NORTH SCHUYLKILL — It’s been evident since the early days of the season that it was going to take quite the powerhouse to knock out never-say-die Williamsport. The resilient bunch never gave in and never quit all year, punctuated by numerous comeback wins, including one in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament on Monday.

Unfortunately for the Millionaires, they ran into that very powerhouse on Thursday as a sensational Owen J. Roberts squad excelled in all facets en route to beating Williamsport, 11-0, in six innings in at North Schuylkill High School.

“They were really good. Their pitcher was the real deal, for sure. We put some hard-hit balls in play, but they played good defense and made the plays. They did their job, and they did it well,” Williamsport head coach Scott Stugart said.

In fact, the Wildcats’ pitcher was very good, indeed. Sophomore Maddie Reed showed why she is already receiving high-Division 1 interest from some of college softball’s best programs. The lefthander struck out 12, allowing just a bloop single and one walk against a Millionaire lineup that had beaten up plenty of stellar pitching all year long. Reed was a hard-thrower, but also featured excellent off-speed pitches and a great riseball to finish off Williamsport hitters to make things tough on them at the plate.

The first first Wildcats were equally good at the plate. A two-out error followed by a rocket double into the left-center gap Emma Brotherton got them on the board in the 1st inning, and Amelia Atkins and Reed homered in the second inning as Owen J. Roberts tallied a backbreaking five runs in the second, taking advantage of a few uncharacteristic Millionaire miscues.

“I really felt there were a lot of things that just snowballed. They got a little bit of small ball, then an error, then a home run. I still believed in our team, we’ve come back from six-run deficits this season. I really thought we were still in it. We held them for the next couple of innings, but we just didn’t have enough to string together enough hits to make a real challenge of the score,” Stugart said.

Williamsport did get a hit in the third inning when Bella Reddy flared a ball into shallow right field. But, like she did every time a rare baserunner reached base, Reed extinguished the threat. And, after Owen J. Roberts tacked on two more in the fifth and then three more in the sixth to bring the run rule in play, the sun set on a fantastic Millionaire season that saw the program advance to the state elite eight for the first time in the 2020s.

An illustrious senior class of Ashlyn Robinson, Emma Vollman, Brenna Beck, and Bella Reddy will depart having won three district championships and, more importantly, having made an indelible impact on the program. And, with five underclassmen starters returning, plus talented reserves and a good 8th grade class, the sky is the limit moving forward

“That’s pretty much what we addressed a little bit in our postgame meeting. They don’t really know the impact they’ve had–it’s going to last past this season. We had at least five freshmen on the team, and the way they practiced, the effort and attention to detail they demanded, helped set the tone for the program. It even helped us as coaches, because we didn’t have to be the only voices all the time. That impact is going to be felt in the program for years because of what they did, and we’re really proud of them,” Stugart said.

Owen J. Roberts 11,

Williamsport 0

(6 INNINGS)

Owen J. Roberts 150 023 — 11 14 1

Williamsport 000 000 — 0 1 3

Maddie Reed and Emma Brotherton. Ashlyn Robinson and Peyton Pennycoff. W: Reed. L: Robinson.

(Top hitters for Owen J. Roberts and Williamsport not available).