(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from June 17, 1988).

By Todd Suarez

Sports Staff Writer

How sweet it is!

Northern Lehigh captured the PIAA Class AA softball title in easy fashion yesterday morning. The Bulldogs’ bats came to life as they pounded a previously unbeaten Linesville squad, 8-2.

Steph Mack and Cathy Frohnheiser powered NL with home runs, while Sharon Mack stifled the Lady Lions with the help of a sparkling defense.

“This is unreal,” described Northern Lehigh head coach Brian Schell. “It’s a great emotion. Right now it is all over, but my knees are shaking and I’m having a tough time just standing here. I’m just totally drained. It is just really undescribable.”

The Bulldogs reached this emotion by perhaps playing one of their best games of the season, as they combined the steady pitching of an injured Mack, outstanding hitting and fine defensive play.

Mack Hurts Back

Little did anyone know that during her pregame warmup tosses Sharon Mack had done something to her back and was in quite a bit of pain.

“While I was warming up on the sideline, it was raining and I slipped when I released the ball and twisted my back,” Mack said. “I thought it was just a muscle cramp.”

While her teammates were taking infield practice, Mack laid flat on the bench in pain as trainers worked on her back.

“We came in from taking infield practice and the girls saw Sharon lying there,” explained Schell. “All year we have relied on our pitching and our pitching is going to keep us in games, so we don’t have to hit. But when they saw Sharon, it seemed that her teammates said about the offense having to pick up the slack and come through.

“The offense and defense just did a great job. Sharon still came through with a good game despite her back.”

The offense was splendid. Frohnheiser collected three hits on the day, while Steph Mack hit an all-important three-run home run in the fifth inning that broke the backs of the Lady Lions. Frohnheiser had a solo shot in the seventh to add icing to the championship cake.

Northern Lehigh managed six hits off loser Kelly Moyer, but hit many hard shots that Linesville’s defense just could not handle. The Lady Lions committed a whopping seven errors, but a few of those could have been scored as hits.

“Some of those shots were rockets,” commented Schell. “Their pitcher was just not throwing as hard as she was in their semifinal game.”

In that semifinal game, Moyer had tossed a no-hitter as her team defeated Brockway, 1-0.

As in the Minersville game, the Bulldogs fell behind early in the contest. The Lions scored in their first at bat. Heather Albaugh led off the bottom of the first with a walk and was sacrificed to second. Moyer helped her own cause with a hard single to left, moving Albaugh to third. But on the play, the ball got away from the infield on the throw in and Albaugh crossed the plate with the first run.

However, the score did not remain in Linesville’s favor for very long. In the top of the second, the Bulldogs took the lead for good by plating two runs.

Steph Mack walked and scored the tying run when Heather Eitner lofted a deep fly to center that was misjudged by Lion outfielder Albaugh. The ball rolled and Eitner ended up on third. Frohnheiser followed with an RBI single up the middle for what would end up the game-winning hit.

Northern Lehigh continued its onslaught as they pushed across two more runs in the third inning.

A pair of fielder’s choices put Lori Nierer at first base with two out. Steph Mack reached on an error and Heather Eitner followed with a shot to right that bounced away from the Lion defender, allowing both Mack and Nierer to score and increase the NL margin to 4-1.

Linesville’s fielding errors then turned into mental errors on the base paths. In a fourth inning rally, the Lions had scored one run to pull within 4-2, but cost themselves another run when a base running mistake turned into the second out of the inning and killed the rally.

Laurie Leach singled and was brought home when Kristen Michaels tripled to right-center. With Michaels on third, Melanie Shelatz laid down a perfect bunt that the Bulldogs could make no play on. After reaching first, however, Shelatz left the bag trying to draw a throw, while Michaels stayed on third. While Shelats was off first, NL third sacker Kim Henninger threw the ball to Mack in the pitcher’s circle. After a few seconds, the umpires called Shelatz out for not going back to first when the ball was in the pitcher’s circle.

Consequently the next batter hit a fly to right that would have scored Michaels to pull Linesville within 4-3. Instead, the Bulldogs got out of the inning and were still clinging to that two-run lead.

But not for long.

Sister Helps Sister

In the Bulldog fifth, Steph Mack helped out her sister, Sharon. With two runners on and one out Steph laced a hard shot down the right field line that kept rolling and rolling. Mack easily scampered around the bases preceded by Henninger and Nierer and the game was broken wide open.

“That was definitely the key blow in this game,” said Schell. “They (Linesville) had just pulled within two runs and just like that, we were up by five.”

Defensive Show

In the sixth inning it was time for the Bulldog defense to show its stuff.

Coach Schell said of the sixth inning performance, “That was unbelievable, the plays that these girls made. But that is the kind of kids that we have here. They’re very instinctive on the field. Many of them have been playing since Little League.”

What Schell was referring to were the plays made that again killed a potential Lion rally.

The show began when Leach singled with one out. On the first pitch to the next hitter, Debbie Mattocks, Leach was gunned out in her attempt to steal second, on a rifle throw from Lri Nierer. Mattocks then hit the next pitch in the left-center gap, but was thrown out trying to stretch a triple into a home run on a perfect set of relay throws from Chris Kraynik to Jen Horner to Nierer.

It was then that Schell knew that his team would soon be crowned as state champions.

“When we got through the sixth inning facing their 3-4-5 hitters, I let out a big sigh, because it was then that I knew we would win the game,” explained Schell.

That Winning Feeling

When Mack fanned pinch-hitter Vicki Fredericks it began a celebration that will not be forgotten. The Bulldog squad converged in front of the mound as tears were streaming down the faces on nearly every player and coach.

“Everyone is kind of numb,” said an elated Schell. “We are just totally drained right now, it is just an undescribable feeling.

“We were really pumped up for this game and we really wanted it,” explained Schell. “She (Moyer) was the kind of pitcher that we like to hit against one that throws mainly fastballs, and one that also tails away.

“These are a bunch of great kids and I hate to see the season end because they are such a joy to work with. We have had some good talent here at Northern Lehigh, but no team has ever come together the way that this team has. I’m just so proud of them,” said Schell.

KIBBLES-N-BITS ... The Bulldogs ended its season with a fine 24-3 record ... the team was treated to a victory parade after getting home from Shippensburg and then a ceremony was held in the high school gym ... All players were surprised and touched by the amount of people and signs that were awaiting them throughout the town ... Softball team is the first ever girls sports team at NL to capture a state title ... On the road to the title, the Bulldogs defeated four district champs and knocked off two unbeaten teams ... Linesville finished its season at 22-1.

No. Lehigh 022 030 1 - 8 6 1

Linesville 100 100 0 - 2 6 7

Sh. Mack and Nierer; Moyer and Plocica. W - Mack. L - Moyer. HR: NL - St. Mack (5th, two on), Frohnheiser (7th, none on).