said after going 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs. “It’s something many people would want to do and, obviously, it isn’t easy. To actually do it feels incredible.”

Reidy, Schuler, Goodman, Sage Lorson, Abby Lorson, Kendall Cardone and Emily Holtzapple capped their district playoff runs the past four years 10-0 and all again played massive roles Tuesday as did McLaughlin, Hills and Maddie Pinkerton.

Troy talked a good game entering the championship, fueling South’s collective fire. The Mounties played a better one. And they overpowered a team which came after it the last three years, defeating it by more runs each time.

“We had a little extra little motivation coming into this game,” Goodman said. “We came in fired up and we wanted to win really bad.”

“I don’t care what sport it is, to win four in a row in anything is amazing. Obviously, teams are out to get us, and they keep rising to the occasion,” South coach Tom O’Malley said. “You can see it in their eyes. This time of the year, they turn it up a notch. It’s hard to do but they seem to do it.”

After winning hard-fought games against Troy the last two postseasons, South landed the early knockout this time, scoring three sixth inning runs. Holtzapple ignited the rally, beating out an infield single before scoring on Goodman’s sacrifice fly. Hills was hit by a pitch and Schuler singled before taking second and putting the winning runs in scoring position.

Then it was Reidy’s turn, and the senior catcher tied a bow around four perfect district tournament seasons. Reidy rocketed her two-run double into the right field gap as Hills and Schuler easily scored and capped the remarkable four-year run.

Reidy pumped her fists after reaching second, then waited as her ecstatic teammates sprinted her way. There, between second base and the pitching circle, all the Mounties celebrated another district crowning moment they will never forget.

“It was like a dream,” Reidy said. “It didn’t feel real in the moment. It just feels good.”

What Reidy concluded, Goodman started. After Schuler stranded two runners in the top of the first, Goodman scorched a lead-off single and Hills followed by dropping a perfect bunt single. Goodman scored on a wild pitch, Schuler hit a sacrifice fly, and South had a 2-0 lead it never relinquished.

An inning later, Goodman again played fire starter and hit a two-out single after Abby Lorson and Pinkerton had hit one-out singles. Hills then hit a ball that seemingly had eyes as it took a spinning bounce off the dirt and went into right field for a two-run single.

South continued the clutch two-out hitting from there with Schuler belting an RBI single and Reidy the first of her two, two-run doubles. Just like that South was up 7-0 and silenced the verbose Trojans.

“It’s really huge to jump on them early. That’s all we were talking about,” Schuler said after limiting Troy to one run in 13 innings the past two postseasons. “We’ve known since we were little that everyone has a target on South and everybody wants to beat South and when (District 4) teams do it, they say it makes their season and it makes us feel a lot better when we know we can come out on top.”

Schuler gave South an 8-0 lead in the fourth inning, following a Hills single with an RBI double. Troy scored its lone run in the sixth but never was able to find a rhythm against Schuler who finished her district playoff run these four years, 10-0. The right-hander had Troy off-balance throughout the game, throwing an economical 87 pitches and never letting Troy string back-to-back hits over the first five innings.

McLaughlin made two nice plays in the first inning, snaring a liner to strand two runners and the defense had Schuler’s back all afternoon. Defense and pitching translated to offense and vice-versa.

Put it all together and South again found an unbeatable District 4 playoff blend. The work continues as South moves toward states and faces another excellent opponent in a season filled with them.

Tuesday, however, certainly was a moment to savor. Any championship is, especially one as unique as a four-peat. That’s one reason so many fans gathered afterward and repeatedly snapped off photos.

Keep them and remember them. Because this is something rarely seen. And whatever the future holds, this South team will always have these memories and this fantastic connection that nobody can take away.

When it comes to District 4 Class AA softball success, nobody can top what South has achieved the last four years either.

“I’m really happy for them because they put the time in and work at it and you deserve some residuals and some rewards. They put the time in, and they work extremely hard and they deserve everything they’re getting,” O’Malley said. “I’m honored and humbled to be their coach. I’m a fan. I’ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of games and see a lot of great players, but they’re fun to watch.”

Troy 000 001 0―1 7 1

South 250 103 x―11 14 0

Erinn Knapp, Liv Champulvier (2) and Lauren Ridall. Alizabeth Schuler and Lily Reidy. W―Schuler. L―Knapp.

Top Troy hitters: Haiden Wilson 2-3. Top South hitters: Mikaiya Hills 3-3, 2 RBIs, 4R; Schuler 3-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2R; Gianna Goodman 2-3, RBI, 2R; Reidy 2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBIs; Sage Lorson 1-3; Abby Lorson 1-3, R; Maddie Pinkerton 1-3, R; Emily Holtzapple 1-3, R.

Records: South 14-5.