And now they will be forever connected as a group which achieved something mighty special. Every year at Loyalsock, Shyla Fulp, Jillian Kennedy, Sophia Miller, Lydia Kresock and Maddie Wertz helped the Lancers become the Heartland Conference Division III’s best team.

Crank up the Queen again Loyalsock because your Lancers are still the HAC-III champions.

Miller and Easton Waller threw gems; Fulp and Wertz collected four hits each and Kresock added two as Loyalsock swept Friday’s doubleheader against Southern Columbia, 11-2 and 14-2. The Lancers (14-5, 9-1) edged Montoursville for the league crown and the seniors will graduate having gone, 39-1 in league play.

“We don’t expect it, but it’s definitely a goal for us,” Miller said after throwing a seven-hitter and striking out nine in Game 2. “The teams that are in this league are very good teams. Being able to play with them and win and compete against them is really helpful for us.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Alana Reuter throws for Southern Columbia during game two of a high school softball doubleheader against Loyalsock on Friday at Short Park.

“It does feel really good,” Fulp said. “I feel so good doing it with these girls because we’ve gotten so close.”

All five are multiple year starters who also helped Loyalsock capture last year’s District 4 Class AAA championship and reach consecutive state tournaments. Kennedy has missed this season with an ACL injury but still is at every game, supporting her team. Ultimately, it’s that leadership all provide which has proven as valuable as their production.

There is a lot of that, too. Miller ripped a two-run single in Game 2, Fulp went 2 for 4 in both games, Wertz was 4 for 7 with four RBIs and Kresock went 2 for 4 with an RBI in the title clincher. Add in Kinsie Phillips bashing two home runs, Waller making a run at the cycle in Game 2 after striking out 15 in the opener, and Loyalsock put together two complete efforts to ensure an outright championship after sharing it with Montoursville a year ago.

“That’s awesome. I’m happy for them. We have a great group of seniors here,” Loyalsock coach Casey Waller said. “Early on, I felt like our team chemistry could be a little better and right now the seniors have taken leadership and it’s turned the corner.”

Loyalsock was playing for the first time in eight days but hardly looked rusty, turning quality practices into positive results. Easton Waller threw a two-hitter in the first game before going 3 for 4 with a home run, triple, double and four RBIs in the second. Phillips homered in each contest, going 3 for 3 with a walk in her final four at-bats.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Sophia Miller throws for Loyalsock during game two of a high school softball doubleheader against Southern Columbia on Friday at Short Park.

Production came throughout the order with No. 8 hitter Breeze Sauers going 2 for 2 in the first game and No. 9 batter Maddy Williams 1 for 3 with a walk and run in the second under the lights.

“I feel like we’re starting to come together as a team,” Miller said. “We’re doing that on the field and off the field, too.”

Loyalsock scored seven first-inning runs to erase a 1-0 deficit in the first game. Addi Barowy highlighted the surge with a two-out RBI single after Sauers laced an RBI single. Wertz doubled in the fourth inning and Williams hit a sacrifice fly before Wertz added RBI singles in each of the next two innings as well.

Phillips then put an exclamation point on the win when she slammed a one-out, fifth inning home run. She singled in her next at-bat in the first inning of the second game before bashing an opposite field, two-run home run in the third which made it, 3-0.

After stifling Southern’s hitters in the opener, Waller reversed roles and slammed the ball all over the field in the next game, coming within a single of the cycle. She smashed a double off the wall before Phillips’s home run, scorched an RBI triple to score Williams two innings later and capped her night with a long three-run home run off the top of the batting cage beyond the center field fence, putting Loyalsock ahead, 14-2.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Maddy Williams attempts the tag on Southern Columbia's Maddison Yost during game two of a high school softball doubleheader on Friday at Short Park.

“Kinsie hit those two and she hit that (second) one to left center the opposite way which was great to see,” Casey Waller said. “I was glad Easton got one because she’s been really pressing at the plate.”

Staying loose and having fun paid dividends throughout the lineup. Fulp continued heating up at her new clean-up spot and only a fabulous diving catch by Southern center fielder Leah Fenstermacher prevented her from having five hits.

