You've heard of a pitchers' duel. This was a pitchers' marathon.

For more than 13 innings, Kennard-Dale's Rhoda Marsteller and Susquehannock's Megan Sheaf tested each other's mental and physical endurance -- holding their respective opponents scoreless while trying to outlast each other in a contest that stubbornly dragged on into Friday evening.

Susquehannock freshman Chelsea Shockey's slap single down the first-base line finally ended the game in the bottom of the 14th inning before the setting sun could force a suspension, scoring pinch runner Courtney Nelson to give the Warriors a 1-0 victory.

"This was a huge win," a fatigued but pleased Sheaf said after the Warriors (9-0, 7-0 Division II) knocked off the Rams (9-1, 6-1) to take hold of first place in the division. "Our team really needed a close one. We just showed what a team we really are."

Kennard-Dale coach Heather Folmar called it the best softball game she has ever seen. Both Folmar and Susquehannock coach Dave Pollick said it was the longest game of which they have ever been a part.

It happened because Marsteller and Sheaf happened to deliver brilliant performances on the same diamond during the same day. The two junior pitchers combined for 37 strikeouts and gave up only 10 hits in the 14 innings of play.

The two most pivotal of those were delivered by Susquehannock's Steph Albright and Shockey in the final frame.

After center fielder Connie Fike reached on a bases-empty

one-out walk, Albright knocked a fastball into right field to put runners on first and second. Nelson came in to run for Fike, and Lauren Heibler squared up to bunt to move the runners along but popped out to Kennard-Dale catcher Laura DeVoe instead.

That's when Shockey -- who had gone 0-for-5 with two strikeouts to that point -- stepped up to the plate.

Facing a 2-2 count, the third baseman knocked the ball the opposite way, keeping it just left of the right-field line to score Nelson and clinch the victory.

Shockey's RBI single came after the Warriors missed several opportunities to win the game earlier, including in the seventh when Sheaf reached third base with one out, and in the 12th when Susquehannock loaded the bases with one out.

"This could provide lessons for this team to carry with them in the postseason," said Pollick, who joked that maybe his team should get two wins since they played two games worth of softball. "They trusted in themselves and they kept believing."

Sheaf's performance on the mound gave them plenty of reason to believe. The junior finished with 25 strikeouts and allowed only three hits, throwing no-hit ball over the final six innings.

Left fielder Katie Swade (2-for-6) was the only Susquehannock player to record multiple hits. All seven of the Warriors' base knocks were singles, as Marsteller largely kept the Warriors in check.

The Rams couldn't get their offense working to complement Marsteller's success on the mound, as April Peters (2-for-5 with a double) was the only Kennard-Dale player to get past second base during the 14 innings.

The center fielder knocked a two-out single in

the second inning and reaching third on a Swade fielding error. DeVoe grounded out to third base on the next play.

Susquehannock, which won the PIAA Class AAA championship last spring, will have to get past Kennard-Dale again on May 12 if it wants to ensure a division title, giving the Rams something to look forward to as they try to stomach Friday's loss.

"They need to know it's only halfway through the season and we get another shot at them," Folmar said. "And you know what? When you take the defending state champs to 14 innings before losing 1-0 it says a little about your team, too."
Reach Sean McLernon at 771-2045 or smclernon@ydr.com.