How sweet it is! A more than eight-hour journey for the Gowanda Panthers softball team made for memories of a lifetime.

On Saturday afternoon, in dramatic fashion, the players put an exclamation point on a historic season by winning the the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C softball championship game at the Moriches Athletic Complex on Long Island. The victory was sealed by a four-run sixth inning to cap the comeback against SS Seward.

“I can’t believe it. The girls are so excited,” Gowanda head coach Mike Maloney said postgame. “It’s actually hard to believe that we won. We always thought about winning the section or getting to regionals. We never really thought about winning states.”

It was a special season for both Panther squads as the baseball team also had a memorable run. But what happened for the girls team on Friday and Saturday in Long Island — a long way from home — will be something to celebrate for years to come.