They walked it off twice. They came back three times. And on Wednesday night, they finished the job.

Weatherly’s 8-10 softball all-stars showed resilience, toughness, and heart in a thrilling 5-4 victory over Northwest to capture the Section 6 championship — the program’s first in this age group.

The Lady Wreckers went 3-1 in the tournament — with two walk-off wins and a comeback victory in the final — to punch their ticket to the Pennsylvania State Tournament.

“This was the one,” said Weatherly manager Rachel Witner. “We believed after that first win, and the second one gave us even more confidence. Tonight, they just kept fighting. I couldn’t be prouder.”

A championship run

built on comebacks

Weatherly opened the tournament with a 4-3 walk-off win over West End on July 5, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. A day later, the Lady Wreckers stunned Warrington 7-6, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh to walk it off again and advance to the winner’s bracket final.

After falling to Northwest 7-3 on Tuesday — a game where Weatherly led 2-0 in the top of the first before surrendering the lead in the second — they bounced back with poise and purpose.

“We didn’t play our game Tuesday,” Witner said. “We came in a little flat, maybe a little overconfident. But they flipped the switch tonight. They knew what was at stake, and they never backed down.”

Pitching power,

fearless base running

Briella Vanblargan was electric in the circle, striking out 12 in a complete-game effort. She scattered five hits, walked two, and shut down Northwest over the final two innings to preserve the one-run lead.

“All I wanted to do was pitch,” Vanblargan said. “I dug hard and I believed.”

Briella also sparked the go-ahead rally in the fourth with a one-out single. Jenna Jones followed with another hit, and both advanced on steals. With two outs, Reya Gregory delivered the biggest swing of the night — a two-run double to center that gave Weatherly a 5-4 lead.

“We had kids step up all over the field,” Witner said. “Big hits, big steals, and big outs. Reya’s hit was huge, and Briella just kept going out there and battling.”

Jones finished 2-for-2 with a run scored, and was one of four Lady Wreckers to steal multiple bases. The team swiped 14 total — with Aubrey Clabia, Myah Makowiec and Jones each stealing three, and Kenzie Clabia (two), Audrey Wagner (one), Mia Durham (one) and Vanblargan (one) all causing havoc on the base paths.

Back-and-forth battle

Northwest opened the scoring in the first when Kylie Trabucco doubled and scored on Olivia Miller’s groundout. They extended the lead to 2-0 in the third on a single by C.C. Rivera that brought home Grace Garcsar. But with two runners on, Weatherly made a big outfield catch to end the inning and keep the game from slipping away.

That catch seemed to ignite the Lady Wreckers.

In the bottom of the third, Mia Durham and Aubrey Clabia stole home after walking to start the inning to tie the score at 2-2. Makowiec followed with a single, then swiped second and third before scoring on a throwing error to give Weatherly a 3-2 lead.

Northwest answered in the fourth after back-to-back doubles by Trabucco and Miller to open the inning. Trabucco scored on a wild pitch, and Miller came home on an error following Saige Schaeffer’s lineout to make it 4-3.

But Weatherly had one more rally in them.

“Our girls showed so much heart and resilience,” said Northwest coach Jen Carlo. “We came out strong, fought in every inning, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they competed. Weatherly’s a great team, and it was a terrific game between two tough groups.”

Championship defense

After Gregory’s double gave Weatherly the lead in the fourth, the defense and Vanblargan took over. She struck out two in a clean fifth inning, then closed the game in the sixth with another pair of strikeouts - her 11th and 12th of the game - and a grounder fielded cleanly to shortstop for the final out.

“We’ve worked for this,” said Witner. “They’ve worked nearly every night since the end of their division play. Even on days off, we were at the field hitting or taking reps.”

Witner credited the team’s tight-knit bond, multi-sport backgrounds, and willingness to embrace tough coaching as keys to their growth.

“These girls are gritty. They listen, they care, and they compete,” she said. “We’re a small town, and these moments don’t come around often. But this group earned every bit of it.”

Next stop: states

Weatherly is expected to open play in the Pennsylvania 8-10 Year Old State Tournament on Sunday in Drexel Hill. It will be the first appearance at states for most players, and a major milestone for the program.

“It’s the best summer ever,” Vanblargan said, beaming. “And we’re not done.”

STRONG SKILLS ... The Weatherly and Northwest teams each displayed tremendous ability through their two games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Weatherly catcher Izzy Durham not only did well behind the plate for her pitchers, but she also helped anchor the defense and prevented Northwest from running wild on the bases, where the Wreckers stole 14 bases to Northwest’s three on Wednesday.

Northwest 101 200 - 4 5 1

Weatherly 003 20x - 5 5 1

Parry, Solivan (5) and Rivera, Parry (5); Vanblargan and I. Durham. W - Vanblargan. L - Parry.