“Good inning, good inning, nobody got hurt,” yelled a Golden
Girls player as the group of players with the softball team jogged
off Dana Field in Bradford Township.

The newly-formed team of the Bradford Ladies’ Softball League
likely took some of the other teams by surprise a few weeks ago
when they announced they were getting back together. That’s because
the group of 40-, 50- and 60-year-olds are stepping up to the plate
after a 25- to 30-year hiatus from the sport. Even more surprising
to many of the team members, as well as the league, was their 9-1
season-opening victory.

“We know how to make the plays, it’s whether or not the bodies
can make the plays,” said co-captain Marcia Bower at Thursday’s
game. She said many on the roster had played together on teams back
in the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s. Coach Nick Pingie is also a
veteran, having volunteered in that position for many of the same
players decades ago.

“We all played way back and remained good friends and this has
been a good way to get everyone back together again. It’s been a
riot, an absolute riot,” Bower said. “We know the game and where to
make the plays, but let’s just say we’re jogging the bases
slowly.”

Which was evidenced by several players making a base hit,
followed by a younger pinch runner taking over at first base.
Fittingly, the team is sponsored by the Fuhrman Chiropractic
business with Dr. Nancy Fuhrman serving as catcher.

Aside from that the players showed they still knew the game
inside and out, with fielding that comes from years of
experience.

Bower is known by many in the Bradford area as a former physical
education teacher at Bradford Area High School, and for her many
years with the ladies’ league.

“My emphasis on this is that it is not so much softball, it’s
more about getting together again with old, old friends” from 30 to
40 years ago, she said.

Bower said she began playing on the ladies’ league back in the
late 1960s, a few years after it was formed. Even though she hasn’t
played softball for more than 20 years, Bower took care of Dana
Field, which is owned and used by the ladies’ league. The field is
also used by high school and youth softball teams in the
spring.

Another player, Mary Lou Sapko, said she had played with the
league during its early years. At its height, the league had as
many as eight or nine teams, compared to its current four.

Player Sue Aljoe also played during the early years of the
league, as well as coaching high school girls’ softball. Aljoe and
Sapko served as coaches for the Bradford Central Christian Lady
Ramblers softball team for a number of years. Under their
leadership, the team won the District 9 Class AAA championship in
1995, and made it into the state playoffs. Aljoe and Sapko also
were coaches of Bradford High School’s softball team for four
years.

Another player, Toni Frontino, said the new team has been a
“delight” from the beginning.

“When Marcia (Bower) called me about the team, I told her
‘You’ve got to be crazy, I haven’t had a bat or ball in my hands
for 30 years,” Frontino said. “And she said ‘Well join the club,
the rest of us are the same way.”

Co-captain Patti Fisher said she began playing with the ladies’
league while a sophomore at Bradford High School. At the time,
there was no softball team at the school.

Aside from their years with the ladies’ league, most of the
players on the team said they didn’t have the opportunity to play
softball or other sports at the high school level as Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972 didn’t exist. After Title IX was
enacted by the federal government, a number of high school and
collegiate sports programs opened up to girls across the country.
Fisher said the topic of getting the team back together came up
while she and Bower were delivering Meals on Wheels for the
American Red Cross in Bradford.

“We were in between dropping off meals and chit-chatting, and
the next thing we were talking about was softball and the old
times,” Fisher said. “This lead to that and we said ‘Why don’t we
get together and start throwing a few balls around.’ But we never
thought that we would actually join the league.”

Tina Phillips, president of the ladies’ league and a player on
the Bradford Notary team, said her team will play the Golden Girls
soon.

“We’re going to beef up … and we’re also going to practice the
night before,” Phillips said of the upcoming game. “They (Golden
Girls) are very good. Their fielding is awesome.”

Prior to Thursday’s game, Trista Wilcox, pitcher for the Harris
Oil team, said her team also had to make sure they were ready for
the game against the Golden Girls.

“I think we need to give this our all,” Wilcox said.

Other players on the Golden Girls team are Barb Black, Sari
Cattoni (runner), Shannon Cattoni (runner), Shelley Cattoni,
Jennifer Hartle, Patty Keesler, Cheryl Lanich, Debbie LaBrozzi,
Linda Monti, Jen Oknefski, Sheila Potter, Diane Rea, Susan
Schenfield, and Lynn Smith, scorekeeper.

Teams with the league play Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m.
through Aug. 6 at Dana Field on High Street near Minard Run. The
public is invited to attend and admission is free.