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UNIVERSITY PARK — So often this postseason, Adrianna Condrad has escaped bases-loaded jams.
She almost wriggled out of another in the bottom of the second inning Thursday with minimal damage.
However, a very good Shaler team broke through with two outs and kept rolling from there on its way to a 10-0, five-inning victory over Abington Heights in the PIAA Class 5A Softball Championship Game at a hot and muggy Penn State University Nittany Lion Softball Park Beard Field.
Haley Machajewski’s grand slam with one out in the bottom of the fifth invoked the mercy rule and gave the District 7 champion Lady Titans (24-1) their third state title. They also won the Class 3A championship in 2004 and the Class 4A crown in 2006.
“They broke through and we made a couple small mistakes,” Abington Heights coach John Kelly said. “That’s all it takes in a game against a really good team. You make one or two mistakes and they compound. We kind of had one real bad inning there.”
For the District 2 champion Lady Comets (24-2), it was a disappointing end to an otherwise tremendous run to their first state final. They could muster little offense against Shaler senior pitcher and Indiana University commit Bria Bosiljevac with just one hit and only four baserunners.
Eva Kane led off the game with a walk but was thrown out on a stolen base attempt in between two strikeouts.
Isabella DeRiggi led off the top of the second with a single and was sacrificed to second by Brianna Bustos. Riley McColligan was hit by a pitch to put two aboard, but Bosiljevac got a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.
Bustos reached second on two errors on one play with two outs in the top of the fourth, but was stranded.
Bosiljevac finished with eight strikeouts.
“She had a good rise ball. Got a few of our girls out with that,” DeRiggi said. “She was a great pitcher. They were a well-coached team, very athletic. They definitely gave us a good fight. We tried our best. I definitely think we gave it all and left it on the field.”
In the bottom of the second, Bosiljevac got Shaler’s offense going by drawing a leadoff walk. Giada Colamarino and Peyton Nichols both reached on bunt singles to load the bases. Olivia Gieraltowski then walked to force home courtesy runner Ella Hergenroeder and give the Lady Titans a 1-0 lead.
Condrad appeared as if she might get out of trouble when she struck out Ellie Nickel and got Machajewski to fly out to Bustos in shallow center field. But she walked Jayla Antomachi to force home Colamarino and make it 2-0. Addison Aleski then hit a fielder’s choice that was bobbled for an error, bringing home Nichols. When second baseman Kane got tangled up with Antomachi at second base and fell down on play, Gieraltowski also raced home to give Shaler a 4-0 lead.
“They were a really great hitting team,” said Condrad, the Syracuse University commit who allowed six runs (three earned) and six hits in four innings with three walks and six strikeouts. “Honestly, I don’t think I was prepared as a pitcher yet to face a team that was able to hit balls off the plate, things like that. I’ve been a little less challenged. This definitely was an eye-opener for me. I’m ready to make it right back next year. I’m proud of everyone this year and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Shaler extended its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the third. Bosiljevac led off with a single and courtesy runner Hergenroeder went to second on a wild pitch. Condrad struck out the next two batters, but Gieraltowski had a RBI single.
Miscommunication in the outfield led to a dropped fly ball and allowed Machajewski to reach second on the error to open the bottom of the fourth. Again, Condrad retired the next two hitters. But Alyssa Schaffold fouled off five pitches during her at-bat before hitting a RBI single to score Machajewski for a 6-0 advantage.
Kelly replaced Condrad with Bristos to begin the bottom of the fifth. Colamarino, Taylor London and Nickel all worked walks to load the bases. Machajewski then ended it, sending a 1-0 pitch over the left-center field fence for a no-doubt-about-it grand slam.
“I was just trying get the ball on the ground, get a base hit,” Machajewski said. “I’ve been struggling my last couple of games and popping the ball up a lot. So I was just trying to get a solid base hit and hopefully get an RBI there.
“Off the bat, I knew. That was probably one of the best hits I’ve had in my life. My swing felt very smooth. I knew as soon as I hit it, it was gone. Running around the bases was surreal. This team has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. Everybody is so sweet and they truly are my best friends. To win a state championship with them is literally the best feeling I could ever have.”
Even though the ending wasn’t what Abington Heights hoped it would be, Kelly could not be prouder of his players.
“It’s a tough way to go. But I’ve been doing this a long time and this has been the best season,” said Kelly, in his 26th year as coach. “Great kids, great parents. I couldn’t be any happier to be their coach. They took me along for a great ride. I’ll never forget this season.”
