For 26 days, Jim Thorpe waited.

The Olympians celebrated District 18 and Section 6 championships on June 21 before spending nearly a month preparing for an opportunity no Senior League softball team in program history had experienced.

Friday wasn’t simply another game.

It was their moment.

Their time.

And when that opportunity finally arrived at the Pennsylvania Senior League Softball State Tournament, the Olympians showed exactly why they belonged.

Jim Thorpe pounded out 17 hits, erupted for 21 runs and rolled past Section 3 champion Southern Tioga 21-4 to earn what coach Ryan Trexler believes is the program’s first Senior League state tournament victory. The reward was another opportunity later in the afternoon against Section 1 champion Lakeland, where the Olympians fell 17-0 but measured themselves against one of Pennsylvania’s premier programs.

Most importantly, Jim Thorpe’s journey isn’t over.

The Olympians remain alive in the three-team, double-elimination tournament and return to the field Saturday morning against Southern Tioga with another opportunity to continue one of the most memorable summers in program history.

“I think these girls were just nipping at the bud to try to get back out on the field,” Trexler said. “The layoff was unfortunate maybe, but it also gave us time to regroup and refresh. We certainly took advantage of being well-rested in that first game.” If there was any concern about rust, it disappeared in the opening inning.

Mikenah Pruitte hit a one-out single before Macayla Lewis was able to draw a two-out walk to put runners at the corners. Leah Hartman lined an RBI double to right, and Ella McKeon followed with a two-run single, giving Jim Thorpe a quick 3-0 lead.

“We put three up in that inning and kind of set the tone,” Trexler said.

Southern Tioga answered with a run in the bottom of the first, but Aubrey Jaeger stranded a runner with a strikeout before the Olympians seized complete control.

Jim Thorpe sent 15 batters to the plate during an 11-run second inning.

Jaeger, Brynn Thompson and Pruitte opened the frame with consecutive one-out singles before Kali Trexler delivered a two-run hit. Hartman followed with another two-run single, Thompson later added an RBI hit and Pruitte also collected a two-run hit before scoring on an error to cap the outburst as the Olympians stretched the lead to 14-1.

Jim Thorpe continued to swing the bats in the third.

Kailyn Skelly delivered a two-run single, Jaeger and Thompson each doubled home runs, Trexler added an RBI single and Lewis’ hit, coupled with an outfield error, plated two more runs to push the advantage to 21-2.

Hartman finished 4-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. Thompson (stolen base) and Pruitte (two stolen bases) each collected three hits, Trexler finished with two hits and drove in three runs, and Jaeger added two hits and scored three times while earning the victory in the circle with six strikeouts.

McKeon contributed two RBIs and three stolen bases, while Lewis scored three times and Skelly drove in two runs.

The statistics told only part of the story.

Seven different Olympians drove in at least one run, every player saw the field, and the balanced effort reflected everything Trexler hopes his program represents.

“It was a real team win,” Trexler said. “There wasn’t one person that really outshined another. That’s how you become a good program — to be able to lean on every girl, not just one girl. Not every day is going to be everybody’s greatest day, and you have to have other girls that can pick up the slack. We certainly have that in our program.”

Friday also marked the first time this summer Jim Thorpe faced champions from outside District 18 and Section 6.

The reward for the opening victory was another opportunity — this time against Lakeland.

The Section 1 champions demonstrated why they are regarded as one of Pennsylvania’s premier Senior League programs, collecting 16 hits while Nina Brewster threw a four-inning no-hitter in a 17-0 victory.

Kara Dugan led Lakeland with three hits and three RBIs, Jocelyn Jordan added three hits, while Abby Bender and Brewster each finished with two hits as Lakeland advanced to Saturday’s championship round.

Trexler never viewed the afternoon solely through the lens of the scoreboard.

“You’ve got to play good teams to be good,” he said. “I know the scoreboard doesn’t look great, but for us to play a team that’s that good only helps us. It only helps us get better.”

As much as Friday was about softball, it was also about everything surrounding it.

Following the games, more than 60 players, parents, grandparents, family members and supporters gathered for dinner near the complex. Families adjusted vacation plans, made the 2½-hour trip to Mansfield and spent the evening celebrating a milestone few programs ever experience.

“It’s nice to see our community come together around a team,” Trexler said. “It’s good to see the hometown kids get a lot of recognition and support from people they might not have known they had.”

Trexler admitted it’s difficult to put into words just how proud he is of what the program has become.

Friday wasn’t defined by one win or one loss.

It was about a group of girls reaching the stage they had spent weeks waiting to reach, a community rallying behind one of its own and a program proving it belonged among Pennsylvania’s best.

Twenty-six days of anticipation finally gave way to a day Jim Thorpe won’t soon forget — one that brought the program’s first Senior League state tournament victory, the opportunity to compete against one of the state’s premier teams and, perhaps most importantly, another chance to take the field together.

“You’ve got to forget the bad stuff quickly,” Trexler said. “The fact that we don’t even have 16 hours to dwell on it might help us. You just kind of move on to the next and come ready to play the next time you get to step on the field.”

Saturday morning now brings another opportunity.

Jim Thorpe will meet Southern Tioga in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to face Lakeland later in the afternoon. The road to a state championship – a journey they waited 26 days to continue – is still very much alive.

Jim Thorpe 3 (11) 7 - 21 17 3

Southern Tioga 112 - 4 5 5

Jaeger and Lewis; D’andrea and Graham. W - Jaeger. L - D’andrea.

Lakeland 448 1 - 17 16 0

Jim Thorpe 000 0 - 0 0 6

Brewster and Mihochi; Jaeger and Lewis. W - Brewster. L - Jaeger.