Bearcats, Gonglik ready for No. 1 Lancers

No. 2 Bentworth will face two-time defending champion Neshannock at noon today.

To some, the Class 2A Softball Championship game today at PennWest California University’s Lilley Field is a matchup between the underdogs and a machine.

The underdog is the young, No. 2 Bentworth team with no seniors and will be making history today as the first squad in program history to reach a WPIAL final.

The machine is the veteran group from No. 1 Neshannock, which has won the last two district titles, have won 69 of their last 70 games and are currently undefeated at 23-0 as the top seed in the Class 2A bracket.

“We are perfectly fine with being the underdog,” Bentworth coach Jack Cramer said. “Neshannock has earned everything. They are the real deal. I don’t think anybody expected us to be in this position this season. We have no pressure on us and we told the girls to approach this game with the focus of playing their best. We are a good team with a good resume this spring, and we are excited to be in the finals.”

The Bearcats (17-2) are currently on a 16-game winning streak and have yet to lose a game up north against a WPIAL team. Bentworth, who received a first-round bye, beat Shenango, 8-1, in the quarterfinals and is coming off a thrilling 2-1 triumph over Laurel in the semifinals last week.

“We are young, but this group is so composed,” Cramer said. “Maybe they are just too young to know what they are accomplishing. I don’t know, but it has been fun to watch them compete. They all play with a lot of confidence and see the bigger picture. When we won the section title earlier this year, there wasn’t a lot of excitement. These girls are striving for more and they want to be on the biggest stage.”

One of the main components to the success this spring for the Bearcats has been the play of freshmen phenom Sydney Gonglik.

Gonglik has put up some “video game-like” stats this season and seems to be getting better as the games are getting bigger. The freshmen hurler is 17-1 this year with a 0.71 ERA. In 109 innings, Gonglik has registered 255 strikeouts against only nine walks, one hit batsman and three wild pitches.

“Syd is our X-factor and when she takes the circle, she gives us a chance,” Cramer expressed. “Throughout the season she has learn to adjust to different umpires without getting frustrated. Some umpires are more friendly to pitchers, while others have a tighter zone. She has confidence in all her pitches and the defense behind her.”

Gonglik is not shabby at the plate in her freshman campaign, as the “video gamelike” stats continue for her at the plate. The freshman carries a .760 batting average and 22 of her 38 hits has been extra base hits with nine doubles, five triples and eight home runs. She has scored 46 runs with 21 RBI’s, has been walked 20 times (most intentionally) and has stolen 18 bases.

Sophomores Zoie McDonald (.532) and Nora Lindley (.394) tie for the team lead in RBIs with 30, while sophomore Sofia Gaussa, who had the game-winning two-run single in the semifinal showdown against Laurel, brings a batting average of .415 with 11 extra-base hits.

Juniors Kyleigh Glaze and Willow Eckels are both potent bats in the middle of the Bearcats’ lineup, both are batting .306 on the season, while juniors Aubrie Logan and Kayla O’Dell have been productive hitters near the bottom of the lineup.

“We changed some things offensively around the second half of the section schedule,” Cramer said. “Syd was originally our No. 3 hitter, but teams were pitching around her so much that we put her as our leadoff. She runs the bases well and has excellent speed. We have a lot of good contact hitters in our lineup, but the production from Aubrie and Kayla has been key to turn things back over to Syd and Sofia.”

Neshannock has some noteworthy stats as well this season and it starts with Addyson Frye. The junior pitcher brings a record of 14-0 into the finals with a 0.65 ERA and has only allowed seven runs over 75 innings with 150 strikeouts. Teams are batting just .155 against her in 2024.

“Neshannock’s success starts with Frye,” Cramer said. “She is a very good, power pitcher that can get a lot of strikeouts if you chase the high pitches. Her and Syd have played with and against each other through the years during the summers. I expect another sensational matchup with those two in the circle.” The Lancers are not too bad offensively either, scoring 213 runs (10.1 runs per game).

Neshannock, which received a first-round bye before defeating Riverside (11-1) in the quarterfinals and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (5-0) in the semifinals, top hitters are seniors Abigale Measel (.421) and Gabby Perod (.414), as well as juniors Miley Anderson (.467), Gabby Quinn (.417) and Frye (.528).

“You got to play mistake free,” Cramer stated. “Whoever can stay away from those defensive miscues and giving up extra outs in an inning will win. Bunting and baserunning will also be key factors. Those stud pitchers are going to do what they do.”

First pitch is noon at Lilley Field.