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She almost wriggled out of another in the bottom of the second inning Thursday with minimal damage.
However, a very good Shaler team broke through with two outs and kept rolling from there on its way to a 10-0, five-inning victory over Abington Heights in the PIAA Class 5A Softball Championship Game at a hot and muggy Penn State University Nittany Lion Softball Park Beard Field.
Haley Machajewski’s grand slam with one out in the bottom of the fifth invoked the mercy rule and gave the District 7 champion Lady Titans (24-1) their third state title. They also won the Class 3A championship in 2004 and the Class 4A crown in 2006.
“They broke through and we made a couple small mistakes,” Abington Heights coach John Kelly said. “That’s all it takes in a game against a really good team. You make one or two mistakes and they compound. We kind of had one real bad inning there.”
For the District 2 champion Lady Comets (24-2), it was a disappointing end to an otherwise tremendous run to their first state final. They could muster little offense against Shaler senior pitcher and Indiana University commit Bria Bosiljevac with just one hit and only four baserunners.
Eva Kane led off the game with a walk but was thrown out on a stolen base attempt in between two strikeouts.
Isabella DeRiggi led off the top of the second with a single and was sacrificed to second by Brianna Bustos. Riley McColligan was hit by a pitch to put two aboard, but Bosiljevac got a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.
Bustos reached second on two errors on one play with two outs in the top of the fourth, but was stranded.
Bosiljevac finished with eight strikeouts.
“She had a good rise ball. Got a few of our girls out with that,” DeRiggi said. “She was a great pitcher. They were a well-coached team, very athletic. They definitely gave us a good fight. We tried our best. I definitely think we gave it all and left it on the field.”
In the bottom of the second, Bosiljevac got Shaler’s offense going by drawing a leadoff walk. Giada Colamarino and Peyton Nichols both reached on bunt singles to load the bases. Olivia Gieraltowski then walked to force home courtesy runner Ella Hergenroeder and give the Lady Titans a 1-0 lead.
Condrad appeared as if she might get out of trouble when she struck out Ellie Nickel and got Machajewski to fly out to Bustos in shallow center field. But she walked Jayla Antomachi to force home Colamarino and make it 2-0. Addison Aleski then hit a fielder’s choice that was bobbled for an error, bringing home Nichols. When second baseman Kane got tangled up with Antomachi at second base and fell down on play, Gieraltowski also raced home to give Shaler a 4-0 lead.
“They were a really great hitting team,” said Condrad, the Syracuse University commit who allowed six runs (three earned) and six hits in four innings with three walks and six strikeouts. “Honestly, I don’t think I was prepared as a pitcher yet to face a team that was able to hit balls off the plate, things like that. I’ve been a little less challenged. This definitely was an eye-opener for me. I’m ready to make it right back next year. I’m proud of everyone this year and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Shaler extended its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the third. Bosiljevac led off with a single and courtesy runner Hergenroeder went to second on a wild pitch. Condrad struck out the next two batters, but Gieraltowski had a RBI single.
Miscommunication in the outfield led to a dropped fly ball and allowed Machajewski to reach second on the error to open the bottom of the fourth. Again, Condrad retired the next two hitters. But Alyssa Schaffold fouled off five pitches during her at-bat before hitting a RBI single to score Machajewski for a 6-0 advantage.
Kelly replaced Condrad with Bristos to begin the bottom of the fifth. Colamarino, Taylor London and Nickel all worked walks to load the bases. Machajewski then ended it, sending a 1-0 pitch over the left-center field fence for a no-doubt-about-it grand slam.
“I was just trying get the ball on the ground, get a base hit,” Machajewski said. “I’ve been struggling my last couple of games and popping the ball up a lot. So I was just trying to get a solid base hit and hopefully get an RBI there.
“Off the bat, I knew. That was probably one of the best hits I’ve had in my life. My swing felt very smooth. I knew as soon as I hit it, it was gone. Running around the bases was surreal. This team has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. Everybody is so sweet and they truly are my best friends. To win a state championship with them is literally the best feeling I could ever have.”
Even though the ending wasn’t what Abington Heights hoped it would be, Kelly could not be prouder of his players.
“It’s a tough way to go. But I’ve been doing this a long time and this has been the best season,” said Kelly, in his 26th year as coach. “Great kids, great parents. I couldn’t be any happier to be their coach. They took me along for a great ride. I’ll never forget this season.”
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