But Hughesville did not surprise itself as it repeatedly delivered under pressure and won an extra-inning thriller against North Penn-Liberty Thursday. That is what the Spartans expect from themselves and why they have become one of the district’s premier softball teams.

Hughesville proved it again Thursday as Henninger threw to Peck for a massive ninth-inning out which kept the game tied before scoring Lyla Kinney with a two-out walk-off single as Hughesville won a 4-3 thriller in a potential District 4 Class AAA quarterfinal preview.

“They’re competing. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask,” Hughesville coach Dave Dimoff said. “They play hard for each other. They pick each other up. They don’t hang anything around on person and they just kind of let it roll.”

“We just have so much faith in each other,” Henninger said after going 3 for 5. “Behind Maddie’s (Smith) pitching and having a stellar offense and defense, we definitely were very confident. We know we can play well, and we showed that.”

Maddie Smith and Laurel Bauman of Hughesville score in the first inning against North Penn-Liberty in Hughesville Thursday afternoon. Hughesville won in 9 innings 4-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

They certainly did. And so did North Penn-Liberty (14-4) which erased a 3-0 sixth inning deficit and forced extra innings when Kam Lightner drilled a one-out, seventh-inning RBI single. Elyna Booth pitched an excellent game, scattering eight hits and striking out 10, but Hughesville’s defense, Smith’s pitching and timely hitting from Kinney and Henninger prevented the Mounties from earning the comeback win.

Smith stranded 10 runners and struck out seven, while Peck played like fictional catching superstar Dottie Hinson behind the plate. Ultimately, Peck’s fabulous plays, one with her glove; another with her arm, saved the game and helped Henninger win it in the ninth.

“We’ve been working on defense a lot. I think that improved a lot for today’s game,” Peck, the team’s lone senior, said. “It was awesome. I was just relying on the great team in front of me. It’s a great team and it’s a great feeling.”

Kinney started creating good vibes in the bottom of the ninth when she hustled down the line and beat out a two-out infield single hit down the third-base line. That set the stage for Henninger who learned from her previous at-bats and turned two prior negative experiences into a huge positive one.

Henninger had been retired in the third and eighth innings on outside pitches, so he jumped when an 0-1 pitch came toward the outside corner. The junior second baseman belted a line drive into right field and Kinney, who had stolen second, sprinted home with the winning run as Hughesville (13-5) celebrated its latest impressive win against a district title contender. The Spartans, who had never won more than 12 games before last season, also reached 13 for a second straight year.

Maddie Smith of Hughesville celebrates after retiring the side against North Penn-Liberty in the 9th inning in Hughesville Thursday afternoon. Hughesville won in 9 innings 4-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“To find the ball and drive it to right field, which happens very rarely for me, feels great. I was just so happy,” Henninger said. “We did the same thing against Montoursville, only it was 13 innings long. Just seeing it go over her glove, it was like ‘I did it, I did my job,’ and it felt amazing.”

Henninger and Peck combined on an amazing play which kept the game tied in the top of the ninth. Julia Kaczynski singled and went to third when Haley Litzelman reached on an error a batter later. Lightner then hit a sinking line drive toward Henninger who nearly made the catch, snagging it on one quick hop.

Immediately, Henninger threw home to try and catch the speedy Kaczynski. The throw and tag had to be perfect. Both were.

Henninger’s throw hit Peck’s mitt a few feet from the ground and the senior catcher made a sensational rapid tag, maintaining control through contact and a quality slide. Smith induced a flyout to center fielder Ashlynn Barlett a batter later and the game remained tied.

“It was hit so hard and it was a liner that was dying, so I knew I had to pick it cleanly,” Henninger said. “Everyone was yelling one (first base), but I was like, ‘I have to get the runner going home,’ so I just had to throw a bullet home to get her and Kiana made a great tag.”

Kiana Peck of Hughesville tags out Haley Litzelman of North Penn-Liberty in the 7th inning in Hughesville Thursday afternoon. Hughesville won in 9 innings 4-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“That was an epic tag. That was probably the highlight of my career there,” Peck said. “I didn’t even know I had the ball because I thought she had knocked it loose. I threw it back to Maddie and was like, ‘What just happened?’ It was awesome.”

That’s a good way to describe Peck’s defense Thursday. The game likely would not have gone extra innings had she not saved a potential run in the sixth inning, throwing out a runner at third base who was trying to advance on a throw home.

Elaina Shaw (3 for 4) slammed a two-run double which made it a one-run game. She tried taking third on the throw to the plate, but Peck was alert and made a perfect throw to Kenna Fisher who applied the tag. How enormous the play was came into focus a batter later when Maddie McNamara hit what would have been a game-tying single. Instead, Smith ended the inning a batter later, fielding a bunt, and Hughesville still led, 3-2. Take away Peck’s laser and then Lightner’s game-tying single an inning later is a go-ahead shot.

Peck made North Penn-Liberty pay for being too aggressive in the seventh inning as well. Lightner scorched her clutch game-tying RBI single, but a runner wandered too far after rounding third and Peck started a rundown which she ended by making the tag before Smith ended the inning and preserved the tie with her sixth strikeout.

“They’re not afraid to make plays. They trust each other and they know at the end of the day it’s a game and if we don’t make it, we don’t make it,” Dimoff said. “It’s the trust. You have to roll with it and they’ve been doing it.”

Adelyn Knight of Hughesville races to third base after an overthrow at second against North Penn-Liberty in Hughesville Thursday afternoon. Hughesville won in 9 innings 4-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Booth threw great, but Hughesville was able to get its offense rolling early, scoring two first inning runs and another in the third while taking a 3-0 lead. Kinney provided the big hit which highlighted the first inning rally, lacing a two-out, two-run single. Two innings later, Barlett hit an RBI single to nearly the same spot after Addy Knight walked, stole second and took third on the overthrow.

North Penn-Liberty was down, but not out and fought back. And when Hughesville was pressed hard, it did not crack either as two teams which are looking likely to play in next week’s quarterfinals, site to be determined, gave the fans who braved the cold and rain quite a treat.

It was a similar story last year when Hughesville won a 1-0 thriller against North Penn-Liberty in the district semifinals. The previous year, it was North Penn-Liberty winning a close quarterfinal against Hughesville, which was just starting its upward climb then, so if these two do play again, bringing the popcorn might be a good idea.

“I can see us playing them in the playoffs. They’re a great team; they can make it really far and so can we,” Henninger said. “Today just showed what Hughesville can do and we’re not an easy win anymore.”

NP-Liberty 000 002 100–3 11 2

Lyla Kinney of Hughesville connects on a 2 RBI single in the first inning against North Penn-Liberty in Hughesville Thursday afternoon. Hughesville won in 9 innings 4-3. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Hughesville 201 000 001–4 8 2

Elyna Booth and Madison Smith. Maddie Smith and Kiana Peck. W–Smith. L–Booth.

Top NPL hitters: Elaina Shaw 3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs; Kam Lightner 2-5, RBI; Booth 1-3; Maddie McNamara 1-3; Smith 1-4, R; Julia Kaczynski 1-4; Claire Dominick 1-5, 3B, R; Haley Litzelman 1-5. Top Hughesville hitters: Henninger 3-5, RBI; Lyla Kinney 2-5, 2 RBIs, Olivia Kile 1-1; R; Smith 1-3, 2 BB, R; Ashlynn Barlett 1-5, RBI, ; Kenna Fisher 3 BB.

Records: Hughesville 13-5. North Penn-Liberty 14-4.