Though hitless as many of her teammates were amidst a grueling, defensive slugfest against Penns Valley, that didn’t make her hesitant as she looked to find the pitch she wanted. After watching two balls go by, she got the one that gave her team the best chance to capitalize, firing a grounder past the Penns Valley shortstop that allowed Taylor Habovick to tie the game at home.

“The feeling I had in the box was crazy. I was in tears, just trying to tell myself, ‘You got this. There’s nothing to worry about,'” said Baney on the moment. “We told ourselves that this cannot be the last game of our season. We can’t end it like this.”

While the Rams would respond, quickly capping the half and putting another run on the board in the next, momentum had changed sides. A combined effort from Sydney Thompson and Raelee Repasky put BEA in position to win and Habovick sealed it with a two-out RBI single to right, giving the team the 3-2 win and advancing it to the District 6 Class AAA semifinals.

“Just a huge team effort, team win. Everybody worked together and we couldn’t do it without everybody,” said Habovick on the effort. “We faced a great team today, great pitching, and it gives us a really good look going deeper into playoffs.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area senior Alexa Baney makes contact on an eventual game-tying RBI single in the tenth inning of the District 6 Class AAA quarterfinals against Penns Valley, Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-2 in 11 innings.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and this is one of the best high school softball games I’ve been associated with,” said Bald Eagle head coach Don Lucas. “(For us to win), it was a combination of some of the veterans we have here. They battle.”

Through a pitcher’s duel for the ages, it took sudden death rules to decide the game, with a runner being placed on second in the tenth following nine straight innings without a run. Defensively, both squads were locked in and that scoreless stretch was indicative of that.

For Bald Eagle, Sierra Albright didn’t allow a hit until the sixth, only surrendering two through the game’s entirety while striking out 16 and retiring the side five times. She seemed to grow stronger as the game wore on, with two of those retirements coming in the eighth and ninth, and of her 123 pitches, 98 were strikes (80-percent).

“Sierra’s composure on the mound, she just doesn’t get rattled,” said Bald Eagle sophomore Kendall Gavlock on Albright. “All of the seniors do a really good job motivating us and making sure we’re all in the game.”

On the rare occasions where the Rams got a grounder into the infield or a bomb deep into the outfield. The most notable of those came from centerfielder Taylor Habovick, who sprinted to track down a wall ball from Penns Valley catcher Sydnie Dalton in the ninth, just making the catch.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area seniors Taylor Habovick and Sydney Thompson hug following Thompson's game-winning run in the eleventh inning of the District 6 Class AAA quarterfinals against Penns Valley, Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area.

“I was just ready for anything,” said Habovick when asked about the play. “My team had my back, and I needed to have their backs.”

Though Penns Valley allowed six hits through regulation, the defense responded each time it was put in a hole. They’d strand seven runners – four in scoring position – through the first five innings, most notably escaping a bases loaded scenario in the fourth.

Taylor Bumgardner pitched the ball 169 times, striking out 12, rarely wavering even as the innings wore on. The only Eagle who seemed to have a feel for her was catcher Kailey Eckert, who went 3-for-4 on the day.

“When you hit a foul ball or get a hit on her, it’s really encouraging,” said Gavlock on Bumgardner. “She’s an intimating pitcher to hit off of because she is so good.”

In the game’s defining moment in the bottom of the 11th, Sydney Thompson shook off a hand injury, forcing an error with a tough infield ball to follow and getting two runners in scoring position. Raelee Repasky made it 2-2 on a fielder’s choice. Then, Habovick launched a two-out grounder into right that sealed the deal, getting Thompson home and sending Bald Eagle to with a 3-2 win.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area senior Taylor Habovick rounds the bases on an eventual game-tying run in the tenth inning of the District 6 Class AAA quarterfinals against Penns Valley, Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-2 in 11 innings.

It was a win that showed off the team’s composure as a whole, one which provided them with a huge boost moving forward. Despite the seedings, Bald Eagle at No. 2 and Penns Valley at No. 7, nobody on the team expected it to be an easy one, and they were certainly tested from start to finish.

“We fought really well, and did what we needed to do,” said Gavlock. “It really prepares us for the games ahead. We know we can fight back, and we know that we’ll have each other.”

“I’m so thankful for every one of the girls for pushing me,” said Baney. “We push each other, and I love this team.”

The Eagles will face Marion Center in the semifinals on Thursday, depending on the weather.

DISTRICT 6 CLASS AAA SOFTBALL QUARTERFINALS

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area pitcher Sierra Albright prepares her windback during the team's District 6 Class AAA softball matchup against Penns Valley on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-2 in 11 innings.

Bald Eagle Area 3, Penns Valley 2

(11 INNINGS)

PV 000 000 000 11 – 2 2 1

BEA 000 000 000 12 – 4 8 1

Taylor Bumgardner and Sydnie Dalton. Sierra Albright and Kailey Eckert. W – Albright. L – Bumgardner.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Penns Valley pitcher Taylor Bumgardner prepares to pitch during the team's District 6 Class AAA quarterfinal matchup at Bald Eagle Area on Monday, May 19, 2025. The Rams fell 3-2 in 11 innings.

Top Penns Valley hitters: Elle Dinges 1-5, run; Sydnie Dalton RBI; Lilyana Treweek RBI; Haddley Stover 1-5. Top Bald Eagle hitters: Kailey Eckert 3-4; Sydney Thompson 2-4, run; Alexa Baney 1-4, RBI; Taylor Habovick 1-5, RBI, run.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area catcher Kailey Eckert makes contact on a pitch during the team's District 6 Class AAA quarterfinal matchup against Penns Valley on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-2 in 11 innings.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bald Eagle Area softball team celebrates with head coach Don Lucas following the team's 3-2 win in the District 6 Class AAA quarterfinals on Monday.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area third baseman Raelee Repasky makes a catch during the team's District 6 Class AAA quarterfinal matchup against Penns Valley on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-2 in 11 innings.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area outfielders Sydney Thompson, left, Taylor Habovick, middle, and Alexa Baney, right, perform a routine during the team's District 6 Class AAA quarterfinal matchup against Penns Valley on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Bald Eagle Area. The Eagles won 3-2 in 11 innings.