After 6 hours, 3 rain delays and a 40-mile venue move, McDowell falls in PIAA softball

The McDowell softball team didn't want to leave left field at the Mercyhurst University softball field.

Despite an exhausting, exciting, frustrating and emotional day where the Trojans played a PIAA playoff game that lasted nearly six hours and took place over two venues 40 miles apart, they were trying to soak up every last moment together.

It was the end of their season, the end of careers for the seniors and the final time Maureen Wolfe led them as their head coach.

“It's a lot of emotion personally for me. I've done this for 15 years, the best 15 years of my life, and the program has seen me through a marriage and two kids,” Wolfe said. “The girls know my kids well, and my kids have lived at a ballfield their whole lives. All they know is softball and baseball.”

Wolfe told the team well ahead of time that this season would be it for her, but it didn't stop the emotion from showing after McDowell fought back from a three-run deficit, fought through three rain delays and a venue change Wednesday before a 4-3 loss to Mifflin County in a PIAA Class 6A subregional.

The game started at Allegheny College in Meadville in an dream scenario with the sun shining and everything starting on time at 3 p.m.

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It quickly became a nightmare for District 10 tournament director Steve Hoover as he needed to keep making big decisions throughout the afternoon. Mifflin County traveled more than 200 miles, or roughly four hours, by bus for the playoff game. There was no way the Huskies were coming back if weather played a part so both teams and Hoover had to make it work.

“We left this morning not knowing what we were getting into,” said Mifflin County coach Craig Weston. “We knew the weather would be questionable so we brought all of our shoes and cleats just in case. Through all of the delays and change of venue, you have to tip your hat to both teams. Not too many teams deal with this kind of adversity, and we were fortunate to come out with the W.”

The rain

In the top of the second inning of a scoreless game, a slight sound of thunder forced the two teams off the field for at least a 30-minute delay. It turned out to be the right call by the umpires as it poured rain for about 10 minutes.

The Allegheny College softball field took the rain without issue and needed just a little work to get the game going again.

After 43 minutes, the game resumed and Jalee Bodtorf reached on an infield single to drive in Sophie McCurdy in the second inning for the Huskies. Payton McClure and McCurdy each had RBI singles in the third inning to give Mifflin County a commanding 3-0 lead with the way Madison Wolfgang, who threw a perfect game in the District 6 championship, was shutting down McDowell in the circle.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, another thunderclap forced the teams back into the dugout.

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Moments later, the rain came hard and fast during the second delay, forcing Allegheny staffers to tarp the field. The rain-drenched the field, but the Allegheny grounds crew was able to get the field in playable condition after a 72-minute delay, including numerous bags of quick-drying material poured onto the field.

The grounds crew not only raced to get the field ready, but they were also racing the clock as another cell of rain was approaching. It was the last window the teams had to play a full five innings because darkness became an issue.

Mifflin County was just five outs from securing a 3-0 win, but the Trojans weren't going to go quietly.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, freshman Gabby DeLuca ripped a two-run triple and then scored on a Lexxie Biel base hit. Just seconds after the final out of the fifth inning, a distant lightning strike suspended the game a third time.

“We really battled back, and I think everyone who was at the game and seeing our at-bats early on counted us out when we were down 3-0,” Wolfe said. “Our girls believe in themselves and made the right adjustments at the plate to do what they needed to do to tie the score and extend the game.”

The move

The third delay meant there was no way the game was going to finish at Allegheny College on Wednesday despite incredible efforts by the Allegheny staff to keep the field playable.

Hoover started making calls and the only field with lights that might be available within hours of Meadville was Mercyhurst University. The biggest concern in addition to having both teams and all of the families and friends drive another hour north was the softball field wasn't ready at Mercyhurst. The mobile outfield fence was down because of a soccer tournament over the weekend.

Once Mercyhurst staffers gave the go-ahead to bring the game to Erie, both teams ran to their buses and spread the word to their parents to go to Mercyhurst.

“We've been trying as a coaching staff all year to get the girls to be emotional in a positive way and to get excited to give it their all,” Wolfe said. “The bus ride up here after that decision was amazing. The girls were singing, dancing and snapchatting and doing all the things they do. It really was fun and I thanked the girls for tying the game and giving us a chance to win because that bus ride home wouldn't have been what it was if we didn't battle back. It was a really cool experience that I won't forget.”

