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PHOTO GALLERY | Castel's walk-off double propels Portage over Williamsburg in thrilling District 6 Class 1A first-round softball contest

brad rosemas, the tribune-democrat, johnstown, pa.
·3 min read

PORTAGE, Pa. – With two runners in scoring position and a chance to extend her team’s slim lead in the fifth inning, Portage’s Lyndsey Castel took a called third strike that eventually led to the end of the Mustangs’ threat.

Instead of staying down, the Mustangs junior was able to rebound by showcasing her status as one of the veteran leaders on the roster while fulfilling her role as the No. 3 hitter in the lineup.

Following Tori Harrison’s one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, Castel delivered a walk-off double to give the No. 7 seeded Mustangs a 5-4 victory over No. 10 Williamsburg in the first round of the District 6 Class 1A playoffs Thursday.

PHOTO GALLERY | Portage defeats Williamsburg 5-4 in first round of D6-1A playoff softball

“The past is in the past,” Castel said. “You’re going to have strikeouts. You won’t get a hit every time that you’re in the box. You just have to keep pushing forward. I got a pitch that I liked and got the hit.”

On a 1-1 count, Castel hit a line drive to right field that was out of the reach of the Williamsburg defender. The ball rolled deep into the corner, allowing Harrison to score from first as the ball was just making its way back into the infield.

Castel’s clutch knock proved to be a huge sigh of relief for the Mustangs, who stranded two runners in scoring position with less than two outs in both the fifth and seventh innings.

“I know after that strikeout, Lyndsey was a little frustrated,” Portage coach Makena Baumgardner said.

“She proved she is a better hitter than that at-bat showed. She’s one of the leaders on this team, and it was a perfect opportunity for her to step up.”

Portage’s Paige Phillips and Williamsburg’s Kara Lansberry both went the distance in the circle.

Phillips, a Pitt-Greensburg commit, tossed all nine frames, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out 11. Lansberry surrendered five runs, two earned, on 12 hits and fanned 13 batters over 81/3 innings. Neither pitcher allowed a walk in the contest.

“It was a hard-fought and well-played game,” Williamsburg coach Debbie Fay said. “Both teams fought until the very end.

“I have to credit both pitchers. They both did very well. Kara kept us in the game by stranding those runners and getting those big strikeouts.”

Williamsburg got on the board first via a two-run home run by Billie Harnish in the top of the second.

Portage answered with a run in the bottom half on an RBI single from Kendall Stancovich. Back-to-back errors gave the Mustangs the lead in the third before Phillips launched a solo home run to put Portage ahead 4-2 through four innings.

The Blue Pirates (4-13) tallied four singles to plate two runs and tie the game in the top of the sixth. The score stood until Castel’s winner in the extra frame.

“This win feels great because we definitely earned it,” Castel said. “We’ve worked so hard this season and we didn’t want to see it end at home. I’m so proud of the way we battled and picked each other up when we needed to.”

Castel, Harrison, Stancovich, Phillips and Addie Trusik all produced multiple hits for the Mustangs (10-11). Harrison led the way with three hits and two runs scored.

Portage advances to Monday’s quarterfinals when the Mustangs will visit No. 2 seed Conemaugh Valley (17-3). The Blue Jays have two mercy-rule victories over the Mustangs this season, including an abbreviated no-hitter April 25.

Portage is looking for its first victory over Conemaugh Valley since 2021.

“It’s all about momentum,” Baumgardner said. “We have to keep the confidence and momentum that we got from this game and carry it into Monday. We have nothing left to lose at this point. It’s bonus softball. We just have to go and play our hearts out.”