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District champion Palisades concludes magical playoff run

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For the Palisades softball team, their end didn’t justify their means.

Monday’s 14-0, five-inning, home loss to District Four champion Lewisburg in an opening round, Class 3A state playoff game wasn’t a reflection of the overall accomplishments of the Pirates’ program this season. A veteran Lewisburg crew jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second innning, and the Green Dragons took control.

Palisades head coach Jill Amato began her fourth season at the helm with a young team that lost a handful of starters from a 3-15 squad a year ago. Amato apparently found a niche with the program, halting a previous revolving door of head coaches that couldn’t find a secure landing spot over the better part of 10 years.

She molded a unit that produced an overall 15-8 slate, won 13 of its last 14 before the state game, and captured its first district title in 12 years in the process. It was a team that started six of its eight freshmen on a roster with just one senior.

Freshmen pitcher Karlye Teman, first baseman Brooklynn Lucas, Aubrey Boushell, Kirsten Mayers, Rhiley Poniktera and Ava Paglianite began to form the base of a foundation for the next three seasons.

“It was crazy,” said Amato, who previously coached some of the girls at the program’s youth level. “These girls never really felt the pressure all year long. I can say that I never had a team or a year like this.

“They just went out there and got the job done. They were immature at the beginning of the season and failed to see what they could do. I believe they finally realized what they accomplished this year when they won the district championship with all the cameras and fans around them at the end of it.

“They were really pumped up on that bus ride home. They never were really bothered by too many things all year.”

Senior Allie Wenskoski experienced some difficult seasons, and she recalled the Pirates 3-6 start. She recognized the integral contribution of Teman along with the team’s overall consistent hitting in the latter part of the season.

“The team this year was one for the ages,” she said. “We had two different halves of the season with the team learning how to play at the varsity level to excelling at it.

“It was such an incredible thing to win a district title as a senior. We couldn’t have done it without Karlye and our strong batting. We really gelled as a team, and we created momentum that can continue in the upcoming seasons.”

Before the season, Teman believed her team could make a run at a district title. Like her teammates, Teman saw the turning point being a postgame pep talk from legendary Southern Lehigh head coach Brian Neefe after a 4-2 defeat April 20.

“We really thought we could do it,” touted Teman, who also led the team in hitting. “When we did, it was unbelievable. It was a really cool experience this year. Nobody thought we could ever get this far.

“After the (Southern Lehigh) coach talked to us, we knew our potential, and we started to finish our games.”

Junior Ashley Amato, the coach’s daughter, saw it as a matter of maturing and finding their identity. The younger Amato also acknowledged that the team has some unfinished business ahead.

“We had tons of energy and excitement in the postseason,” she said. “We all have grown throughout the season, especially with our hitting. We began to be confident and excited when we went up to bat instead of being scared.

“We got this far, and we’ll have higher expectations for next year.”


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