Binghamton — They all took turns holding the championship trophy, jumping up and down on the pitcher's mound, before passing it along to the next player.

The game's hero, sophomore Grace Hodges, who had the game-winning RBI, hugged teammates in the dugout.

Then she and catcher Jackie Roebuck gave Chapel Field coach Bill Spanjer Jr. a Gatorade shower with a water cooler near the dugout. Of course, the ritual dousing was met with cheers.

No, this never gets old.

Chapel Field won its second consecutive Class D state softball title yesterday with a come-from-behind 4-2 win in eight innings over Binghamton-area champion Afton. The Lions have won five of the last six Class D state championships. However, this championship run is different.

This time, Chapel Field is perfect: 24-0. The tiny Christian school from Pine Bush outscored opponents 226-7 this season.

"I'm almost going to get teary-eyed," Spanjer said. "This is amazing, the best Chapel Field season ever. So many Saturdays, so many practices, when you put the work in you want to win it. All that work is just an explosion of joy."Spanjer held it together — he didn't cry.Many of his players did.

In the middle of all the hugs, high fives and pats on the back on the infield dirt, there were plenty of tears. Junior pitcher Alyssa Brognano wept while she and several teammates stuffed dirt from the field into water bottles. Senior first baseman Kiersten Kuperus cried tears of joy near the mound, her mother holding her, fans congratulating her.

"No matter how many times we win, it's going to be great," said Brognano, who finishes the year 24-0 with 220 strikeouts. "We were down so quick against Afton (2-0) in the first inning and I didn't know if we could come back. But we did it. I can't tell you how good it feels."

Maybe it feels so good because, despite the perfect season, the dominance, Chapel Field had to gut out the championship. The Lions beat Rochester-area champ Elba (23-4) 1-0 in nine innings earlier in the day. Kuperus, who had a one-out double in the inning, scored the game-winning run on a throwing error by first baseman Chelsey Torpey.

Then came Chapel Field's upstate rival, Afton. The Lions beat Afton 2-0 in last year's Class D championship. A year earlier, the Knights took out Chapel Field in the semifinals.

Afton came hard again Saturday.

Shortstop Jessie Winans' two-run homer — clear over the left field fence on the first pitch she saw from Brognano — gave Afton a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Spanjer admitted having to do some "psychology work" with the seemingly invincible Brognano, now dejected, after the home run.

Spanjer's pep talk helped. So did Hodges' two-run home run, her first ever over a fence, in the third off Morgan Muller to tie the game 2-2. Hodges, who missed last year's title run after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, came up big again in the championship-winning eighth.

Her soft fly with one out split Afton center fielder Jenn Boudreau and left fielder Stephanie Sherman, rolling to the fence. That allowed Michelle Larson to score from first for a 3-2 Chapel Field lead. The Lions added a run on a sacrifice fly by Lyndi Fielitz that scored Hodges.

"I thought they were going to catch it," Hodges said. "Once I saw it hit the ground, I put my head down and started running. For me, this is just awesome. I've never won a championship."

Chapel Field moves up to Class C next season because of a mandate by Section 9's reclassification committee.

Moving up a level, Chapel Field likely won't enjoy the same dominance it's had in Class D the last decade. No matter. The Lions will always have the memories of all their championships.

And, of course, the memories of the perfect season.

Justin Rodriguez, Times Herald Record, Middletown NY