Bentworth ends Neshannock’s reign, wins first WPIAL title
CALIFORNIA – You want to know why Bentworth was playing in the WPIAL softball championship game Wednesday?
The answer is both simple and complex.
It wasn’t that the Bearcats were mauling opponents with their hitting. It wasn’t that their pitching was overwhelming opponents, although it certainly has been.
No, it was not because the Bearcats were beating their opponents, but more because they weren’t beating themselves. It’s called winning softball. Bentworth had been playing clean, fundamentally sound softball.
So what happened in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game Wednesday against Neshannock? The Bearcats made some uncharacteristic mistakes, including one by the coach that cost Bentworth a run, but in the end none of that phased this team.
Playing with resilience and the confidence of a champion, Bentworth scored two runs in the first inning that had Neshannock playing catch-up the rest of the way, and rode the powerful right arm of pitcher Sydney Gonglik for a 4-1 victory at Penn West California’s Lilley Field.
The WPIAL softball championship is the first in Bentworth history and avenged a loss to Neshannock in the 2024 title game.
“We worked so hard for this,” Gonglik said after tossing a three-hitter and striking out 10. “We deserve it. The girls deserve to end their senior year like this. We’re not done. We still have states. We’re planning to go as far as we can in states.
“I do think this means a lot to the community. It means a lot for us to show the community that softball is just as good, that girls sports are just as good.”
Gonglik walked three and gave up one unearned run that had Neshannock (17-6) within striking distance until the end.
Bentworth (21-2), however, never trailed as it ended Neshannock’s bid for a fifth consecutive WPIAL title.
The Bearcats jumped on top 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, in part because head coach Jack Cramer opted to change his team’s batting order for the first time all season. He moved Alex Babirad up from the No. 6 spot to leadoff and slid Gonglik from No. 1 to the cleanup spot.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever batted leadoff,” Babirad said. “I was confused when I saw the lineup. I was not expecting to be batting first for the first time in the WPIAL championship.”
But the freshman was and she helped Bentworth set the tone early. She smacked the first pitch from Neshannock’s Gianna Paglia on a line drive into the right-field corner and legged out a leadoff triple.
“I said thanks for making me look good,” Cramer said with a smile.
Sofia Gaussa, one of three seniors on the Bentworth team, followed with a walk and stole second base.
Freshman Makayla Gonglik then dropped a double down the left-field line, scoring Babirad and Gaussa, and giving Sydney Gonglik the only runs she would need.
“I was just trying to hit the first good pitch I got,” Makayla Gonglik said.
Neshannock scored its only run in the third inning, when Bentworth was charged with an uncharacteristic three errors.
Benna Frengle put down a bunt that Sydney Gonglik fielded and fired a fastball to first base that nobody could handle. The ball kicked into right field and Frengel ended up at second base. Jaidon Nogay followed with a shallow fly ball to the gap that right fielder Hailey Tatar charged hard on but could only get the end of her glove on. The play was ruled an error and Frengel moved to third base.
Gabby Antuono hit a hard smash off the glove of third baseman Nora Lindley, which also was scored as an error, and Frengle crossed home plate.
Sydney Gonglik got out of the jam with a popout and a strikeout.
The Bearcats answered with two runs in the bottom of the third. Makayla Gonglik led off with a walk and Sydney Gonglik was intentionally walked, putting runners on first and second with no outs. After a strikeout, Addison McVicker hit a chopper that Neshannock third baseman Anna Measel threw low to first base. By the time the ball was retrieved, both Gongliks had raced around the bases to score and make it 4-1.
“Today we had a couple hits, they made a couple mistakes and it helped us and hurt them,” Cramer explained. “I thought when we threw that ball away at first base they were going to score (two). They didn’t, and then they threw the ball away and we scored two.”
At that point, McVicker was replaced by pinch-runner Brynn Dillon, which led to a confusing situation two innings later.
That’s when Makayla Gonglik led off with a single up the middle and Sydney Gonglik laced a single off the glove of second baseman Frengel. One out later, McVicker singled to left centerfield and Makayla Gonglik scored what appeared to be the fifth run for the Bearcats.
However, Neshannock’s coaches said that McVicker was not re-entered into the game and Dillon should have been batting. The umpires, following a conference, agreed, taking the run off the board and calling McVicker out for batting out of order. Dillon then inherited McVicker’s count of 2-2 and an out ended the inning without a run.
“I messed up the lineup by not re-entering (McVicker), but I’m caught up in the game as much as they are,” Cramer said. “I just … it slipped my mind. I apologized to the girls. I said that’s on me.”
It didn’t matter because Sydney Gonglik got stronger as the game progressed. Neshannock loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth and she induced a popout to end the threat. In the seventh, she issued a leadoff walk and an error brought up the potential tying run but Paglia flied out to Gaussa in center field to end the game.
“I’m glad she was the one who caught the last out,” Cramer said. “Sophia was one of the girls who were with us two years ago.”
Extra bases
Bentworth will play District 10 runner-up Wilmington in the first round of the PIAA playoffs that begin Monday. Neshannock will play the District 9 champion.