Carrying the right tune boosts Lady Pioneers
Music has a funny way of inspiring people or just bringing people together.
The 2017 West Greene softball team has carried the right tune this season and perhaps music was the perfect tool for the Lady Pioneers to use to win back-to-back WPIAL championships.
If you get behind the West Greene softball bus while driving to their games, you can probably hear singing on the bus.
After a 7-6 loss to Waynesburg Central on April 9 (their lone loss of the regular season), the Lady Pioneers regrouped and went back to becoming looser on the field and on the bus ride.
鈥淚t was just a weird start of the season for us,鈥� junior shortstop Madison Renner said after West Greene鈥檚 4-3 win over Carmichaels on May 4. 鈥淭he bus rides were quieter and we were a little uptight to start the year. I think a couple of weeks ago, we just decided to have more fun this season and we were a looser bunch.鈥�
West Greene ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak and outscored the opposition in that span by a 77-3 margin.
鈥淲e were coming off such a high from last year and I think it just took some time to find our rhythm this season,鈥� Renner said. 鈥淭his is a great group of girls and we always have each other鈥檚 backs. We like to have fun and we enjoy softball.鈥�
The Lady Pioneers earned the top seed in the Class A bracket and after a first round bye, West Greene routed Bishop Canevin 17-0 in three innings in the quarterfinals and powered past Leechburg, 6-1, in the semifinals to set up a title game with Section 2 rival Monessen last week.
Both regular season games were close wins for West Greene (6-2 win on April 10 and 1-0 win on April 25), but the Lady Pioneers鈥� potent offense tallied three runs in the top of the first and it was off to the races as they pounded Monessen 10-0 in six innings for their second consecutive (and overall) title.
Despite the big game atmosphere, the Lady Pioneers remained loose and at ease. They never let the moment or the game be too big for a squad that is comprised of mainly sophomores and freshmen.
鈥淲e just had a good feeling about today,鈥� said four-year senior starting catcher Shelby Morris. 鈥淲e have been here before and we knew what a championship game was like. We were focused from the beginning of the game and it鈥檚 an awesome feeling to win back-to-back titles.鈥�
Despite the big stage, you could hear the West Greene dugout singing along to songs like Zac Brown Band鈥檚 Chicken Fried or John Fogerty鈥檚 Centerfield on the loud speaker during inning breaks at California University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Lilley Field.
鈥淲e just try to approach this game like any other game,鈥� said senior designated player Marissa Rode. 鈥淲e just have fun with it. We play as relaxed as possible on the field. We sang those types of songs on the bus ride, so if we hear them during the games we are probably going to sing them again.鈥�
West Greene, which was PIAA runner-up last year, started its quest of a state title this week with a first-round contest against Shanksville-Stonycreek on Tuesday and a possible quarterfinal match-up on Thursday.
The PIAA Class A Championship Game is next Friday at Penn State University鈥檚 Softball Park at 11 a.m.
No matter how far the bus ride is, you can guarantee that it will not be a quiet trip with the vocals of the 2017 Lady Pioneers.