Shaler might not have a WPIAL or PIAA championship gold medal to show for it, but this was still a season to remember for the Titans.
Yes, they may have fallen just short in a grueling nine-inning defeat Saturday against District 3 champion Northern York (24-4) at Penn State’s Beard Field in University Park, Pa., but there’s nothing to be ashamed of. As the PIAA runners-up in Class 5A, Shaler’s players can hold their heads high knowing they were part of one of the best seasons in program history — and that’s saying a lot for a team that now has played in six PIAA championships.
After falling behind, 2-1, the Titans (22-2) tied the score on Kent State recruit Eloise Facher’s solo home run in the top of the sixth, and momentum seemed to be in their favor. Both pitchers then kept the score tied until a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth by Sabrina Paulin gave Northern York a dramatic 3-2 win for its first state title.
“We lost two games all year, and both of them ended in the ninth inning,” Shaler coach Tom Sorce said. “Teams had to really battle against us to beat us. Unfortunately, you never want to lose the last game. It’s been 6½ months. It’s a grind.
“We played very well. Another team played very well. Sometimes, you do all you can do, and you don’t get any reward out of it.”
Samantha Magee earned the win for Northern York, striking out seven while walking three over nine innings. She kept the Titans’ talented lineup in check for most of the game, other than a pair of solo home runs by Facher and senior Maja Simunovic.
Despite the loss, heralded freshman Bria Bosiljevac turned in a stellar performance from the circle for Shaler, striking out 12 and walking 2 while allowing 3 runs on 7 hits in 8⅔ innings.
“They were disappointed for a little bit, but we just went and got ice cream, and the sun is going to come up tomorrow,” Sorce said. “It’s a real grind to get all the way through to mid-June to try to keep everybody focused, but I’m proud of them. As coaches, we’re all proud of them.”
The Titans took a 1-0 lead on Simunovic’s solo home run in the top of the third, and Bosiljevac cruised through the first three innings while fanning six without allowing a baserunner. But Northern York broke through for two runs in the bottom of the fourth after a seemingly harmless pop fly dropped in front of home plate with runners on second and third and two outs. Both runners came home to score on what looked like the third out of the inning, and Shaler had to respond.
After putting runners on first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, Bosiljevac gathered her teammates in the circle for a brief but fiery pep talk. She then retired the next three batters in order to keep it a one-run game going into the sixth. Facher immediately capitalized off the momentum boost provided by Bosiljevac, leading off the top of the sixth with an opposite-field solo home run to tie the score at 2-2.
“She has [10] home runs. That’s pretty good out of the leadoff spot,” Sorce said. “She’s a gamer. That’s why she’s a D-I player. … To hit an opposite field home run the way she did it — we’ve been working on that a lot. There’s nobody I’d rather have in that position than her. She’s just an absolute stud.”
In the top of the seventh, Sorce decided to pinch hit with freshman Jayla Antomachi to lead off the inning, and Antomachi drew a full-count walk before advancing from first to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt from Simunovic. Sorce then decided to go for a squeeze bunt with junior Bella Mubel, and Antomachi got thrown out on an extremely close play at the plate. But the Titans defense kept things even and sent the game into extras thanks to a terrific double play turned by freshman catcher Alyssa Schaffold and Simunovic to end the seventh.
The score remained tied until the bottom of the ninth, when Paulin singled home Magee on a sharp line drive with two outs to walk it off for Northern York. Shaler center fielder Ella Nash made a perfect throw to the plate, but it was a half-second too late, as Magee managed to slide just under the tag.
“If you’re going to hit a ball out there, [Nash] is the one I would want it to be hit to. Because she has a tremendous arm,” Sorce said. “They made one more hit than us, and we still made a close play at the plate on that.”
The Titans’ tremendous season may have ended in heartbreak, but the future is bright for this bunch — especially with Bosiljevac as the team’s centerpiece for the next three years.
“I’m proud of them. We hung in there,” Sorce said. “There are a lot of teams who would love to trade places with us.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
