When the final out was recorded and the victory was finally in hand, No. 1-ranked Hempfield breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The team’s celebration was brief and even a bit subdued Tuesday because the final margin was so narrow.
They won’t argue: The Spartans felt like they got away with one.
Hempfield won its 10th straight softball game but had to wiggle its way out of a touchy sixth inning to escape No. 2 Seneca Valley, 4-3, in a matchup of Class 6A heavyweights at Robert D. Kalp Field.
The teams have met in three of the last four WPIAL finals.
“We need to learn how to make the big moment small,” Spartans coach Tina Madison said. “We have to be able to shut them down there. We should be able to do that. It is hard to figure this one out.”
The defending WPIAL champion Spartans (12-1, 10-0) snagged a two-game sweep against their rival but had to go to the bullpen for the second straight game after Seneca Valley (10-2, 8-2) closed a three-run gap to one against senior pitcher Julia Varhola, who appeared to be in control with her velocity up and senior catcher Ella Berkebile’s glove popping.
But a fielding error to start the Raiders’ sixth inning and junior Julia Valasek’s second double of the afternoon changed the mood.
Senior Abby Kalkowski grounded out to knock in one run, and a passed ball let another race home to make it 4-3.
Senior Paige Volz then dropped a single into center, freshman Riley Geyer was hit by a pitch and junior Rachael Dunmire walked to load the bases.
With Hempfield’s pulse turned up, Madison went to freshman Jayelyn Luft for the second straight game. Luft, a hard-throwing left-hander, entered with a 2-0 count and got junior Olivia Herrem to ground out.
The crisis was avoided, and Luft, the coach’s daughter, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to earn her first varsity save.
“We had to do something (in the fourth),” Madison said. “Julia was really bringing it today. We have faith in her. Seneca is a good team. They didn’t make it easy on us.”
Luft came in during the first inning in Friday’s 10-6 win at Norwin. She pulled the Spartans out of trouble and grabbed her first win.
Varhola was dominant most of the day and grabbed the win this time, allowing five hits and striking out 11 in 52⁄3 innings. She twice struck out the side, and only one run was earned.
Seneca Valley, whose two losses are to Hempfield, had won six straight.
“It took us a while to get our bats going,” Seneca Valley coach Joe DeCristoforo said. “It was just about getting balls in play and seeing what happened. (Hempfield) makes the right plays in the right situations. (Varhola) throws so fast and has that rise.(Luft) changed it up with the spin and the drop curve. She threw it well.”
Hempfield’s offense was limited to five singles but did enough, no different from what happens so often in the playoffs.
All of the Spartans’ runs came in the fourth.
Seneca Valley took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth after Valasek doubled to shallow left past pursuing sophomore Faith Orczeck and scored on a single by junior Neve Miller.
Senior Emily Bozek went 2 for 3 with two RBIs in the win for Hempfield. Both runs came on a two-run single in the fourth.
In that key inning, senior Lauren Howard walked with one out and Berkebile singled.
Freshman Jocelyn Luft’s run-scoring single made it 1-1. With two on, Bozek’s hit gave Hempfield its first lead at 3-1.
A wild pitch preceded junior Abby McGill’s bloop RBI single to center that produced the fourth run.
“We didn’t hit today.” Madison said. “We need to be able to hit the ball better. We know we can. Rachael (Dunmire) is a good pitcher.”
Dunmire tossed six innings and had one strikeout and one walk. The defense caught nine flyouts.
Hempfield was six outs away and sitting on a 4-1 lead, but it was propped up on a pin cushion, not a chaise lounge, until the final out.
“(Seneca Valley) got the momentum,” Bozek said. “Every team can string together hits. We just didn’t want to overreact to everything.”
Valasek was 2 for 3 with two doubles, and Volz also had two hits for the Raiders.