This power softball matchup had it all.
The defending WPIAL Class 6A champion against the defending PIAA 5A champion.
It featured a pair of teams that already clinched section championships and had matching 13-game winning streaks. Both were looking for a playoff tune-up against like competition.
Hempfield had more offense on a cold afternoon in Harrison City, and the top-ranked WPIAL team in 6A was never threatened against 5A No. 3 Penn-Trafford as it grabbed a 7-2 victory Thursday at Shelley Proskin Field.
Hempfield made noise early from outside the dugout before their bats got loud early in the nonsection game to set the tone.
“Our girls were really amped up and ready to play today,” said Hempfield coach Tina Madison, who improved to 5-0 against the Warriors. “We always like to play them. It’s nice to be able to get a win against a good team.”
Hempfield (16-1) has won 14 straight as it chases the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The Spartans, who are averaging more than 10 runs a game, still have one section game left against Norwin at 4 p.m. Friday.
Penn-Trafford (14-3), which was limited to four hits by Spartans pitchers Julia Varhola and Jayelyn Luft, is trying to gain traction for another postseason run.
The returning state champions hadn’t seen pitching velocity like Hempfield’s all season.
“We wanted to get a learning experience out of it,” Warriors coach Denny Little said. “We wanted Allyson (Paulone) to see good hitters. Offensively, we needed to see better pitching.”
Hempfield opened the scoring in the second with a two-out RBI slap single by Abby Magill.
The lead grew to 4-0 in the third as Lauren Howard, following a double steal, delivered a sacrifice bunt and Ella Berkebile smashed her fourth home run — a two-run shot — to left off Paulone.
“We threw her a changeup, and she hit it 250 (feet),” Little said of Berkebile.
After a leadoff walk, a single by Liz Welsh and a hit batter, the Warriors got on the board on an RBI single from Annabell Carvajal in the third.
The two-out hit came after catcher Berkebile made a snap throw to third to pick off a lead runner.
Magill reached on a fielder’s choice early in the Spartans’ fourth, and a fielding error allowed the fifth run to score.
The Spartans extended the margin to 7-1 in the fourth. Two walks and a single by Emma Rigby set the table for Magill, who reached on another fielding error to push home one run. Another followed on a throwing error.
Varhola worked four innings and struck out six, earning the win. She turned it over to Luft in the fifth.
Hempfield had runners at second and third in the sixth, but Paulone worked out of it thanks to an inning-ending double play. After a flyout to center, the Warriors made a play on a tag-up to third.
Penn-Trafford added one more run — the first earned run Luft has yielded all season — in the seventh.
Gabi Rubbe doubled to center before Ella Mains knocked her in with a groundout.
Rigby and Mitchell had two hits each to lead the Spartans, and Magill knocked in two runs.
“We did a lot of small ball to create a little bit of chaos,” Madison said. “We did a good job of moving runners into scoring position and getting hits.”
Penn-Trafford has three nonsection games remaining before the playoffs: at North Allegheny, home against Mt. Pleasant and at Elizabeth Forward.
“It helps us to play teams like this,” Little said. “We gave up four earned runs. I am really interested to see what we have in the last four games.”
In addition to Norwin, Hempfield has games left against Latrobe and South Park, in addition to scrimmages against Mt. Pleasant and Elizabeth Forward.
“I am anxious to see what we do in the South Park game,” Madison said. “We have five girls who have never started in a playoff game, so it’s good to get them in pressure situations.”
The WPIAL is set to announce playoff pairings May 7.