On April 14 the Lady Warriors faced off against Loyalsock for the first time of the 2025-26’ season. They came out in the first inning by scoring seven runs, and they stayed solid on the field shutting down a tough Lancer offense. The Warriors ended up closing out the game in four innings winning 18-1.
“My favorite memory from the Loyalsock game was definitely that first inning feeling of us just piling on, and then in the field that inning we gave them no hope at all,” said senior Center Fielder, Emily George.
Loyalsock has always been an opponent that the Warriors look forward to facing. They have had ups and downs in previous games against them, and they came out seeking a win after being knocked out of the District Playoffs by them in the 2024-25’ season.
“They have always been the team for us to beat,” said Head Coach Mikayla Arnold. “The 2022 season was the first year that we had beat them in a very long time, and I will always remember the reaction from our senior class when we did it on our home field. That game turned out to be their favorite memory, and the teams we’ve had every year after, continue to look forward to this rivalry game(s) throughout the season.”
Mindset is a crucial aspect in any sport, but it makes up the whole game of softball. A softball player has to have the right mindset going into a game. If they don’t or they get down on themselves after a mistake it sets them up for failure for the rest of the game.
“My mindset going into the game was to take my time and hit my spots. As long as I did that the outcome would be good,” said senior pitcher Julie Friel, while sophomore Laney Yonkin said, “My mindset was just going in there and being confident and not stressing about not being able to hit the ball.”
Arnold has been the head coach of the program for four years now and she has seen many players grow both as individuals and as a team. She has seen teams at their highs and their lows. She noticed a lot of strengths in the team, and a different approach to this game.
“The team came out to compete. They carried themselves with confidence and played their very best ball that day. They had energy every inning and carried a short memory of failures and built on each other’s successes. They did a great job winning one pitch at a time and maintaining their energy. It’s easy to lay off the gas petal and get complacent after taking the huge lead we did in the first- but the girls did a great job of treating every inning like the score was “0-0” and didn’t settle for just the win an inning before,” said Arnold.
If there’s no teamwork, there can be no outcome, but individual performance also contributes to the success of the game.
All three of the girls agreed that the team’s strengths were all around solid offense and defense.
“We all got on base. No matter if it was a walk or a hit. Everyone contributed. We also made the easy plays with no errors. During this game I don’t think we had any weaknesses,” said Friel.
George noted that her personal strength was her confidence in the box and on the field.
“I think my personal strength was not overthinking in the box, just going up there knowing I can hit the ball and get on base. I also think I did a good job of keeping our energy up during the game, so we did not settle which we had no problem doing against them,” said George.
The Warriors will face Loyalsock at least one more time this season, so they have to develop and carry an approach into their next matchup with them.
“My approach to playing them is going to be the same mindset that it was the first time. Be confident and try not to be too hard on myself. I think the team’s approach should be coming out with energy and confidence,” said Yonkin.
George and Friel agreed that the team also needs to focus on trusting and working with one another through the ups and the downs that the game could bring. It’s never an easy game against Loyalsock, and there will always be healthy competition.
“Both teams play well so the outcome can turn either way. We know what games are important to win and which ones it doesn’t really matter. Although we would like to win every game, the most important game to win against them is in districts. We will change things up every time we face them so they aren’t seeing the same thing four times,” said Friel.
Coaches carry, support, and prepare their athletes for whatever may come their way during a game, so their approach is just as important as the players’.
“The team can continue to carry themselves with the confidence they had that day into every game from here on out. If they truly believe that there isn’t a team out there who can beat them- then they just might find confirmation in their outcomes for it to be true,” said Arnold.
Feature Photo (at top): Freshmen Karsynn Stone slides into home plate. This photo was taken at Loyalsock’s softball field. Photo from North Central PA
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