![On the list of ways to start out a season, a thrilling, come-from-behind victory on your home field over perennial Class 3A powerhouse Geneseo has to rank pretty high on the list.That’s how the Seneca Fighting Irish started the 2026 season early Thursday evening, scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a game-long one-run deficit and top the visiting Maple Leafs 4-1. Seneca put up the four spot in the fifth with only one hit – junior center fielder/No. 9 hitter Aurora Weber’s bases-loaded, bloop single over a drawn-in Geneseo infield to score courtesy runner Brynlee Hunt and tie the ballgame.Seneca (1-0) would go on to add three more runs thanks to a two-run error on an Emma Mino comebacker followed by a Lexie Buis sacrifice fly, but it was Weber’s soft-hit RBI single the other way that broke the floodgates on what until that point had been a frustrating offensive day for the Irish.“When I was up to bat,” Weber said, “I was just thinking to myself, like our coach says, ‘You’ve got to be tougher together.’ And if all my other teammates can get on, then I can do my job – just put the ball in play and things will work out for the best.“I was like, ‘Go, [to the ball], get a little more out there!’ I saw it go up and the second baseman, and I was just like, ‘Come on, just go a little farther!’ ”Winning pitcher Tessa Krull (win, 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 K) started the Irish’s fifth-inning rally by laying off multiple nasty changeups from Geneseo right-hander Addison Snell (loss, 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K) to draw a base on balls. Ameliah Weber then tried to sacrifice bunt courtesy runner Hunt to second, but reached herself when the Leafs defense failed to cover first. No. 8 hitter Marlie Lissy drew a walk herself to load the bases for Aurora Weber.“Actually, the hardest-hit ball the whole inning, which would have cleared the bases, they snagged a line drive down the line when Graysen [Provance] just smoked a ball,” Seneca coach Brian Holman said. “And what I told the girls was, ‘Sometimes you’ve got to give yourself a chance to get a break.’ ...“Sometimes you’ve got to get bases loaded, and they play in, and you hit a blooper. You’ve just got to give yourself chances.”The three-run cushion was plenty for Krull and seventh-inning reliever Hayden Pfeifer (save, 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K), who collectively didn’t allow a runner to reach after Seneca took the lead – its first since falling behind 1-0 on a Leah Falk RBI double in the top of the second.“I knew that my stuff wasn’t working as much and [Geneseo] was going to put the ball in play,” Krull said. “But I had Aurora behind me [in center] making so many plays, and my whole defense behind me. I knew someone was going to make the play ... and I definitely felt once we got those security runs that I didn’t have to have as much pressure anymore when I threw the next pitch.”Leadoff hitter Penny Kline had two singles for Geneseo (1-1), which opened the season earlier in the week with a win over La Salle-Peru.No Seneca player managed multiple hits, with Pfeifer, Aurora Weber and Emma Mino all singling on a day the Fighting Irish won despite being outhit 7-3.“The fifth inning, we kind of made some errors, [Seneca] got the momentum going, and momentum’s huge, right?” said Geneseo coach Jenni Johnson. “But we fought the whole game. It just wasn’t our day.”Both Johnson and her Seneca counterpart expressed gratitude for not only getting a game in as early as March 12, but for getting the opportunity to test their teams against good competition.“I told [the team], it’s great to win, but more importantly, we know everything now that we need to do after seeing their pitching, their defense, their hitting,” Holman said. “This will make us better, a good early-season softball game.“I’m not sure the girls know yet how good of a win this is.”](https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2063/2026/03/13022453/XX73SC2KWBDU5BCLUVAELBP2CU96955.jpg)
![On the list of ways to start out a season, a thrilling, come-from-behind victory on your home field over perennial Class 3A powerhouse Geneseo has to rank pretty high on the list.That’s how the Seneca Fighting Irish started the 2026 season early Thursday evening, scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a game-long one-run deficit and top the visiting Maple Leafs 4-1. Seneca put up the four spot in the fifth with only one hit – junior center fielder/No. 9 hitter Aurora Weber’s bases-loaded, bloop single over a drawn-in Geneseo infield to score courtesy runner Brynlee Hunt and tie the ballgame.Seneca (1-0) would go on to add three more runs thanks to a two-run error on an Emma Mino comebacker followed by a Lexie Buis sacrifice fly, but it was Weber’s soft-hit RBI single the other way that broke the floodgates on what until that point had been a frustrating offensive day for the Irish.“When I was up to bat,” Weber said, “I was just thinking to myself, like our coach says, ‘You’ve got to be tougher together.’ And if all my other teammates can get on, then I can do my job – just put the ball in play and things will work out for the best.“I was like, ‘Go, [to the ball], get a little more out there!’ I saw it go up and the second baseman, and I was just like, ‘Come on, just go a little farther!’ ”Winning pitcher Tessa Krull (win, 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 K) started the Irish’s fifth-inning rally by laying off multiple nasty changeups from Geneseo right-hander Addison Snell (loss, 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K) to draw a base on balls. Ameliah Weber then tried to sacrifice bunt courtesy runner Hunt to second, but reached herself when the Leafs defense failed to cover first. No. 8 hitter Marlie Lissy drew a walk herself to load the bases for Aurora Weber.“Actually, the hardest-hit ball the whole inning, which would have cleared the bases, they snagged a line drive down the line when Graysen [Provance] just smoked a ball,” Seneca coach Brian Holman said. “And what I told the girls was, ‘Sometimes you’ve got to give yourself a chance to get a break.’ ...“Sometimes you’ve got to get bases loaded, and they play in, and you hit a blooper. You’ve just got to give yourself chances.”The three-run cushion was plenty for Krull and seventh-inning reliever Hayden Pfeifer (save, 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K), who collectively didn’t allow a runner to reach after Seneca took the lead – its first since falling behind 1-0 on a Leah Falk RBI double in the top of the second.“I knew that my stuff wasn’t working as much and [Geneseo] was going to put the ball in play,” Krull said. “But I had Aurora behind me [in center] making so many plays, and my whole defense behind me. I knew someone was going to make the play ... and I definitely felt once we got those security runs that I didn’t have to have as much pressure anymore when I threw the next pitch.”Leadoff hitter Penny Kline had two singles for Geneseo (1-1), which opened the season earlier in the week with a win over La Salle-Peru.No Seneca player managed multiple hits, with Pfeifer, Aurora Weber and Emma Mino all singling on a day the Fighting Irish won despite being outhit 7-3.“The fifth inning, we kind of made some errors, [Seneca] got the momentum going, and momentum’s huge, right?” said Geneseo coach Jenni Johnson. “But we fought the whole game. It just wasn’t our day.”Both Johnson and her Seneca counterpart expressed gratitude for not only getting a game in as early as March 12, but for getting the opportunity to test their teams against good competition.“I told [the team], it’s great to win, but more importantly, we know everything now that we need to do after seeing their pitching, their defense, their hitting,” Holman said. “This will make us better, a good early-season softball game.“I’m not sure the girls know yet how good of a win this is.”](https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2063/2026/03/13022453/XX73SC2KWBDU5BCLUVAELBP2CU96955.webp)
It looks like you are not a member of VIP Club yet. Please fill out the form below to access the page and join the VIP Club
On Air Now
Up Next
Mon - Fri: 06:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Mon - Fri: 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Mon - Fri: 03:00 PM - 07:00 PM