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UNIVERSITY PARK — Mission accomplished.
The Pine Grove Cardinals officially accomplished a feat on Thursday afternoon that only nine other Pennsylvania softball programs have done since 1975. Win back-to-back PIAA state championships.
One year after winning the Class 3A state championship 3-2 over Bald Eagle in extra-innings fashion, the Cardinals had a much more stress-free championship game experience, defeating District 10 Sharon 7-1, finishing their historic season with a 26-2 record.
“I’m just proud of the kids,” Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler said. “I mean, we just wanted to come out here, put the pressure on them a little bit, see what would happen, and I’m just proud of the way they responded today.”
The seven runs for Pine Grove were eye-opening, as Sharon, led by pitcher Madelyn Vogan, allowed just five runs all season. The Cardinals weren’t fazed by Vogan’s impressive stat line.
“I think just our preparation,” Cardinals outfielder Callee Leffler said. “It goes back to our last two days at practice. We prepared really hard for her because we knew that she was a very good pitcher. I think us coming in and executing, even with the small ball and using our speed to get extra bases, is really big for us.”
It was Leffler and Hannah Aungst who were the stars of Pine Grove’s offense, going a combined 4-for-7 with two home runs, a double, two walks, four runs scored, and five stolen bases.
The Cardinals as a team also swiped 11 bases either via stolen base attempts or wild pitches.
In the circle, the Cardinals were led to victory by Jamie Dinger. Despite not starting the game, Dinger finished with an impressive stat line of 6.1 innings pitched, seven strikeouts, and just one run allowed across four hits and a walk. Dinger and starter Chelcy Clark kept the middle of the Sharon order to just 1-for-9 in the win.
Pine Grove, as they did on Monday afternoon in the state semifinals, got off to a quick start despite not recording a hit in the first inning. After Callee Leffler flew out to start the game, Hannah Aungst worked a great at-bat, battling back from down 0-2 in the count to work a walk.
Aungst would steal second before advancing to third on the same play as Sharon pitcher Madelyn Vogan’s pitch got past the Tigers’ catcher and to the backstop. With two outs, Aungst then scored once again on a passed ball, giving the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, after getting a quick strikeout to start the game, Chelcy Clark ran into some trouble with two walks and a single to load the bases, leading to the pitching change.
With the bases juiced, Leffler had an early hook on Chelcy and went to fellow junior Jamie Dinger, who was the workhorse for Pine Grove much of the season.
It was a tough move for coach Ryan Leffler to make, especially with Clark being a big reason for the Cardinals being in the position they were.
“Chelsea was a big reason why we’re here,” Leffler said about the change. “She was just missing high a little bit. I felt like we couldn’t give up any runs. We went up 1-0, and I made a switch.”
“It’s never easy as a coach,” he added. “That’s one of the hardest things to do as a coach. And I relied on Jamie there, and she did a great job just going out there, relying on her defense, and getting a couple of strikeouts for us.”
Dinger wasn’t fazed by the pressure-packed situation, striking out Brooklyn Ruzich to end the inning.
In the top of the second, Pine Grove looked poised for a big inning of their own after a pair of errors allowed the Cardinals to get two into scoring position with no outs. But Vogan showed why she’s been so tough to beat this season, striking out the next three Cardinal hitters to end the inning and escape the jam.
After Dinger struck out the side in the third inning, Callee Leffler continued to make her mark this postseason, launching Vogan’s first pitch of the inning over the center field wall for a solo home run.
The home run marked her seventh home run in nine postseason games and 18th overall of the season.
After using the long ball to take a 2-0 lead, the Cardinals opted to play small ball to grow that lead.
Hannah Aungst worked her second walk of the day after the home run, before stealing both second and third. Lily Flynn brought her in on a bunt single to make it a 3-0 game before stealing second and third herself. Khloe Jessman continued the scoring with a sacrifice bunt to make it a 4-0 advantage for Pine Grove.
Sharon once again had an opportunity to score in the bottom of the third following a lead-off double from Vogan, but Dinger quickly made work of the next three Tigers hitters to strand Vogan at second.
Pine Grove tacked on a fourth run in the fourth inning thanks to a pair of Sharon miscues.
Tailyn Bohr reached second on a blooper that fell into shallow left field before getting past the Tigers’ left fielder, and came in to score on a Callee Leffler pop-up that fell in the infield, extending the lead to 5-0.
Pine Grove tried to add another run when Callee Leffler attempted to steal home, but was thrown out in the process.
