NTL SOFTBALL: DELANCEY'S WALK OFF HIT SENDS NEB PAST DOCK MENNONITE AND INTO STATE SEMIS (2025-06-05)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportHAZLETON — It was the scenario every softball player dreams of as soon as they can grab a bat - a tied game in the bottom of the seventh. For NEB’s Kiarra DeLancey that fantasy became a reality as she drove in teammate Izzy Kapr for the 4-3 walk-off win over Dock Mennonite to keep the Panthers’ dream playoff run going during the PIAA, Class A Softball Championship quarterfinals on Thursday.
“It’s incredible,” DeLancey said about getting the game winning hit. “It’s super nerve-racking - when the inning starts you know you’re going to be coming up in the line-up, you’re definitely getting an at bat, but just having those two girls get on ahead of me just gave me all the confidence in the world. I just had so much confidence in my team, and myself.”
NEB led by as much as 3-0 thanks to two runs in the first, and another in the third. Dock would get two back in the top of the fourth, then tied it up with a run in the fifth to threaten extra innings.
However, in the bottom of the seventh Kapr reached on an error, was moved over to second off a Makenna Callear single. Both then moved up a base off a wild pitch, setting up DeLancey’s game winning RBI.
This is the first time NEB has made the state semifinals since 2013, and the third time for a program as a whole.
“It feels amazing,” said Panther coach MaKaylah Leljedal, who was on the 2013 team that reached the state final four. “I am so proud of the girls, so proud for these seven seniors, and so excited to see the next game.”
They’ll face undefeated District VI champion Claysburg-Kimmel, who rallied to beat Holy Cross, 5-4, in eight innings on Thursday. The game will be on Monday, with a time and place as of yet to be determined.
“I can’t even form into words how I’m feeling right,” said Kelsea Moore. “I’m so proud of everyone, so proud of every single player on the Northeast team, even the people that are in the dugout. It’s amazing how everybody just works together, and everybody just wanted to win - everybody was pushing each other, and cheering each other on, all of us wanted it.”
Orissa Gardner (3-for-3) was perfect from the plate to lead NEB, with 2-RBI, while Callear went 2-for-4.
Toni Herb (1-for-3) had a triple with an RBI, as DeLancey (1-for-4) scored a run to go with her RBI. Kelsea Moore (1-for-3) had a double with a run scored, along with McKenzie Clark and Kapr also crossing home.
One of the big question marks coming into the game wasn’t the offense, though, but the defense. This was the first time NEB would be playing on a turf field.
“(Dock Mennonite) has a turf field at their home school, so we were a little nervous about that because they’re more used to it than us,” Leljedal said. “We did get to practice over on a turf field yesterday, so they were practicing with the hops and different things like that, but our defense was phenomenal today. No errors in a state game, and they’re hitting the ball hard - it was great.”
Kelsea Moore and Toni Herb made some nice plays at short stop, while in the outfield Zaelea Lane and Kapr came up with big catches.
“It’s completely different than playing on dirt,” remarked Moore.
She actually started in the circle, going five innings with eight strikeouts, three walks, six hits, and three earned runs to get the no decision.
“It was scary,” Moore said about being named the starter. “I wanted that one so much because this is the furthest that a Northeast softball has gone. We all wanted to win, and I wanted to make my teammates proud, my family proud, my coaches proud, and that’s all I could think about the entire game.”
Callear came in the final two innings to get the win. She struck out two with two walks, and one hit.
“I was mentally ready for it,” Callear said. “Every single time I come on the mound, if I’m starting or even just coming in for the save, I always just have the mindset to throw strikes. They’re going to hit the ball, or I’m going to get swings and misses, but my goal is just to always throw strikes for my team, and hopefully we’ll win.”
Leljedal enjoys having the luxury of two starting caliber pitchers to put in the circle.
“We started Kelseas today, who has a little more speed,” she said. “Not much, has a little more speed. They did end up catching up to her, so then we decided to put McKenna in, and she really shut it down.”
The middle of the Dock order showed they could hit, with two through five going 5-for-11 with two extra base hits, 2-RBI, and three runs scored.
Dana Delamater went 2-for-3 to lead the way with a triple, and 2-RBI, plus a run scored. Addison Landis (1-for-1) scored while walking three times, as Aubrey Gahman (1-for-4) had a double with a run scored.
Delamater took the loss, going six innings with six strikeouts, no walks, six hits, and four runs, two of which were earned.
The Pioneers had three errors on the day, two of them in the bottom of the first inning as NEB was able to push two runs across without hitting a ball past the infield.
Callear opened up with an infield single, followed by DeLancey reaching on an error. The Pioneers would get Callear out at third on a force off a Moore fielder’s choice.
