Cranberry girls softball team after receiving their gold medals
From left to right- Jadyn Shumaker, Hailey Gregory, Lexi Riesinger, Reyna Watson, Kendall Findlay, Maddie Wagner, Keelie Schneider, Riley Coe, Taylor Felix, Morgan Mckinley, Mckaylah Smith, Cassie Scarbough, Alaina Olson, Katie Beggs, Raquel Knight, Aaina Hogue, Denali Wenner, and Hannah Kearns. (photography contributed by Raquel Knight)
By Raquel Knight | 6/5/23
Last year the Cranberry Lady Berries softball team went to districts with high hopes, only to come home with silver and the thought that they will be wearing gold next year. Little did they know that their dreams were about to come true.
Early Monday morning on Memorial Day, we all woke up with hopes and dreams to come home with that gold medal and to advance to states.
As we loaded the bus to leave, you could tell that there was something different in the way that everyone was acting- hype and upbeat like we usually were going to our away games, but we had that look in our faces, the look that meant that everyone knew how important this was and everybody was ready for it. We have still been on our high from our crucial season wins against Keystone and Moniteau, some of the hardest games we had to play this entire season.
We had hits when we needed them and great plays constantly. Not only was our team on fire, but so was our dugout. Everybody gave everything they had and laid it all out there. Lucky for us we still had some fight going to Dubois. Not only did we have to battle and work hard as a team but also as a family.
The bus rides throughout the season built a family more and more, an unbreakable family bond that we knew could take us anywhere, especially all the way to States.
As we arrived in DuBois, the tension began to rise because we could see the other team. We never let them bother us though or get into our heads. We played our music, carried on laughing, and joked around about anything and everything like we usually do. You could see the other team trying to intimidate us like we were to them, but no one cracked under the pressure. This is how we knew this would be the game of our lives.
With big games like this, each team gets certain times to be on the field to warm up and to be in the batting cages.
Starting off hot were our hits, everyone cranking everything through the end of the cages and everyone cheering everyone on and on. But after that it became so real because it was finally game time. It was time for us to prove to people what the Cranberry Lady Berries could do and why we were here.
Walking to the field with our heads held high and seeing the other team come out after a loss just made our drive to win even bigger.
We placed our gear down in the dugout and got ready to play our hearts out.
After warm ups, the announcer started saying our names and our positions. Then announcing us to get ready to play. This was it. This was the time everyone here was waiting for.
Starting off was a little sketchy from both sides, but we made it through. The beginning was everyone trying to get all of the nerves out.
We got some runs in the 3rd inning so we were on top. We thought it was all going good until the fourth inning hit, then they put 4 runs on the board. At this point in time it was 5-1, sadly not us. Nobody gave up or got discouraged because we knew that Cranberry was infamous for making comebacks.
The 5th inning rolls around and we come back on top, making the score 6-5. This got the dugouts fired up tremendously.
We are at the very end of the game in the bottom of the 7th inning. After being able to make it through the taunting of Curwensville students in the stadium, bad pitches, and overall nerves, our pitcher Reyna Watson is throwing the final pitches of the night. We have 2 outs and realize that we only need one more, there is a batter in the box with 2 strikes and another runner on 2nd base, this could either make or break us.
Everyone is stressed out on their tippy toes waiting to see what is going to happen. A THIRD STRIKE IS THROWN AND CRANBERRY FOR THE WINNNN!!!!
Everyone starts jumping up and down, crying, cheering, smiling, and running onto to the field.
As we hear the announcer say, “Your winner of the PIAA D9 championship is the Cranberry Lady Berries,” we all cry for our seniors and for the fact that we just did that.
Watching everyone look at us like we just fulfilled their dreams made us all 10x happier.
You thought the celebration was good, but just wait until the bus ride home. We stopped at dinner on the way home so everyone could calm down and really take it in before all of our family, some of our town workers, and some of our first responders would be back at our school to congratulate us.
Not only did we all feel like we won it for ourselves individually, but also for each other, for our families, and for our community. This is a night that we will remember forever. These are the nights that you look back on when you get older and say, “That was when it all started,” and for some of us, it really will be where it all started.
Cranberry vs. Curwensville scoreboard after Cranberry took the D-9 Championship victory at Dubois softball field (photography by Raquel Knight)
Coaches Join the girls in wearing their gold medals, on top from left to right- Chrissy Shumaker, Martin Coe, Amanda Hess, Boyd Morrow, Darren Wenner. On bottom from left to right- Jadyn Shumaker, Hailey Gregory, Lexi Riesinger, Reyna Watson, Kendall Findlay, Maddie Wagner, Keelie Schneider, Riley Coe, Taylor Felix, Morgan Mckinley, Mckaylah Smith, Cassie Scarbough, Alaina Olson, Katie Beggs, Raquel Knight, Aaina Hogue, Denali Wenner, and Hannah Kearns. (photography contributed by Raquel Knight)