Montgomery captures first PIAA softball state title behind Faith Persing and timely hitting

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania – Pitcher Faith Persing had three outs to get in order to deliver the first PIAA softball state championship to Montgomery on Thursday afternoon.

Before she threw even a single pitch in that final inning, she saw one person giving her a signal – her dad.

“I walked out to the circle, and my dad looked at me and pointed to his head for mindset,” Persing said. “That’s a big thing we have.”

The senior’s mindset was just right, as she got the final three outs and Montgomery was able to celebrate a 5-1 win over DuBois Catholic in the Class 1A state championship game.

There was really only one time during the game where Persing and the Red Raiders faced trouble and that was in the bottom of the fifth inning. Montgomery entered the inning leading 2-0 but doubles by Savannah Morelli and Jessy Frank cut the lead in half. Lauren Davidson then reached on a error and DuBois had runners on second and third with one out.

But Persing did what she has always done – she worked out of it by forcing two popouts to end the inning.

“Faith is a workhorse, and she rises to the occasion,” Montgomery head coach Chris Glenn said. “The harder the task, the harder she plays. I wasn’t worried at all in that inning because I knew we had her pitching.”

Montgomery responded with three runs in the sixth inning to stretch the lead to 5-1.

“That was big because I think it took the wind right out of their sails,” Glenn said. “We made a statement – this is ours and we are keeping it.”

Persing got an RBI single up the middle that hit the pitcher and then a clutch two-out, two-run single by Taylor McRae gave the Red Raiders all the insurance they needed.

“I was just trying to put the ball in play, not looking for anything big,” McFRae said. “Just trying to get on base and move the runners to do my part.”

Montgomery racked up 14 hits in the game, led by Jenna Waring and Brynn McRae with three each. Persing, Taylor McRae and Cortney Smith each added two hits apiece.

Persing finished the game by allowing just the one run on four hits and struck out six. As is normal, she had great control and didn’t walk a single hitter.

She set down eight of the last nine hitters she faced, including the last hitter of the game who hit a pop fly in foul territory about halfway up the first base line. Persing, catcher Shelby McRae and first baseman Taylor McRae all converged, but it was the pitcher who took charge.

“I was looking at my catcher seeing if she was going to get it and I knew she was looking at me,” Persing said. “So, I was like I gotta go get it and we need to get that out.”

Once the ball was in her glove, the championship was sealed.

“It is amazing, it is almost unreal,” Persing said. “Just to be able to win that state title and to be the first in history, it’s huge.”