Agape Freedom Sports LLC

By Jeric Yurkanin – Agape Freedom Sports | Staff Writer

DUNMORE — Under a cloudless sky and the warmth of the spring sun, the Holy Cross Lady Crusaders brought the heat Monday afternoon, blanking the Dunmore Lady Bucks 8-0 in a commanding road victory at Dunmore High School.

The spark? That came from sophomore Jules Galella, who crushed a towering three-run homer over the left-field fence in the third inning to give Holy Cross an early 3-0 lead. The fire? Her older sister, senior Mia Galella, added the exclamation point with a solo shot to dead center in the sixth.

It was as if the sisters had a family meeting and decided: Let’s handle business.

As a former NEPA church slow-pitch softball coach from 2016 to 2023, I had a motto: “We do our talking with our bats.” On Monday, the Galella sisters did just that—and then some.

Mia Galella turned in a flawless 4-for-4 performance at the plate, with a home run, three singles, three runs scored, and an RBI. When asked what’s been working for her at the plate, Mia said, “Honestly, just going up there and doing what I know I can do. I clear my mind and keep out doubt—what I’ve been doing for the past eight years of my softball career.”

But Mia isn’t just producing at the plate—she’s stepping up as a leader. “One of my biggest roles is just trying to lead our team and get the team going, especially addressing aggressive base running,” she said. “It makes more adrenaline, so it keeps our spirit and hype going on the team.”

Jules finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs, setting the tone early with her clutch blast. “I was looking for strikes and looking for my pitch to swing at,” she said. “When I got it, I just attacked.” She also contributed defensively with confidence and control. “I’ve been just playing my game and looking at pitches to swing at, and I know I have a strong arm, so I just field like I normally do,” she added.

When reflecting on the win, Jules emphasized the urgency and team mindset. “It felt really good. We knew our team needed to win this game to play on Thursday against Mid Valley for the conference championship,” she said. “We knew we all needed to have an impact tonight.”

Holy Cross Head Coach Joe Ross had high praise for both sisters after their standout performances:
“Well obviously, Mia’s a wrecking machine. When you see her hit, she’s a different type of player—she just drives the ball constantly and pounds it,” Ross said. “Jules is starting to come into her own. When she’s fully engaged and puts the barrel on the ball—as you saw today with the homerun and line drive—she can be very aggressive in the strike zone. She crushed that line drive to right-center to score two runs, which was just as big as the homerun. It just keeps the pressure on the other team.”

Ross also reflected on the team’s culture and approach:

“One of the things we’ve always talked about is the main thing in our softball program—and that is team,” he said. “Mia and Jules are starting to buy into that philosophy. They go out and understand there’s something bigger than themselves, and they have a chance to represent what has been one of the most quality programs in the Lackawanna League and District 2. We’re fortunate to play in the division we’re in and face the teams we do. It allows us to compete every single day.”

He added that plate discipline played a big role:

“I think our message has been constant through the years: get quality at-bats and not beat ourselves,” Ross said. “We have the tendency to get on our front foot with that pitch mix—you’re getting thrown off with changeups. Dunmore’s pitcher Rachel Walsh can give us a little bit of fits. But we have a really disciplined and patient team at the plate.”

Together, the Galella connection is quickly becoming one of the most feared duos in District 2 Class A softball.

On the mound, Ava Schmidt was in complete control. The Crusaders’ ace spun a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and no walks—one of her most dominant outings of the season. She even helped her own cause with a triple at the plate.

Peyton Graboske had a productive day, reaching base three times with two singles and a hit-by-pitch. Lila Kolcharno and Chloe Mendicino each added a hit, rounding out an 11-hit attack for Holy Cross.

Defensively, the Crusaders were locked in, recording their 10th shutout of the season. Dunmore managed just two singles—one each by Rachel Walsh and Kylee Farr—and committed two costly errors. Walsh pitched a complete game for the Lady Bucks, allowing eight earned runs and striking out two.

With the postseason looming, Holy Cross appears to be peaking at just the right time—firing on all cylinders at the plate, on the mound, and in the field.

When asked how they plan to keep the momentum rolling into playoffs, Mia kept it simple: “Nothing different, nothing special. We’re just going to play our game and stay focused.”

Off camera, I asked Mia and Jules if they enjoyed playing together. They looked at each other, smiled, and hugged before answering in unison: “Yes, we love it.”

That’s family. And come playoff time, this family isn’t one to mess with.

Expect Holy Cross to make some serious noise on the eastern side of the bracket—and expect the Galella sisters to keep talking loud and clear with their bats.

Just like family should.