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McDowell players enjoyed the bus ride because they had just saved their season moments before the lightning came.

It was a slightly different ride for the Huskies.

“We were definitely anxious and hungry, so hungry,” Wolfgang said about the bus ride to Erie. “We had a little talk before we got off the bus and said, 'We've come this far; we need to keep going'.”

Mercyhurst University staffers, including Joe Stepnowski the director of athletic operations, and Mercyhurst Prep athletic director Dan Perfetto scrambled to get the outfield fence in place and prepare the field for softball.

This time it was a downpour in Erie as they moved each individual section of fence.

By the time the teams arrived, staffers were soaked, but the rain let up and the game continued after a two-hour, 10-minute delay. The three delays totaled four hours and five minutes.

The finish

With family and friends from both teams parked on top of the hill and perfect strangers enjoying the unique experience together, the teams took the field knowing one run could extend or end their seasons.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Alaina Sharp reached on a bunt and went to second on a Wolfgang sacrifice bunt. Arika Henry followed with a double to send the Mifflin County bench and crowd into a frenzy.

Wolfgang then shut the door in the seventh inning at 8:48 p.m. to finish a game that started nearly six hours earlier and 40 miles away.

“Gabby (DeLuca) was amazing in the circle and really stepped it up another notch this game and the kids gave it all they had,” Wolfe said. “This comes down to two evenly-matched teams and their pitcher threw a great game. They just got the hit they needed to win it.”

Mifflin County (11-9) moves on to the PIAA first round on Monday against WPIAL runner-up North Allegheny.

McDowell ended the season at 7-15 with another District 10 Class 6A championship and a PIAA playoff win over Allderdice last week.

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“It was tiring and we definitely didn't expect to be out this late,” Henry said. “We went through this together as a team. We were a little frustrated after the third delay because they tied it, but we were ready to win. We came out hot after the delay to win this game.”

Saying goodbye

Wolfe isn't moving away, but the Trojans will have a new softball coach in 2023. She is working on some things to stay involved in softball locally through instruction and could announce her future plans later this summer.

Wolfe also wants to spend more time with her kids not only off the field but on the field as well as they are starting to play baseball and softball.

“I've built my family around this program and the people in it. To have former players come back through as coaches provides some of my favorite memories from the weddings and the babies and just the experiences with them,” Wolfe said. “A lot of coaches at times say programs are a family, and I truly feel like I've lived by that.”

Wolfe finished with a career record of 158-100 with six region championships and 11 District 10 championships. Wolfe, formerly Maureen Bailey, is from Pittsburgh but found a new family when she moved to Erie.

“If you look at my life here in Erie, every part of it is somehow connected to McDowell,” Wolfe said. “I'll still continue to be McDowell's biggest supporter and I'll always be here for these girls.”

Muncy 10, Seneca 8

At DuBois, the Bobcats continued to battle back to tie the game several times on Wednesday, but two seventh-inning runs were too much to overcome in a PIAA Class 2A softball subregional at the DuBois softball complex.

Seneca ended the impressive season with a 17-6 record. Muncy (16-5) heads to the PIAA first round on Monday against Johnsonburg. The Bobcats were making their second PIAA playoff appearance in program history.

Seneca, as it did all season, responded each time Muncy took a lead. The Indians jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning before Aubrey Hammill scored on a passed ball and Julia Patterson doubled in a run to cut the lead to 3-2.

Muncy added a run in the top of the second inning, but Lauren Konkol and Alara Bem each singled in a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at four.

The Indians went ahead 8-4 in the top of the fifth inning, and the Bobcats responded in the bottom of the fifth as Helen Genest tripled in a run and Hammill singled in two runs to cut the deficit to 8-7.

After a quick top of the sixth inning, Konkol blasted a double to right field. Muncy started throwing the ball away, allowing Konkol to score and tie the game.

Muncy finally took control in the seventh inning as Isabelle Gush hit a sacrifice fly to drive in one run and Casey Fry tripled and scored on a passed ball to give the Indians a 10-8 lead.

Genest singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to bring the tying run to the plate, but a flyout ended the game.

Konkol and Genest finished with three hits apiece for the Bobcats.

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: McDowell marathon: Trojans' softball team falls after 6 hours, 3 rain delays and 40-mile move