Two teams. Two District Championships. Same day.

Lampeter-Strasburg's softball team and the boys' lacrosse team both captured District Three titles on Thursday, June 1 at their respective venues. What a day to be a Pioneer! The girls dominated No. 1 East Pennsboro 10-2 in the 4A championship held at Lebanon Valley College while the boys took control against No. 1 Cocalico in the 2A title game, defeating the Eagles 15-10 at Talon Field, Cocalico's home turf, to claim its first district crown.

The Lady Pioneers entered the district bracket as the tenth and final seed. They were the only team with a losing record (9-10). But as more than one coach has said, when playoffs start, everyone is 0-0.

L-S topped Fleetwood (12-4), held off Hamburg (4-3) and got past Berks Catholic (7-5) to get to the title game. "I felt our schedule prepared us for district competition," said head coach Earl Rutledge. "We played Solanco three times and they're the top seed in 5A and we played CV three times as well and they have a pitcher that's going to West Chester. We played a lot of good teams this season, so I felt we had a chance to make some noise."

The Pioneers took control early and were never threatened. Brook Zuber collected a first inning, two out single up the middle and Kara Scranton followed with a two-run homer to left center.

The Panthers struggled in the second, committing three errors, and L-S took advantage. Julia Gerard's sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 3-0 while a dropped pop up in front of home plate sent Chloe Meck home with the fourth run.

L-S picked up one more run in the fourth when Ally Raub crushed a two-strike triple to right field and scored on Zuber's double.

At that point, the Panthers, who managed just one runner over the first three innings, challenged. A one out double, an infield single and a blooper loaded the bases. Maura Savoca rose to the challenge as well. She earned her second strikeout of the inning and then forced a pop up to Scranton at first base to keep the top seed at bay.

The Pioneers broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning. Paige Baxter singled and Mackenzie Maki and Gabby Hiles both worked walks to load the bases. Natalie Hill singled in Baxter and Meck walked, forcing in Maki. Gerard's single to right field pushed in two more runs and Raub's sac fly made it 10-0.

With a mercy rule shutout in the works, East Pennsboro connected for a pair of singles, scoring one to extend the game. They scored their final run in the seventh on a pair of doubles. Raub pitched the final three outs and L-S celebrated.

"I think, maybe, they took us too lightly," said Rutledge. "When you're the top seed there are a lot of expectations. We were the underdogs and had nothing to lose. And Maura has been tough to hit," he added. "And that whole left-handed thing helps.

"We started the season 0-4 but then we started gaining confidence in ourselves," the coach continued. "Believing in yourself is 9/10th of this game. We're the second lowest seeded team to ever win the district title."

Gerard, Zuber, and Scranton both went 2-4 and combined for six RBI at the top of the lineup. The Pioneers out hit the Panthers 12-8.

Their six-game winning streak and the season closed on Monday, June 5 in the opening round of the PIAA Championships. L-S hosted Archbishop Wood, the third seed out of District 12, and dropped a 7-4 result.

The visitors loaded the bases in the first inning, taking advantage of a pair of Pioneer errors, but were denied. L-S, however, failed to capitalize on that momentum. The Vikings made them pay one inning later, regaining momentum with a five-run second inning. They used one error, three walks and three hits, including a run scoring triple to take the lead.

L-S got one back in the fourth when Zuber, who opened with a walk, eventually scored on a wild pitch, but it wasn't enough. The Vikings (14-8) scored twice in the top of the sixth before L-S made its biggest push, scoring three in the bottom half. Hiles collected a two out single, plating Zuber, and Hill followed with a two-run liner to left before a pop up ended the rally.

"That was the best pitcher we've seen this year," said Rutledge of Philadelphia Catholic League's two-time pitcher of the year, Dakota Fanelli. "We just made too many mistakes on small ball. But we had a great run at the end and won districts!"

L-S (13-11), the third place team in Section Two, finished with five hits on the day and Hill led with two RBI. Savoca and Raub each gave up two earned runs and combined for four walks and four strikeouts.

LACROSSE

The boys' lacrosse team entered the district bracket as the No. 3 seed and earned a first-round bye. They topped Twin Valley (13-6) in the quarterfinals and advanced to the finals with a 10-9 overtime thriller over Susquehannock, the team that beat them in last year's final, setting up a third meeting with Cocalico.

The Eagles defeated the Pioneers twice during the regular season (9-4 and 10-9) but the momentum from their win over Susquehannock sent them to Talon Field on a mission. L-S set the tone early, jumping out to a 6-2 first quarter lead sparked by two goals from Gavin Denlinger.

Both teams tallied three second quarter goals leaving L-S in front 9-5 at the break.

The visitors made their move in the third quarter, scoring four straight goals and extending the lead to 13-5. Cole Lopez opened the scoring before Zach Labrecque followed with two quick scores, making it 12-5 with 8:38 left. Denlinger, who finished with four goals on the night, capped the run.

Cocalico managed to outscore the Pioneers 5-2 over the final minutes, but it was too little, too late. Bryce Thomas, who finished with 14 saves, did enough down the stretch to keep L-S in front.

"It was a great win to earn the program's first District Three 2A title," said head coach Mike McConomy. "After losing to them twice during the season, we were hoping to see them again. We changed some of our defensive matchups going into the game that helped to slow down their offense. Owen Krause, at face off, was the difference maker in the game and so was Bryce in goal," he continued. "The guys played great on both sides of the ball. It was a great team win, and I was happy to see them rise to the challenge and play for the guy next to them."

Labrecque, who led with three assists, and KJ Kessler each scored three times. Lopez and Colin Sullivan (1a) added two goals, and Chase Barber (1a) scored once.

The Pioneers had little time to rest as they opened PIAA action Tuesday night at home. L-S cruised to a 16-0 victory over Hampton in a game delayed twice for weather.

L-S scored three times in the first quarter and built a 7-0 lead by halftime.

Kessler opened the second half, scoring a quick goal before the first weather delay. A second delay followed shortly after the teams returned to the field, but it wasn't enough to slow the Pioneers. Denlinger and Labrecque each scored twice in that frame and Sullivan beat the buzzer for a 13-0 advantage.

Sullivan exploded for six goals and two assists. Labrecque, who dished out five assists, Denlinger (1a) and Kessler (1a) added hat tricks with Barber (2a) scoring once. Connor Hudson added one assist.