Good weather doesn’t have much of a track record at this time of year, so it was somewhat surprising that the softball season started on time Friday, a sun-splashed opening day and 70-plus-degree temperatures greeting WPIAL teams.
What wasn’t surprising was Hempfield starting a new season with a victory.
“It was so nice to get out,” Spartans coach Tina Madison said. “It’s better than being stuck in the gym waiting to play.”
Dozens of fans, many wearing royal blue, lined the outfield fence and watched from the hillside above the field at Penn-Trafford as Class 6A No. 2 Hempfield beat the 5A Warriors, 8-3, in a nonsection matchup of Westmoreland County heavy hitters.
“This sets the tone for the rest of the season,” said Hempfield shortstop Allie Cervola, an Ohio commit who went 3 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs to lead a 14-hit Hempfield attack. “The first win is when the confidence starts. We worked well together throughout the game.”
Hempfield (1-0) put its potent lineup on display, its six Division I college commits contributing to the opener. Leadoff hitter and center fielder Claire Mitchell (Maryland Baltimore County) had two hits, including a double; second baseman Lauren Howard (Virginia) went 3 for 4; first baseman Emily Bozek and left fielder Raegan Reamer each doubled; and Morgan Walt hit a solo home run.
“We’re still trying to figure a few things out,” Madison said. “Our knowns are our knowns. But we’re still looking for the right mix of new players.”
That includes Bozek, Walt and Josephine Cline, all new to the starting lineup. All nine starters reached base before Madison played backups late in the win.
“It was nice to get backups in,” Cervola said. “We have some depth with our backups.”
The Spartans also wheeled out their one-two pitching punch of Riley Miller (Kent State) and Julia Varhola (James Madison). Miller went four innings, striking out eight and allowing one run, and Varhola finished, charting five strikeouts, two hits and two runs.
“I haven’t seen two pitchers like that since my daughter Emma played (at Bloomsburg),” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little said. “Two girls who can throw like that. You don’t see that a lot. We’re not going to see that again (this season). High school is about how you battle pitchers. We didn’t make enough adjustments.
“We know what Hempfield has. We’re not going to run for the hills. We’ll be OK.”
Left fielder Rilie Moors was a bright spot for the Warriors as she went 3 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI. She also made two outstanding catches.
“She had some really good at-bats,” Little said.
Third baseman Cam Ponko, an IUP commit, hit a solo homer to center off Miller in the first to cut the lead to 2-1.
Hempfield sent eight hitters to the plate in the first, with Cervola knocking in a run with a double and Cline doing so with a single.
In the fourth, Walt led off with a homer to center before Mitchell, Cervola and Bozek drove in runs with doubles to push the lead to 6-1.
Cervola, who also made a nice catch in the next inning, did some more damage in the fifth with a two-run single to make it 8-1.
Moors’ two-out double in the sixth produced the Warriors’ second run, and shortstop Kylie Anthony singled in a run in the seventh.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from our offense,” Madison said. “We lost 114 hits from last year’s team. I am proud of the girls.”
Penn-Trafford also used two pitchers. Allyson Paulone took the loss, going 4 2/3 innings before giving way to Jadyn Pellis.