One of the nicest things about the beginning of a new softball season is that it’s never a very long wait before Philipsburg-Osceola and Bald Eagle Area get together.
The two teams, without fail, are always at or near the top of the Mountain League and District 6, and in recent years they have played some of the most dramatic games in any sport in the area.
This season the first meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 31, at Bald Eagle Area, and it will actually be the opening game of the year for the Mounties. Bald Eagle already has a victory over Hollidaysburg, 9-0, in its opener on March 27.
In 2016, the two powers split the regular-season series. P-O took the first game, 4-1, at home in late March, and then BEA came back to take Game 2 in late April by a score of 5-2.
The Mounties and Eagles then met for the rubber game in the District 6, AA championship game on June 1, and P-O took the crown with a 4-0 win.
In 2015, the two teams met in the PIAA state tournament semi-finals before one of the biggest crowds ever at the Penn State Softball Complex, and it looked like they were on a collision course again in 2016.
But it was not to be. BEA lost to WPIAL champion Ellwood City, and after a dramatic victory over Steel Valley (back-to-back homers in the seventh inning), P-O was eliminated by hard-hitting South Park, also from District 7.
It is 2017 now, and with all that in the past both P-O and BEA are looking ahead with new teams and clean slates, even though some things will remain the same.
TOP PITCHERS RETURN
Softball begins with pitching and both the Mounties and Eagles return their two top performers from 2016.
Sophomore Zoey Surovec and senior Moreta Dyke return for BEA, and both already pitched in the shutout win over Hollidaysburg. For the Mounties, it will be senior Maggie Peck and sophomore Camryn Harris who will be taking the ball.
“Maggie and Cam are a year older,” long-time Philipsburg coach Jim Gonder said, “and hopefully they worked on some things in the off-season. They should be a year better, I hope.”
With nine runs in their first game, it appears as if BEA will be strong at the plate as well. Against Hollidaysburg, Megan Cersvich had two hits and a three-run homer, while MacKenzie McCloskey had two doubles and Caitlyn Chase added a two-run double in the win.
P-O has yet to play, but the Mounties will no doubt have a somewhat altered approach at the plate after power-hitting Haylee Hayward and Chelsey Henry graduated. Still, P-O returns 10 letter winners from 2016, led by Peck, catcher Kylie Thal, shortstop Hanna Thompson and third-baseman Jayde Burge, so there may not be as many home runs but the Mounties will still field a potent lineup.
“We did lose two pretty good power hitters,” Gonder said, “and I hope this year we’ll be a doubles team.”
It can also be expected that both teams will again be fundamentally sound, especially on defense, base running, and offensive execution.
And while no one can foretell the future, it would be no surprise if the Mounties and Eagles are right back again in June battling for league, district, and even state honors.
“Every year, I’ve been saying, ‘Guys, get better,’” Gonder said. “Every day just keep improving. When May comes around, that’s when we hopefully will be playing our best ball.”
