PIAA Softball: Leffler’s big day lifts Pine Grove past Trinity
Pine Grove's Callee Leffler is congratulated by her teammates at home plate after hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning of Monday's PIAA Class 3A first round playoff game against Trinity at Susan Stump Field (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
PINE GROVE — There is a long list of reasons why Florida State intensely pursued Pine Grove’s Callee Leffler.
Games like Monday add to that list.
The junior center fielder filled up the stat sheet in the Cardinals’ 7-2 victory over Trinity in a PIAA Class 3A first-round game at Susan Y. Stump Field. Leffler went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, stolen base, three runs scored and a fine running catch in the outfield as Pine Grove earned its first PIAA playoff win since 2019.
The District 11 champion Cardinals (24-2) will face District 3 runner-up Kutztown (23-4), an 11-10 winner over District 4 winner Loyalsock, in Thursday’s quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
“She’s fun to watch. She’s a great player, great teammate,” Pine Grove coach Ryan Leffler said of his daughter and star player. “She’s special. She’s one of a kind. These kids feed off her. She’s enjoying the moment.”
Leffler showcased the traits that make her a Division I recruit throughout Monday’s state opener.
Defensively, she tracked down a deep fly ball in the right-center field gap to end the first inning. She displayed her speed several times, stealing a base then scoring from second on an error in the third inning before turning a ball hit down the left-field line into a double in the fifth.
Finally, the left-handed hitter flexed her power with an opposite-field, two-run homer in the sixth inning, her eighth dinger of the season.
“I was definitely looking opposite field,” said Leffler, who upped her batting average to .562 (41-for-73) and now has scored 57 runs this season. “We did a really good job scouting this team, so I knew it was going to come.
“It feels really good to hit a home run (in a state playoff game). It’s something as a little girl I would always want to do in this tournament. I’m really excited for my next at-bats here.”
While Leffler’s stats jump out in the boxscore below, she wasn’t the only hero for the Cardinals on Monday. She had plenty of help.
Right fielder Addison Zimmerman made the defensive play of the game, ending the top of the third inning by throwing out Ianeli Cordero at the plate trying to score on a one-out fly ball to right. Zimmerman lined up the catch and threw a strike to catcher Tailyn Bohr, who made a strong tag on Cordero for the out.
The District 3 third-place Shamrocks (17-6) had already scored a run in the inning on an RBI single by Anna Sheaffer and had the bases loaded with one out. Zimmerman’s play prevented a big inning and flipped the momentum in Pine Grove’s favor.
“Zimmerman made a nice play and throw to the plate and (Tailyn) made a nice tag,” Ryan Leffler said. “That was a big moment in the game. It was a big swing for us. It was a great play.”
Pine Grove followed with three runs in the bottom half of the third to seize control of the game. The key to the inning was a pair of sacrifice bunts by Meadow Umbenhauer and Hannah Aungst.
Lily Flynn sparked the rally with a booming one-out triple to right. Umbenhauer then laid down a bunt toward the first baseman, who fielded it but threw wildly to first, allowing Flynn to score.
After Umbenhauer stole second, Callee Leffler singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. She promptly stole second.
Aungst followed with a sacrifice bunt that was nearly identical to Umbenhauer’s, with the exact same result. Both Umbenhauer and Leffler scored on the error, giving Pine Grove a 3-1 lead.
“That’s the pressure. That’s something we love to do,” Coach Leffler said. “They executed well there. We capitalized on their mistakes. We kept the rally going and passed the bat.”
