The Fredonia ‘Billies are Sectional Champions for the fourth straight season. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

GRAND ISLAND — It’s safe to say the Fredonia ‘Billies softball program is a dynasty. Saturday’s fourth straight Sectional title just made it even harder to argue.

The Fredonia ‘Billies overcame a 4-0 deficit on Saturday to earn their fourth consecutive Section VI Championship with a 7-5 win over the Alden Bulldogs on Saturday at Grand Island High School.

“We graduate players, we don’t graduate tradition,” said Fredonia head coach Jesse Beers. “This says a lot about us, not only as a varsity program, but really, it’s about the town. You think about Little League, travel ball, JV, Modified, all those coaches and all those people have all had a hand in this to get these players to where they are now.”

Where they are now is where they have been – at the top.

“Four Sectionals in a row, that’s crazy,” said Fredonia shortstop Naomi Muck. “We’re really happy, and I’m really proud of my teammates for everything this season.”

Fredonia pitcher Danielle Palisin delivers a pitch during Saturday’s Section VI, Class B Championship softball game at Grand Island High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Back at Grand Island High School, the site of a Crossover Final defeat two years ago, Fredonia (18-3, 2-seed) looked like it was headed toward a similar fate again early on Saturday. Alden (15-3, 4-seed) scored two runs in the first inning thanks to three hits in the opening frame. A two-out RBI triple gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.

Naomi Muck led off with a single in the bottom half, then advanced to second on a stolen base. But then, after a Jenna Fryberger single, a miscommunication rounding third base had Naomi Muck caught in between third and home. The Bulldogs recorded the out, then escaped the inning shortly after without allowing a run.

Both teams failed to score in the second inning, but just as it did in the first inning, Alden pushed across a pair in the third with the top of its lineup. Leadoff hitter and starting pitcher Lilly Bromstead smoked a double that one-hopped over the fence to start the frame, which later featured an RBI single and a sacrifice fly that doubled Alden’s lead from two runs to four.

Facing a 4-0 deficit did not faze Fredonia one bit. In the semifinals, Fredonia overcame a 3-0 deficit against Allegany-Limestone to win 7-3 to earn a spot in the title game. Beers could tell all along that his team was not worried whether they could do it again.

“We’re down 4-0 in the third inning, and I’m looking around, and everybody in the dugout was just loose as could be. The idea that we couldn’t come back and score four runs, you could see it didn’t even enter their minds,” Beers said.

Fredonia shortstop Naomi Muck watches a throw to first after recording an out at second base during a Section VI, Class B Championship softball game against Alden, Saturday, at Grand Island High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

It didn’t take long to prove that they could.

Fredonia’s patient approach in the third inning earned three straight walks to load the bases with nobody out. A groundout off the bat of Fryberger accounted for the first out, but Fredonia pushed its first run across on an infield single by Ava Muck that went off the pitcher’s glove.

Then, with the bases still loaded, Callie Draggett stepped to the plate. Draggett, Fredonia’s catcher, had been battling a hamstring injury that left her status for the game in question. Beers even acknowledged that he had two different lineups drawn up for Saturday’s game in case she couldn’t hit.

It’s a good thing he picked the right one.

Draggett ripped a double down the third base line to score a pair of Fredonia runners. Draggett limped back to the dugout for a courtesy runner with Fredonia within a run.

Fredonia captains Leah Marsh and Danielle Palisin, right, receive the Section VI, Class B Championship plaque as head coach Jesse Beers looks on. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

“Keeping her in there and for her to get that hit – a two-strike hit down the line like that – that really changed the complexion of the game,” Beers said.

The next batter, Anna Delcamp, hit a bloop single to left field that tied the game at 4-4.

Fredonia pitcher Danielle Palisin responded by setting Alden down in order in the fourth inning. She then helped her own cause in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single up the middle to take a 5-4 lead.

The top of the Alden order managed one run in the fifth inning to tie the game at 5-5, but for Fredonia, that was an improvement as the top part of the Alden order managed two runs each of the previous two opportunities it had.

With the game still theirs for the taking, Fredonia reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ava Muck worked a walk to lead off the inning, then Draggett sacrificed her into scoring position. Already with the game-tying hit to her name, Delcamp came through again with an RBI double to take a 6-5 lead.

Fredonia captains Leah Marsh (24) and Danielle Palisin (7) celebrate after receiving their blue patches and the Section VI, Class B Championship plaque. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Once Fredonia had the lead again, it was up to the defense to hold it. Naomi Muck had that part covered.

With the tying run on base in the sixth inning, a lack of focus on a fielder’s choice put the runner at third base with two outs. The next batter hit a ground ball to shortstop that would have scored the tying run had there been any hiccup, but Naomi Muck rifled a throw to first to beat the runner by a step and strand the tying run on base.

Fredonia added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a walk by Draggett with the bases loaded, but Alden escaped further damage and kept the pressure on Fredonia in the seventh.

That pressure disappeared pretty quickly.

With the bottom of Alden’s order leading off the seventh inning, followed by the dangerous top of the order, the 9-hitter in Alden’s lineup smoked a line drive headed toward left field. The only problem for Alden was Naomi Muck.

Ranging over toward third base, Naomi Muck laid out to the right to make a spectacular diving catch that sent the Fredonia dugout and fan section into a frenzy. The stellar play put Fredonia just two outs away from a championship.

“Going through my head before that play I thought, ‘I’m laying out.’ I literally told myself, ‘I’m laying out.’ I knew if that gets by, their leadoff hitter was coming up, their best hitters were coming up,” Naomi Muck said. “In a close game, you’ve got to lay out.”

It was only fitting that the final out also came to Naomi Muck. A routine ground ball gave Fredonia’s outstanding shortstop one final chance to show off the arm that protected Fredonia’s lead just an inning prior.

“It’s routine. We’ve been practicing it all year. I’ve got to make the play,” Naomi Muck said.

As the ball popped the mitt, the ‘Billies began to celebrate – something that is becoming rather familiar at this time of the year for the Fredonia program.

“I’m happy with this. It’s a nice team win,” Beers said.

Up next, Fredonia will play a sub-regional game on Wednesday at Frontier High School at 7:30 p.m., with the winner of that game advancing to the regionals of the state tournament.

“With our momentum, I think we’re ready. We’ve prepared for this, there’s nothing more we can really do,” Naomi Muck said. “We’re ready.”