DUBOIS — One team sought its first title in program history.

The other sought to defend the crown it won just last season.

Under the Memorial Day sun in DuBois, however, both became champions.

The Johnsonburg baseball and softball teams swept the District 9 Class 2A championships just hours apart. One side survived a late-game comeback while the other won handily, but both returned to the Paper City with hardware.

Ninety minutes before the Ramettes were set to take on Cranberry, the Jburg baseball team met Redbank Valley at Showers Field. The top-seeded Rams built an early lead before holding off the No. 6 Bulldogs, 9-5, despite a Redbank comeback.

Jburg — as per usual — built an early lead. A 7-0 advantage quickly became 7-5, however, and the defending champs had to answer to adversity to earn their repeat crown.

“Sometimes, you get tested a little bit,” Rams coach Mike Porter said. “Redbank Valley didn’t quit. We gave them a little bit of a window and they started hitting the ball, then you need to make a pitching change, get the guys re-dialed in and grind it out.”

The Rams scored three runs in the 1st and four in the 4th, and looked to be coasting back to the PIAA tournament. Redbank answered with four in the 5th, however, taking advantage as Jburg’s pitchers struggled to find the strike zone.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases again in the 6th but only got one run, which came across on a walk, as Aiden Zimmerman forced a groundout to escape further trouble.

Jburg re-grasped momentum with two runs in the bottom of the 6th and Redbank didn’t have another rebuttal.

“That’s mental toughness, and we’re going to face more adversity in the playoffs, so you need to deal with those things,” Porter said. “The luxury of having three or four (pitchers) that you’re comfortable in those situations really helps.”

Dom Allegretto once again sparked the Rams’ offense from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Zimmerman was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored, while Camron Marciniak had a hit and two RBI and Kaden Dennis tacked on two hits and an RBI.

“The last six or seven games, our guys have been really patient,” Porter said. “If a pitcher is struggling to find their off-speed pitch and we can sit fastball, we will. That drives up the pitch count at the same time, plus you get the pitch you want to hit.”

As the Rams wrapped up their title, the Jburg softball team began its championship quest against Cranberry less than a mile away at Heindl Field.

Soon after, as the Rams looked on from the center field pavilion, Julie Peterson and the top-seeded Ramettes took care of No. 3 Cranberry, 6-0, to secure their first-ever softball championship.

Peterson struck out 12 in a one-hit performance, keeping the Lady Berries off-balance through seven frustrating frames. She pounded the strike zone while relying on the trustworthy Ramettes defense behind her, rarely appearing threatened despite what was at stake.

“What can I say about (Peterson) — not giving up a run in two playoff games to win the district, you can’t ask for more from a starting pitcher and your defense,” Jburg coach Gary Gerber said. “We did enough to get the runs and played great defense.”

Peterson traded scoreless frames with Cranberry’s Alisha Beggs until the 3rd, when an overthrow of second on a Natalie Dunworth single allowed Jburg’s first run to score. Jenna Kasmierski doubled the lead with an RBI groundout, one of two RBI hits she recorded in the game.

Jburg plated four more runs in the 5th, the first on an RBI double that Kasmierski belted to the wall. A second run scored on a throwing error before two more scored on a pair of wild pitches, suddenly giving the Ramettes a comfortable cushion.

Peterson wouldn’t need the help, however, as she continued to frustrate the Lady Berries the rest of the way. Dunworth finished 2-for-4 at the plate for Jburg, while Payton Delhunty was 2-for-3 and Julia Jones added a hit and an RBI.

“I don’t think we’ve given up more than four runs in the month of May,” Gerber said. “That’s when you want to be good. We’re feeling confident and hope to continue doing what we’re doing.”

The championship marked the first in the history of either Johnsonburg or Ridgway softball, which — like in baseball and other sports — now form one, co-operative team. The Ramettes now await their first-round PIAA opponent, which will be determined by a play-in game ahead of June 6’s Round of 16.

“You couldn’t have written it better at the beginning of the year,” Gerber said. “Especially our seniors — they had a Covid year, then losing last year 1-0 to get into the district finals, we were really gearing up for this year.”

Jburg baseball, meanwhile, will await the fourth-place finisher from District 7 — either Riverside or Burgettstown — in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

“This is a senior-led group and we went into this season, having won the district championship last year, with basically the same offense,” Porter said. “There were high expectations. We struggled early and had a couple losses, but it’s how you finish, and this is obviously how you want to finish.”