Kennard-Dale softball coach Joe DiCandeloro coaches his team to be “excellent in the ordinary.”
Senior third baseman Lilly Fleming made an excellent play, far from ordinary, in the top of the sixth inning of a one-run game, quite probably saving the Rams’ defense of their District Three Class 4A championship.
In a rematch of the 2025 title game, Kennard-Dale repeated as champion Tuesday evening at Millersville’s Seaber Softball Stadium with a 3-0 victory over Northern Lebanon.
The Rams (23-0), who won 4-1 in 2025 before going on to finish second in the PIAA tournament, broke up a taut game last year with a run in the sixth inning and a two-run seventh.
This time it was a two-run sixth that broke open an equally taut pitcher’s duel between Rams junior Taryn Ashenfelter and the Vikings’ Addison Hollenbach.
Ashenfelter, a Seton Hall recruit who struck out 15 and didn’t walk a batter in the ’25 victory, came into Tuesday’s championship with a microscopic 0.34 earned-run average and a .122 opponent batting average.
She was going to be a long night in the batter’s box for the Vikings, a fact they were well aware of.
“She’s a good pitcher, we knew that coming in,” Vikings head coach Bob Bashore said. “The girls had the right attitude, they went out and competed.”
None competed harder than Hollenbach, who took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning. She matched Ashenfelter K for K in the early going, finishing with seven strikeouts against two walks.
“She was great,” Bashore said. “I thought she did a fantastic job.”
And yet she trailed, 1-0, after Addie Argiro worked a one-out walk in the fourth inning, stole second, took third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.
The Vikings (20-5) touched Ashenfelter for a third-inning single to right from Mykenah Johnson and Addison Kubica’s fourth-inning double to right, but both runners were left stranded at second base.
Again, Ashenfelter didn’t walk a batter and finished with 12 strikeouts, including the 700th of her career.
And yet, the Vikings had the opportunity to, at the least, tie the game, or better still take the lead in the sixth inning.
With two outs, Steph Palkovic and Hollenbach reached base on back-to-back errors by shortstop Maddie Argiro.
“Our team doesn’t get rattled,” DiCandeloro said. “We just make our adjustments.”
That brought Kubica to the plate, where she worked a 2-2 count before ripping Ashenfelter’s next pitch toward left. Heart-in-the-throat time for DiCandeloro?
“Definitely,” he said. “But I’m used to that.”
Reacting to the crack of the bat, Fleming took one step into the hole.
“I knew she was going to come at me at some point in the game,” Fleming said of Kubica’s at-bats. “It was just reach up, and it was there.”
Fleming snared the ball, squeezed it and the threat was over.
“Two inches either way and we’re taking the lead, or at least tying the game,” Bashore said. “Who knows the way it goes.”
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Fleming broke up Hollenbach’s no-hitter with a double to the left-field alley. She took third on a wild pitch and scored on Elaina Zabkowski’s ground out.
Addie Argiro kept the inning going with a single, stealing second and scoring on Alex Davis’ base hit for the 3-0 lead.
The Vikings mounted one last rally in the top of the seventh as Alyssa Shirey singled and took third on Makenzie West’s two-out double. Ashenfelter induced Keria Palski to pop up to the circle, sealing the victory and the championship.
“It’s a solid team over there,” said Bashore, nodding to the Rams’ celebration. “They haven’t lost a game yet for a reason.”
The Vikings now look ahead to the PIAA tournament, set to begin June 1. They will travel north to face the District 2 champion, either defending state champion Valley View or Tunkhannock.
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