A 9-8 win over North Hills Tuesday afternoon capped off an 11-4 regular season and a section championship for the Shaler Area softball team.

After a 7-2 loss to start the season at Bethel Park, a four-game and five-game win streak, the latter of which included the section title win, helped launch the Lady Titans into the playoffs.

“Our biggest takeaways of the season were definitely that we can beat anyone and we are a very strong team when everyone does their part,” junior Corey Sigmund said. “What made us successful was that we just all love to play softball in general, but it seems extra special when we all play together. We always pick each other up, and if one person doesn’t come through someone else will. We are all very hard workers and are always confident in ourselves.”

On the road, Shaler went 4-3, with wins including a 14-4 blowout over Hampton and an 8-3 victory over Fox Chapel. They were undefeated at home, going 7-1 at Hilltop, having wins that included a 15-0 shutout of Oakland Catholic, a beatdown over Mars 13-3, and an 11-1 stomping of McDowell. In the section, Shaler went 8-1, and won nine of their last ten regular season games.

Seven matchups got postponed throughout the season, and one game, a second outing against Oakland Catholic, got cancelled. However, as junior Mallory Moran explained, all that mattered was they were able to finish the season, something that did not happen in 2020.

“It was a great feeling being able to play the sport we love together again,” Moran said to-the-point.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the season was a 9-8 home win over North Hills, a team that had beaten Shaler Area earlier in the season 11-3 which was their only section loss. Overcoming deficits of 4-0 and later 8-5 going into the bottom of the seventh, a walk and a home run made it an 8-7 affair, followed by a walk-off double from junior Natalie Spears that made Shaler Area Section Champions.

“I was very nervous stepping into the batter’s box but I knew I was due for a hit,” Spears said. “It was one of those hits where as soon as the ball hit the bat you knew it was a good hit because it felt so good. When I ran to second base and saw Corey score the game winning run, I was so excited. It was truly one of the best feelings ever when all of my teammates ran onto the field to hug me and we all celebrated together. I have never experienced an environment with so much enthusiasm and energy. It was something I’ll never forget.”

Despite having two less hits than North Hills, the Lady Titans outscored the Indians 5-4 over the final three innings to get the 9-8 win.

“The game was such a roller coaster,” Moran said. “I was pacing back and forth the whole time, and in that inning especially. We all knew how much this game meant and wanted to win more than anything. After Nat hit that, it was a feeling of relief, disbelief, excitement, and victory. It felt like the whole world could hear us cheering and it’s definitely a moment I will never forget. We worked so hard for this game and it was awesome to see it pay off. I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about it since and I believe it is only a source of momentum for us to push even farther and reach our next goals.”

Spears added to that by emphasizing what the team learned from the experience.

“This game taught us all to never give up and that we could do anything we put our minds to,” Spears said. “The motto we were going by in that last inning was for ‘nobody to make the last out’ which is something Coach Keenan always told us to do. Since nobody made the last out, we were able to win the game and become section champs!”

Tomorrow, Shaler Area will play Connelsville at Norwin in the first game of the playoffs, to start a run at a WPIAL Championship. The winner of this game will face the victor of the Chartiers Valley-Thomas Jefferson game Thursday.

“As far as the upcoming playoffs are concerned, I feel really good about our chances,” assistant coach Mr. Kevin Keenan said. “Throughout the season, we have faced some really good pitching and have been forced to make in-game adjustments, which the players have handled very well. I think our team has shown patience at the plate and has come through with clutch hits in big situations. The 5A division is loaded with very good teams this year.  There are probably 5-6 teams with legitimate shots to win it all, including us. If we can get good pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting, we will be very difficult to beat. We are very excited for the playoffs to begin and to see what we can accomplish together as a team.”

Junior Kiera Harger summed up the season by explaining how her team grew throughout the past few months and how they are ready for the postseason.

“We learned a lot throughout our season and faced a lot of good teams that really challenged us and pushed us to be better,” Harger said. “I think we have improved every game offensively and defensively and are ready for whatever the playoffs throw at us.”