After being unable to finish her at-bat in the fourth due to Leffler’s caught stealing, Aungst took advantage of the additional pitches seen from Vogan and jumped all over her first pitch in the fifth inning, driving into left field for a double.
PHOTOS: Pine Groves defeats Sharon to win second straight state title
After Dinger moved Aungst to third on a sacrifice bunt, Flynn allowed Aungst to cross home with her second sac bunt of the day, to grow the Pine Grove lead to 6-0.
Sharon finally got on the board in the fifth inning when Alauna Wilson ripped a double down the third base line before scoring on a Madelyn Vogan infield hit that was knocked down by Flynn on a diving attempt, keeping Vogan to just a single.
Addie McFann continued the rally for Sharon with a walk before Dinger worked her way out of the jam, retiring each of the next three hitters.
Both sides went down quietly in the sixth inning before, in the seventh, Hannah Aungst put an exclamation point on Pine Grove’s day with a solo shot off the Beard Field scoreboard to give Pine Grove a 7-1 advantage.
If there were any worries of a late rally from Sharon, Dinger quickly put those worries to bed, collecting a quick 1-2-3 inning. Fittingly, the final out was recorded by the Cardinals’ MVP Callee Leffler, sending the Cardinals into pandemonium.
It also marked the end of the road for three Pine Grove seniors: Callee Leffler, Hannah Aungst, and Tailyn Bohr.
“The three seniors, (I’m) just proud to be their coach,” Leffler said. “They gave this program six years of just the standard. Pine Grove softball play for each other, and they’re going out on top. This is something they’ll never forget the rest of their life.”
For Callee Leffler, it marks the end of a historic and legendary career in Schuylkill League history. The future Florida State Seminole will move on to Florida State in just a few days as the greatest softball player to ever play in the Schuylkill League.
She leaves Schuylkill County as a two-time state champion, and very likely a two-time PIAA Class 3A Player of the Year.
While Leffler moves on to Florida State and the ACC, Aungst will be moving on to Messiah University, where she’ll continue her career, and Bohr’s career comes to an end.
The Cardinals will welcome back, as of now, 13 members of their 2025 state championship team, including seven two-time state champions. They’ll enjoy this one for a few days, but the work and pursuit of a third-straight title will begin soon after.
Continue reading...
The Pine Grove Cardinals officially accomplished a feat on Thursday afternoon that only nine other Pennsylvania softball programs have done since 1975. Win back-to-back PIAA state championships.
One year after winning the Class 3A state championship 3-2 over Bald Eagle in extra-innings fashion, the Cardinals had a much more stress-free championship game experience, defeating District 10 Sharon 7-1, finishing their historic season with a 26-2 record.
“I’m just proud of the kids,” Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler said. “I mean, we just wanted to come out here, put the pressure on them a little bit, see what would happen, and I’m just proud of the way they responded today.”
The seven runs for Pine Grove were eye-opening, as Sharon, led by pitcher Madelyn Vogan, allowed just five runs all season. The Cardinals weren’t fazed by Vogan’s impressive stat line.
“I think just our preparation,” Cardinals outfielder Callee Leffler said. “It goes back to our last two days at practice. We prepared really hard for her because we knew that she was a very good pitcher. I think us coming in and executing, even with the small ball and using our speed to get extra bases, is really big for us.”
It was Leffler and Hannah Aungst who were the stars of Pine Grove’s offense, going a combined 4-for-7 with two home runs, a double, two walks, four runs scored, and five stolen bases.
The Cardinals as a team also swiped 11 bases either via stolen base attempts or wild pitches.
In the circle, the Cardinals were led to victory by Jamie Dinger. Despite not starting the game, Dinger finished with an impressive stat line of 6.1 innings pitched, seven strikeouts, and just one run allowed across four hits and a walk. Dinger and starter Chelcy Clark kept the middle of the Sharon order to just 1-for-9 in the win.
Pine Grove, as they did on Monday afternoon in the state semifinals, got off to a quick start despite not recording a hit in the first inning. After Callee Leffler flew out to start the game, Hannah Aungst worked a great at-bat, battling back from down 0-2 in the count to work a walk.
Aungst would steal second before advancing to third on the same play as Sharon pitcher Madelyn Vogan’s pitch got past the Tigers’ catcher and to the backstop. With two outs, Aungst then scored once again on a passed ball, giving the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, after getting a quick strikeout to start the game, Chelcy Clark ran into some trouble with two walks and a single to load the bases, leading to the pitching change.
