ZELIENOPLE — They had to gain the experience and will to win. Then they lost their home field.

But the Seneca Valley North Athletic Association's two 12-under fast pitch softball teams wound up finishing first and second in their division of the Greater Pittsburgh Girls Softball League for the first time.

The first-place team, coached by Dan and Krista Winkle, along with Kristi Barnyk, finished the regular season at 12-0. The bulk of the team has been together since their 8-under days.

“Our first few years, we didn't win many games at all,” Krista Winkle said. “We didn't even bother to keep the scores at times. We told the girls that didn't matter.”

That team finished 12-0 this season, winning a division that included four teams from Cranberry Township, Pine-Richland, Slippery Rock and the other SV North team — coached by Ed and Judy Schall — that finished 9-1-2 and in second place.

“This was the first winning season we've had,” Judy Schall said. “These girls just love working together.

“The improvement of our team from last year to this year was astounding. They played for each other. When someone was down, the other girls picked her up.”

Winkle echoed those sentiments.

“You find family on a dirt field sometimes,” she said. “These girls became a family.”

And that family had to find a new place to call home.

The recent flooding in the Evans City area caused the EDCO fields — SVNAA's home fields — to be submerged in water. Major damage was done to the facility that included baseball and softball fields.

The fields may not be ready by next spring.

“They're going to need resurfaced, everything redone,” Winkle said. “But these girls know that next year we're going to work hard as a community and a team to repair our fields.”

When the EDCO fields were flooded, the SVNAA teams moved over to Zelienople Community Park.

“We missed some practices and worked with other teams over there to rearrange schedules,” Barnyk said. “It was a bit of a pain, but everyone got through it.”

Zelienople Community Park has one softball field, but a Pony League field at the facility was revamped into a second softball field for the teams' use.

“We caught a break in that there was no Pony League playing there at the time,” Winkle said. “With only one field, it would have been a scramble for our teams to get their games in.

“Because that second field was there, everything worked out.”

And both teams continued to win.

SVNAA's second team's only loss was to the unbeaten league champion. The two SVNAA squads were supposed to play each other a second time, but the game was rained out.

“Our two teams are pretty close-knit,” Schall said. “Girls from both teams play in tournament teams together. When Krista had a pool party for her team last year, she invited ours as well. We're doing the same thing this year.”

SVNAA draws its softball players from Zelienople, Harmony and Evans City.

“Our program is small,” Winkle said. “We have maybe 400 kids in our entire association, baseball and softball combined. We share our fields with the 10-under teams as well.

“Our fields don't have lights or a lot of the amenities Cranberry has. We rely on fund-raisers and donations from businesses, and there are plenty in our community. Our players have done a bake sale, they do community service ... whatever we ask of them.

“They've learned family ideals, are good to their parents ... It's been a beautiful thing watching them this year,” she added.”

There are 40 teams in the Greater Pittsburgh league. Both SVNAA teams are in the same playoff bracket and could face each other in postseason play.

Barnyk said the season started with her undefeated team winning games by large margins.

“Then teams began setting up their best pitching to try to stay competitive with us,” she said. “The games became closer down the stretch, but our girls found ways to win.”

Addison Winkle, Paige Volz and Lexie Hames are the three prime pitchers on the team, throwing “two or three innings a game,” Barnyk said.

“As an organization, were just so, so proud of these girls and what they've overcome,” she added.