DISTRICT 4 SOFTBALL: ATHENS WINS FIRST-EVER DISTRICT 4 TITLE; TOPS CENTRAL CIOLUMBIA, 4-1 (24 PHOTOS) (2025-05-29)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportW'PORT — Sophomore Gretchan Hiley had another outstanding performance in the pitcher's circle, and senior Gretchen Schmieg contributed the "biggest hit of her life" to lift Athens to a 4-1 win over Central Columbia and the program's first-ever District 4 softball title in the Class 4A championship game here Thursday afternoon at Elm Park.
Athens coach Brian Wendela, who also coached Waverly to its first Section IV title in the state playoff era in 2019, said the Wildcats used a familiar formula Thursday.
"First of all, no coach is good without good players, and we have a lot of good players. I think we proved that right here.
"We won a lot of games in so many different fashions this season," said Wendela. "Obviously, our defense has been pretty solid this year, and our pitching has been excellent, so we have a pretty good recipe for winning."
"I'm so proud of our team," said Schmieg. "It's been the best senior year ever. I just hope we keep going."
"It feels great and it's really exciting to know what we have coming in the future," said Gretchan Hiley.
"It's crazy, it's mind-blowing. It doesn't feel real," said senior Ella Coyle.
Gretchan Hiley fanned nine batters through three innings, allowing just a one-out single in the top of the third, but the Wildcats were retired in order by Blue Jay ace Teddi Snavely.
Central Columbia's Gabby Hashagen led off the top of the fourth by clubbing a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.
Hiley responded by chasing down a foul ball near the Central Columbia dugout for the first out of the inning, then registered two more strikeouts.
Junior Maddie Hiley stroked a one-out single in the home half of the fourth for the Wildcats' first hit, and junior Savannah Finan worked a walk with two outs, but Snavely retired the next batter to end the threat.
Gretchan Hiley allowed an infield single to Landry Knowles in the top of the fifth, but retired the final nine batters of the game.
Hiley allowed one run on three hits, with 13 strikeouts and no walks to earn the win.
"Gretchan (Hiley) is just fierce, nothing bothers her," said Wendela. "She gave up a home run to go down 1-0, and she could have easily folded a little bit, but she bounced right back, started striking people out again, and carried her team right back."
"I was really trying to stay focused," said Gretchan Hiley. "I lost focus for a little bit after the home run, but my teammates helped get me back into it."
In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Memphis Paul reached on an error on a hard-hit ball off the shortstop's glove. Coyle then beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt for an infield single, and junior Danica May, who squared to bunt, was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
"It started with good defense and pitching, then the offense turned it around," said Wendela.
"We didn't change anything, we just knew something good was going to happen," he noted. "We were hitting the ball too hard, not to have results.
"We want that lead-off batter on, and then we can start playing a little small ball, which is exactly what we did," added Wendela.
Enter Schmieg, who took three pitches for balls, then took two strikes, and swatted the 3-2 pitch into centerfield to tie the game at 1-1.
"Gretchen Schmieg's at-bat was awesome," said Wendela.
"I think I gave her four or five different signs in the at-bat," he noted. "She ended up having to swing with a full count, and got the biggest hit of her life — it was awesome."
"I really just wanted to hit the ball," said Schmieg.
"I wasn't really looking for anything," she noted. "I was thinking 'I'm just going to see what I like, and I'm just going to go for it,' and I guess that's what I did.
"After I saw it fall in, I was like 'no way,'" laughed Schmieg.
Gretchan Hiley then lifted a fly ball down the the left-field line, where it was caught in foul territory. Coyle tagged and beat the throw home to make it 2-1.
After May scooted home on a passed ball with two outs to make it 3-1, sophomore McKenna Jarvis singled up the middle to plate Schmieg for a 4-1 lead.
After watching Gretchan Hiley strike out 13 batters in the first five innings, the defense was put to work in the final two innings.
Coyle made a pair of nice defensive plays on hard-hit balls for the first two outs in the sixth inning.
"How good has (Ella Coyle) been this year?" said Wendela. "She has come such a long way since I started coaching here.
"Ella continues to make play after play," he noted. "She made plays in the semifinals Saturday, and made a couple excellent plays today. They were not easy plays, but she made them look easy.
"I believe the one thing that's under-appreciated is our defense because Gretchan (Hiley) has been so dominant," Wendela added.
Coyle said she imagines every ball will be hit to her.
"The thing is, I'm always thinking the ball is coming to me," she said. "You always have to be ready for the ball to be hit to you."
In the seventh inning, senior Jules Pack made a nice basket catch in left field while battling the sun for the first out, May vacuumed up a ground ball to the right side, and Schmieg ran down a fly ball near the right-field line to end the game.
"It means a lot to know that I have my team behind me ... that if I mess up, they're behind me to make plays," said Gretchan Hiley.
Schmieg singled, scored one run, and drove in one run, while Jarvis singled and knocked in one run, Coyle singled and scored one run, Maddie Hiley added a single, Gretchan Hiley had one RBI, and Paul and May each scored one run.
Athens, now 21-1, will travel to face District XI champ Northwestern Lehigh (21-3) Monday afternoon.
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IN PHOTO: Athens sophomore Gretchan Hiley. IN TOP PHOTO: The 2025 District 4A champion Athens Wildcats. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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