With the bases juiced, Leffler had an early hook on Chelcy and went to fellow junior Jamie Dinger, who was the workhorse for Pine Grove much of the season.
It was a tough move for coach Ryan Leffler to make, especially with Clark being a big reason for the Cardinals being in the position they were.
“Chelsea was a big reason why we’re here,” Leffler said about the change. “She was just missing high a little bit. I felt like we couldn’t give up any runs. We went up 1-0, and I made a switch.”
“It’s never easy as a coach,” he added. “That’s one of the hardest things to do as a coach. And I relied on Jamie there, and she did a great job just going out there, relying on her defense, and getting a couple of strikeouts for us.”
Dinger wasn’t fazed by the pressure-packed situation, striking out Brooklyn Ruzich to end the inning.
In the top of the second, Pine Grove looked poised for a big inning of their own after a pair of errors allowed the Cardinals to get two into scoring position with no outs. But Vogan showed why she’s been so tough to beat this season, striking out the next three Cardinal hitters to end the inning and escape the jam.
After Dinger struck out the side in the third inning, Callee Leffler continued to make her mark this postseason, launching Vogan’s first pitch of the inning over the center field wall for a solo home run.
The home run marked her seventh home run in nine postseason games and 18th overall of the season.
After using the long ball to take a 2-0 lead, the Cardinals opted to play small ball to grow that lead.
Hannah Aungst worked her second walk of the day after the home run, before stealing both second and third. Lily Flynn brought her in on a bunt single to make it a 3-0 game before stealing second and third herself. Khloe Jessman continued the scoring with a sacrifice bunt to make it a 4-0 advantage for Pine Grove.
Sharon once again had an opportunity to score in the bottom of the third following a lead-off double from Vogan, but Dinger quickly made work of the next three Tigers hitters to strand Vogan at second.
Pine Grove tacked on a fourth run in the fourth inning thanks to a pair of Sharon miscues.
Tailyn Bohr reached second on a blooper that fell into shallow left field before getting past the Tigers’ left fielder, and came in to score on a Callee Leffler pop-up that fell in the infield, extending the lead to 5-0.
Pine Grove tried to add another run when Callee Leffler attempted to steal home, but was thrown out in the process.
After being unable to finish her at-bat in the fourth due to Leffler’s caught stealing, Aungst took advantage of the additional pitches seen from Vogan and jumped all over her first pitch in the fifth inning, driving into left field for a double.
PHOTOS: Pine Groves defeats Sharon to win second straight state title
After Dinger moved Aungst to third on a sacrifice bunt, Flynn allowed Aungst to cross home with her second sac bunt of the day, to grow the Pine Grove lead to 6-0.
Sharon finally got on the board in the fifth inning when Alauna Wilson ripped a double down the third base line before scoring on a Madelyn Vogan infield hit that was knocked down by Flynn on a diving attempt, keeping Vogan to just a single.
Addie McFann continued the rally for Sharon with a walk before Dinger worked her way out of the jam, retiring each of the next three hitters.
Both sides went down quietly in the sixth inning before, in the seventh, Hannah Aungst put an exclamation point on Pine Grove’s day with a solo shot off the Beard Field scoreboard to give Pine Grove a 7-1 advantage.
If there were any worries of a late rally from Sharon, Dinger quickly put those worries to bed, collecting a quick 1-2-3 inning. Fittingly, the final out was recorded by the Cardinals’ MVP Callee Leffler, sending the Cardinals into pandemonium.
It also marked the end of the road for three Pine Grove seniors: Callee Leffler, Hannah Aungst, and Tailyn Bohr.
“The three seniors, (I’m) just proud to be their coach,” Leffler said. “They gave this program six years of just the standard. Pine Grove softball play for each other, and they’re going out on top. This is something they’ll never forget the rest of their life.”
For Callee Leffler, it marks the end of a historic and legendary career in Schuylkill League history. The future Florida State Seminole will move on to Florida State in just a few days as the greatest softball player to ever play in the Schuylkill League.
She leaves Schuylkill County as a two-time state champion, and very likely a two-time PIAA Class 3A Player of the Year.
While Leffler moves on to Florida State and the ACC, Aungst will be moving on to Messiah University, where she’ll continue her career, and Bohr’s career comes to an end.
The Cardinals will welcome back, as of now, 13 members of their 2025 state championship team, including seven two-time state champions. They’ll enjoy this one for a few days, but the work and pursuit of a third-straight title will begin soon after.
Continue reading...