Fulp went 4 for 6 in her final six at-bats, scoring three times and stealing two bases in the first contest before adding two RBIs in the second. Even one of those outs was a productive one with Fulp hitting an RBI grounder.

“I felt a lot more loose. I feel like I’ve been tight the last few games,” Fulp said. “People probably say I did well the last few games, but for me it wasn’t good enough. Today, though, I felt loose and confident.”

So did Miller whose two-run single was part of an eight-run seventh inning surge which locked up another league title. She was even better in the pitching circle, striking out a season-high nine and doing particularly well in big spots when the game was still close.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Mo Wertz snags a popup behind the plate during game two of a high school softball doubleheader against Southern Columbia on Friday at Short Park.

Loyalsock will host a district quarterfinal, but Friday may have been the last time Miller pitched at Short Park. If it was, the right-hander went out with a flourish, stranding eight runners, while displaying the poise and toughness which has defined her scholastic career.

“Just knowing that (it could be final pitching performance at home) gives me a lot of motivation to do good for this game. It was a fun game to pitch,” Miller said. “When I play a team that I can get that many (strikeouts) against, it gives me a lot of confidence for the playoffs.”

Every player literally had a piece of the championship Friday with all competing in the second game. What Casey Waller especially liked was how eager the starters were to see their other friends get opportunities. That selfless mentality was passed down from previous senior groups and now this quintet, which has gone 4 for 4 in league championships, continues carrying the torch forward.

“Some of these girls are very unselfish and want them to go in and bat and that’s what it’s all about,” Waller said. “They’re being true teammates and picking each other up.”

Loyalsock 11, Southern Columbia 2

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock players greet Kinsie Phillips (7) at the plate after she hit a home run during game two of a high school softball doubleheader against Southern Columbia on Friday at Short Park.

(GAME ONE)

Southern 101 000 0–2 2 2

Loyalsock 701 120 x–11 9 1

Maddie Yost and Hope Hopper. Easton Waller and Shyla Fulp. W: Waller. L: Yost.

Top Loyalsock hitters: Maddie Wertz 3-4, 2B, 3 RBIs; Breeze Sauers 2-2, RBI; Fulp 2-4, 3 runs, 2 SBs; Kinsie Phillips 1-4, HR, RBI; Addi Barowy 1-3, 2 RBIs, 2 BBs, run.

Loyalsock 14, Southern Columbia 2

(GAME TWO)

Loyalsock 102 030 8–14 12 1

Southern 000 110 0–2 7 3

Sophia Miller and Wertz. Alana Reuter, Yost (7) and Hopper. W–Miller. L–Reuter.

Top Loyalsock hitters: Waller 3-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 4 RBIs, 3 runs; Phillips 2-2, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 runs;Fulp 2-4, 2 RBIs; Lydia Kresock 2-4, RBI, Rrun Miller 1-4, 2 RBIs, run; Maddy Williams 1-3, 2 runs; Wertz 1-3, RBI. Top Southern hitters: Yost 2-3, 2B; Reuter 2-4, RBI.

Records: Loyalsock (14-5, 9-1 HAC-III).

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Breeze Sauers makes the tag at first on Southern Columbia's Addisyn Miller during game two of a high school softball doubleheader on Friday at Short Park.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Easton Waller attempts a tag on Southern Columbia's Hope Hopper at second during game two of a high school softball doubleheader on Friday at Short Park.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Easton Waller throws for Loyalsock in game one of a high school softball doubleheader against Southern Columbia on Friday at Short Park.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Maddison Yost throws for Southern Columbia in game one of a high school softball doubleheader against Loyalsock on Friday at Short Park.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Mo Wertz makes the play at first tagging Southern Columbia's Addisyn Miller out during game one of a high school softball doubleheader on Friday at Short Park.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Shyla Fulp arrives safe at second during game one of a high school softball doubleheader against Southern Columbia on Friday at Short Park.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock players congratulate Kinsie Phillips (7) after she hit a home run during game one of a high school softball doubleheader against Southern Columbia on Friday at Short Park.