NTL SOFTBALL: CALLEAR LEADS NEB PAST SULLIVAN COUNTY AND INTO D4 FINAL (2025-05-25)

Northern Tier Sports Report
WILLIAMSPORT — Northeast Bradford nickel-and-dimed their way to a 4-1 win over Sullivan County in the District IV, Class A softball semifinals Saturday.

The win clinches them a berth in the state playoffs as they face Bucktail, 4-2 winners over Montgomery, in the district title on Tuesday with a 4:30 p.m. start.

“It's so exciting,” NEB senior Makenna Callear said. “It's something that we've worked towards for all four years that we've been playing here. And it's just like a dream come true for all of us. We're really hoping that we're gonna do really well in that first game. And we're just gonna keep working hard.”

The Panthers scored a run in the second to go up 1-0. They added runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh inning to take a 4-0 lead.

The Griffins pushed one across in the bottom half of the seventh, but the Panthers kept it at that.

Callear got the win, striking out six with three walks, three hits, and the one run.

“We were debating on who we were gonna throw tonight,” NEB coach MaKaylah Leljedal said. “We decided to throw McKenna, and she did a really nice job. She stayed focused even in that last inning where things started to get a little rocky. They got some runners on and she stayed mentally tough and that's really what we needed in that instant, so I'm very proud of her.”

Kelsea Moore (3-for-4) scored and drove in a run, as Toni Herb (2-for-3) and Ava Lambert (2-for-3) also both crossed home. Herb added an RBI.

Hannah Berger (1-for-2) had a double as Callear (1-for-4) also scored, with Zaelea Lane and Isabella Kapr each getting an RBI.

In the second Herb and Lambert hit back to back 1-out singles to set up a Lane sacrifice fly that scored Herb for the 1-0 lead.

In the fifth Lamber led off with a hit, then scored on an error off the bat of Kapr for a 2-0 advantage.

Moore led off the sixth with a hit, followed by Berger drawing a walk. After an out Moore scored on an Herb to go up 3-0.

Callear would hit a 1-out single in the seventh, then scored on a Moore 2-out hit for a 4-0 lead.

The first four Sullivan batters would reach in the bottom half of the seventh. 

With the game tying run on first Callear would get a strikeout, then her defense got a game ending double play to send them on to the district title game.

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PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM

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