Hempfield was tangled up and out of sorts as Norwin pushed back during a first inning that was bonkers.
The first frame of their Class 6A softball matchup was as jam-packed with action as the bases were full. Both teams batted around, with 23 hitters coming to the plate to produce a combined 11 runs and nine hits.
No. 1-ranked Hempfield found out quickly it was in for a game against the third-ranked Knights and had to make an unexpected pitching change with two outs and Norwin ahead by one.
The Spartans didn’t go to the bullpen. They went to the birdcage.
Freshman Jayelyn Luft, known as “Jaybird” to her friends, family and teammates, helped to stem the tide, tossing a career-high 6 1/3 innings and holding the Knights off the board the rest of the way as high-scoring Hempfield regained its footing and posted a 10-6 victory Friday in North Huntingdon.
“We wanted to beat them. They’re our rivals,” said Luft, a 5-foot-11, long-limbed lefty with an array of pitches. “I was ready to come in and change the speed of the game. I am always ready when the team needs me.”
Luft allowed two hits, struck out eight and did not issue a walk in the most meaningful outing of her promising career. She set down 19 of 21 batters.
“She comes in and mixes speeds,” said Hempfield coach Tina Madison, who is Luft’s mother. “We needed to stop the fire. This was a milestone game for us. (Starter) Julia (Varhola) doesn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders. She is our pitcher, and she will be just fine, but we have girls behind her.”
Defending WPIAL champion Hempfield (11-1, 9-0) extended its winning streak to nine as senior Claire Mitchell homered on the first pitch of the game and finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, senior Emily Bozek went 3 for 4 and senior Varhola took advantage of a chance to hit by knocking in two runs.
Luft helped her cause with two hits.
Norwin (4-5, 4-3) was ready for the Spartans and Varhola.
Hempfield, which has 100 runs in its last nine games, had mercy-ruled seven of its last eight opponents but was destined for seven innings after Norwin responded to the Spartans’ strong start with one of their own.
Mitchell homered to center, Bozek had an RBI single and Varhola ripped a two-run single before a bases-loaded walk gave the Spartans a 5-0 lead.
Norwin started senior Addison Elyes in the circle, but she was replaced by senior Abbie Telli in the first.
After 11 Hempfield batters went to the plate, Norwin sent 12 in the bottom of the first.
Two hits, an intentional walk to sophomore Makenna Black and a normal walk loaded the bases before an error and a bases-loaded walk let two runs in.
Junior Maddy Kugler was hit by a pitch, and it was quickly 5-3.
Senior Graci Castelli knocked in the fourth run with a single to right, and Kugler followed with a two-run single to put Norwin in front 6-5.
Hempfield had to replace starting right fielder Abby Magill, who injured her back trying to make a play. She was replaced by junior Emma Rigby.
“We went through a lot of adversity in this game,” Madison said. “They hit our pitcher, I lost my right fielder and we were down. Our girls responded.”
Hempfield continued to produce in the top of the second, loading the bases again against Telli.
After back-to-back singles and a hit batter, Bozek delivered again with another RBI single to tie it, and Rigby was walked with the bases loaded to make it 7-6.
With two outs and the bags still full, Mitchell cracked a two-run single for a 9-6 lead after two.
Norwin put two on in the second, but Hempfield overcame the threat despite an error.
“Their team is very deep,” Norwin coach Brian Mesich said of Hempfield. “I don’t think they had given up that many runs. We scored runs, but we have to be cleaner in the field.”
Hempfield had allowed nine runs combined in its last eight games.
Norwin turned a 5-3 double play in the fourth but couldn’t carry the momentum over to the offense.
“We have been wanting to start faster, and we did today,” Mesich said. “But we fielded slow. (Luft) tossed it well.”
One more tally came across in the fifth. Junior Joey Cline and Mitchell singled, and senior Lauren Howard grounded out to push home a run for a 10-6 advantage.
Howard doubled in the first. She and Bozek scored twice.
Luft and the defense cleaned it up from there, limiting Norwin to one hit the rest of the way.
“We didn’t want to not be challenged,” Madison said of her team’s dominance of late. “That’s the first time we have faced something like that. Norwin is always ready to play us. We did not expect that type of game.”
Kugler was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, Castelli 2 for 3.
Junior Diem Wardzinski had a double for the Knights.