However, Berger would reach on a fielder’s choice to load the bases for Gardner, who reached on an infield hit, allowing DeLancey to score.
An Herb fielder’s choice pushed Moore across the plate for a 2-0 lead.
Dock did recover after that, getting Berger out at home on a ground ball off the bat of Ava Lambert, then Delamater got a strikeout to end the inning.
Neither team did much until the bottom of the third when Moore led off with a double, followed by Berger reaching on an error.
Gardner then singled in Moore’s courtesy runner, Clark, to make it 3-0 with no outs.
The Pioneers, though, got out of the jam as Delamater got Herb to strikeout. Then catcher Riley Gahman picked off Berger at third base.
Another Delamater strikeout ended the threat.
The Pioneers would respond in the top of the fourth as Landis led off with a walk, then scored on Delamater’s triple into the right-center gap.
Delamater later scored on a Lydia Ehst bunt to make it 3-2. Dock would get back to back singles after that to keep the pressure on, Moore got a strikeout to end the threat.
In the fifth Aubrey Gahman hit a 1-out double, followed by Landis singling her over to third. Dana Delamater then brought her home with a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at 3-3.
NEB had the heart of their order up in the bottom half of the inning - 2-3-4 - but they went down in order, showing the momentum had shifted to the Pioneers.
“It was definitely nerve-racking when we started strong, and then we kind of fell off a little bit,” DeLancey said. “But I had a lot of confidence in my team. I knew we could come up big.”
Callear held Dock Mennonite down in the top of the sixth, while in the bottom half Gardner led things off with a single.
They brought in a courtesy runner, but she was thrown out on a steal attempt for Riley Gahman’s second catch of the day.
Herb, though, hit a triple on the next pitch to keep the pressure on. Dana Delamater, though, was able to get a strikeout, and ground out to preserve the tie.
In the top of the seventh the Pioneers had a 2-out rally as Landis drew a walk, followed by Delamater getting a hit. Both would move up a base on a steal to put two runners in scoring position.
Callear then induced a fly-out to left field that turned out to be a nail-biter as Kapr hauled in just before almost colliding with Lambert.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, what if this comes to me, I have to catch it,” Kapr said.
Callear, though, had no doubts that her teammates would come through for her.
“I always have to trust my defense when I’m on the field,” she said. “We practice together, we’ve just been through so many games at this point together that I trust them, and I know that if I throw the ball, they’re always going to be there if it gets hit.”
Kapr would lead off the bottom half of the inning by reaching on an error as the third baseman bobbled the ground ball.
“There was no pressure,” Kapr said about the at bat. “My teammate Kelsea was like, ‘there’s no pressure, you’ve just got to be confident up there.’ I was really nervous, but my coaches were very positive, and they’re like, ‘you’ve got it, don’t be nervous.’”
After she made contact Kapr ran hard for first, and her first base coach clued her in that she had a chance to run it out.
“I could tell by the look on Braeden’s face at first base,” she explained. “He looked so excited.”
That brought up Callear, who fouled off two offerings before hitting the 0-2 pitch into center field for a single to keep the rally going.
“It was a little intense, because we obviously knew what we needed to win the game, and the pressure was on a little bit,” said Callear. “But at the same time, just keep swinging the bat, getting hits, and we’re going to get it. We worked so hard for this, and I knew we were going to.”
Dock brought in Aubrey Gahman to pitch to DeLancey. After a few fouls, and two balls - one which reached the backstop, allowing the two NEB runners to move up - DeLancey found a pitch she liked and hit it over the left fielder’s head.
“I was super excited when she started throwing, she threw really flat,” DeLancey said. “It’s just something I feel like I was used to, so I had a lot of confidence that I just had to make contact, and just come up big for my team.”
Kapr celebrated all the way home as the Panthers punched their ticket into the state semifinals.
“It was just so exciting,” she said. “I was shocked, like, ‘oh my goodness, we just got this.’ It felt so good.”
Now they face Claysburg-Kimmel, who come in 27-0 on the season. They opened the state playoffs with a 10-0 win over Bucktail in five innings, the same team NEB beat 9-0 in the District IV title game.
They finished with six runners left on base - plus two runners thrown out on the base paths - something Leljedal knows they won’t be able to afford going up against the District VI champions.
“The girls need to keep pitching, hitting, and then ultimately, having fun,” she said. “We’ve been having fun practices, so I just want them to keep that up, and just relax.”
That doesn’t seem to be a problem with this group.
“It’s just really incredible to have seven seniors,” DeLancey remarked. “We just want to play as long as we can together.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
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