Apr 22, 2020 5 min read

In today’s “When Sports Were Played” we go back to 2005, when for the first time the WPIAL had four classifications in softball. Half of the champions were from the Washington-Greene area and the Class 2A title game featured Waynesburg and Washington, which were meeting for the third time in the season.

CALIFORNIA – Once a heated high school rivalry based as much on hatred as success, tensions eased in recent years between Washington and Waynesburg.

In softball, the Prexies and Raiders compete in Section 2 and, to the surprise of some, plowed through the WPIAL Class AA playoffs and faced off in Thursday night’s championship game at California University’s Lilley Field.

Though the days of disdain between the schools may be gone, last night’s championship contained all the passion and drama of days gone by, with a healthy dose of confusion added to the tension.

Washington showed championship-game nerves late and Waynesburg made the plays and pulled out another heartstopping, come-from-behind performance, claiming a 3-2 victory in front of a raucous crowd.

“I think this was like those old games,” Waynesburg coach Lou Giachetti said as he tightly clutched the team championship trophy. “What a game. I feel bad for Wash High, though. They are a heck of a team.”

Waynesburg (18-3) plays the District 9 champions Monday. Washington (17-4) plays District 6 champion Bald Eagle Monday at Boalsburg.

The trip may serve the Prexies well. This loss will take time to heal.

“In the seventh inning, we got the first out. But then we made some mistakes,” Washington coach Bill Loar said. “We were actually able to get a situation we wanted with a runner on third but we weren’t able to get the outs.”

Trailing 2-1 heading into the seventh, Waynesburg found more late-inning magic to win its fourth-straight one-run game this postseason.

Nikki Coleman hit a one-out infield single and Maura Lee reached on a fielder’s choice. With runners on first and second, Aleisha Fox tied the game with a single to right field and moved Lee to third.

On an attempted bunt, Washington’s Amanda Baughman threw a pitch outside and caught Lee cheating toward home. Catcher Alexis Lopez, who made several key plays, threw low toward third and Lee crossed home with the winning run.

“I was just trying to be smart. I was looking for my pitch and I got it,” said Fox, who went 2-for-3 with a run and RBI. “There was no chance we’d let them beat us three times.”

The Raiders still had to get through the bottom of the seventh against one of the better hitting teams in Class AA.

Waynesburg pitcher Autumn Minor cherished the opportunity.

“We were pumped but I’ve done this so many times, it doesn’t matter how much I get up for it,” Minor said. “I know I have the best defense ever behind me. They would come through and they did.”

Early on, it didn’t look like the Waynesburg defense would get many opportunities. The Prexies hit the ball everywhere.

Washington, which beat Waynesburg twice this year, jumped on Minor early. Alexis Lopez led off the bottom of the first with a seeing-eye triple that barely eluded Minor’s glove. Jenna Ward, the Prexies’ lone senior, followed with an RBI single. Ward then stole second to set up a run-scoring single from freshman Jenna Phillips.

One out into the their half of the first, Washington led 2-0. Not a bad championship debut.

“We talked before the game about getting to her early,” Loar said. “It kind of worked but by the third or fourth inning, I could tell the girls’ bats were slower.”

Minor settled into a nice groove following Phillips’ single. She retired seven straight at one point, including all three during a strange second inning.

A lineup snafu for Washington sent Amber Pivik to the plate before Ashton Molinaro. Waynesburg coach Lou Giachetti called the mistake to the umpire’s attention as Minor had a 1-2 count on Molinaro, who was sent back to the dugout. Brittany Baines inherited Molinaro’s count and struck out.

“I think that played helped change the game,” Minor said.

Waynesburg, also playing in its first championship, seized momentum following that and capitalized in the third.

Fox, who reached on an error to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Erin Giachetti. Brittany Koast, the No. 9 hitter, followed with a double to score Fox. An out later, Emily Fontana singled but Koast was out at home after a diving tag by Lopez, the Prexies’ catcher.

The Raiders failed to convert several opportunities, but when it mattered in the seventh, they got it done.

“I think it had to be,” Giachetti said. “What a group of champions. I’ve never seen a group like this.”