Jun 12, 2026 By Jerin Steele 5 min read

UNIVERSITY PARK – In the span of a half inning, Chartiers-Houston went from looking like it would pad its lead to seeing it disappear.

The Bucs had two runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the third, but couldn’t get either one home.

When Laurel had the same opportunity in the bottom half, it made the most of it.

The Spartans scored three runs in the frame and rolled from there as they defeated Chartiers-Houston, 7-1, in the PIAA Class 2A softball championship Friday at Nittany Lion Softball Park.

Before the game started, it was already historic because it was the first time two teams from the WPIAL met in a state softball championship. For Laurel it became even more of a historic day because it was the first state championship for the program.

“It feels good and it sounds good,” Laurel coach Bill Garroway said. “What is really cool about today was the bigger the lights, the brighter the stage, and the girls were the most relaxed I have seen them play all year.”

Chartiers-Houston, after successfully navigating the eastern side of the bracket, was denied its second state title. It was the Bucs’ first trip to the finals since it won in 2010.

Laurel defeated the Bucs, 6-5, in the WPIAL consolation game two weeks ago.

Chartiers-Houston led 1-0 early, but Laurel’s big inning started when Mayci Lang and Hayden Seifert were hit by pitches to put two runners on with nobody out. Lexi Krol brought in Lang with an RBI single to left field. Lizzie Pascoe followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 2-1.

Krol moved to third on the sacrifice fly and Maddie Evans laid down a perfect bunt to bring her home.

“This was the first time in the state playoffs that we didn’t have a lead,” Garroway said. “Once we were able to make it 3-1 we were able to get bunts down and steals going to add to our lead.”

In the half inning prior, Chartiers-Houston looked like it was in business, but came up empty. Mackenzie Schumar walked to lead off the inning and Lauren Rush ripped a one-out double to left field to put two runners in scoring position.

Aubree Randolph followed and laid a bunt down, but the ball hit her after she left the batter’s box, so she was out.

Bucs coach Tricia Alderson believed the ball hit Randolph twice, once when she was in the box and then after she started running to first, but the home plate umpire ruled otherwise.

“It hit her twice, but he didn’t see that,” Alderson said. “It hit her in the box and then when she’s running it hit her again. He made the call and then he asked for help. That’s all we could’ve asked them to do.”

Seanna Riggle hit a soft liner to second base for the third out, stranding two runners in scoring position and ended a frustrating inning for the Bucs.

“The first few innings we needed to put the ball in play better,” Alderson said. “Even a ground ball to the right side, get a bunt down, or something to get those runs home. We could’ve easily been up 3 or 4 to nothing, but we just couldn’t cash in. That’s the way it goes sometimes. I knew we were going to need more than one run to win this game.”

After Laurel took the lead, starting pitcher Riley Balcom limited Chartiers-Houston to one base runner, an infield single by Brooklyn Hess in the fourth inning.

Balcom retired 11 in a row to end the game and pitched a four-hitter with five strikeouts.

“She’s been a bulldog all year and she wouldn’t be denied just like our other three seniors,” Garroway said. “She had our back and we took care of her.”

Laurel added another run in the fourth on a ball that went four feet. Seifert hit a pop up a little bit up the third base line, but it fell between third baseman Kiera Drilak and catcher Sydney English. The ball hit Drilak and went into foul territory and Haley Balcom raced in from third base to score.

Three more insurance runs came across for the Spartans in the sixth.

Alexis Bair, the No. 9 hitter, smacked a one-out double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a wild pitch. Then, Haley Fell hit a popup that landed just beyond second base that brought another run and Krol hit a dribbler up the first base line that was hit soft enough to plate another run on a groundout.

Chartiers-Houston was ahead 1-0 two batters into the game. Kiera Drilak ripped a double to center field to lead off the inning and Lauren Rush followed with another blistering double off the centerfield wall that scored Drilak.

Rush made it third on a passed ball with no one out, but was stranded there.

Laurel starter Riley Balcom got a pair of popups to first base with a strikeout sandwiched in between to end the threat.

Taryne Drilak took the loss. She allowed nine hits and seven runs in six innings.