After an emotional one-run loss, players on the South Allegheny softball team were crying.

It was not a playoff game and the season was not over for the Gladiators -- as a matter of fact, it was far from over. That 1-0 loss to South Park occurred just four games into the season.

That gives an idea how hotly contested Section 6-AA has been recently between South Park and South Allegheny. The section race this season is playing out much like it did last season and for the Gladiators, they hope it continues that way.

Last season, the Gladiators lost to South Park in the first meeting but bounced back to win the following two games against their section rival and capture the section crown.

Fast forward to this year and after the 1-0 loss to South Park at home, South Allegheny (12-1, 11-1 before yesterday's game against Brentwood) bounced back with a 5-1 win on the road to set up the showdown in the rubber match of the series today. The teams are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in Class AA in the latest Post-Gazette rankings.

"The players were really upset after the loss," SA coach Heather Hibner said.

"There was a freak play, a ball ricocheted off a runner and we dropped it, 1-0. What are you going to do? The second time we played them, we realized that either team can win; it just depends on who came to play that day.

"We knew [after the first loss] we got to play them two more times, but these girls ... they take every loss really hard. They go out there every game and put themselves on the line."

Only two seniors graduated from last year's team that won the section title and defeated Center in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Valley, 4-1, in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Sophomore Casey Naylor did not see much playing time early in the season, but quickly made her presence felt in the lineup in one of the biggest games of the year. After not playing in the first loss to South Park, Naylor came through with a three-run home run in the second meeting. Four games later she helped her team over Seton-LaSalle with a grand slam.

"She has just been hitting great," Hibner said. "It is really awesome that she could just come in and step up in those pressure situations."

Naylor originally got in the lineup after a shuffle that moved a first baseman to right field and Naylor came in to play first base.

The only holes to be filled this year were at catcher and third base. Freshman Gabi Vogt stepped up and filled in at third base where she is hitting better than .400 and junior Amanda Farkey has moved in as the starting catcher after missing most of last season.

Senior Cara Giannandrea is playing center field and batting .535 from the leadoff spot. Brittany Corigliano is batting close to .400 and starting at second base batting third.

Senior Liz Piekut starts at shortstop and bats cleanup. Senior outfielder Lacey Reed rounds out the lineup batting ninth.

Juniors Laine D'Angelo and April Yeager are the top two pitchers for the Gladiators and Hibner has been rotating between the two. She usually does not pencil in a starter until minutes before the game. Both pitchers play outfield or first base when they are not pitching. After 11 games, D'Angelo was 5-0 and Yeager was 5-1.

Hibner and her players expect emotions to be flying high again for today's showdown against South Park, which is attempting a WPIAL "three-peat" after capturing WPIAL girls' titles in soccer and basketball.

"It is always very exciting and nerve-wracking when we go up against South Park," said Naylor, the hero in the second game against South Park.

"We are both great teams and it can go either way. Now that we have each won a game, we both know that we have the potential to beat the other team."

"We are always going to have to play good defense and have a solid pitching performance against South Park," added Hibner.

"If we can get a lead, we have to hold it because South Park is very capable of coming back."