10-Inning Showdown: Graboske, Crusaders Outlast Spartans in Wild League Title Classic
By: Justin Bradley | Sportzwire | May 15, 2025 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus Photography
They say champions are made when the pressure’s highest — and on Thursday afternoon, Holy Cross and Mid Valley gave us a classic worth remembering.
In a game dripping with drama, tension, and postseason intensity, Holy Cross clinched the Lackawanna League Division 2 championship with a heart-pounding 7-5 win in 10 innings over a relentless Mid Valley squad. The Crusaders leaned on a go-ahead rally in the top of the 10th — ignited by none other than Peyton Graboske, who left her fingerprints all over the moment.
Graboske, Sportzwire’s Nina’s Bites Player of the Game, turned in a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate. She launched a solo bomb in the 2nd, added key singles in the 4th and 9th, then shattered the stalemate in extras with a two-RBI double to right-center that flipped the field and fired up the Holy Cross dugout.
Adding to the spark, Mia Galella sent a solo shot over the centerfield fence in the 6th, while Ava Schmidt tossed a gritty 10-inning complete game, fending off Mid Valley’s pressure with 5 strikeouts and big-time outs when it mattered most.
Mid Valley, who battled back from a 2-run deficit to tie it in the 7th, showed its own championship DNA behind a 19-strikeout performance from ace Ava Hazelton and key hits from Jordan Carroll (2-for-5, 2 RBI), Abby Mackey, and Parker Bennett.
But on this day, it was the Crusaders who had the final answer — and a title to go with it.
Nina’s Wing Bites Player of the Game - Peyton Graboske
