Whether they were in the batter’s box or in the field, North Hills looked almost unstoppable Tuesday afternoon.
The 11th-seeded Indians put together a complete performance, grabbing an early lead and never letting up in an 8-1 upset victory over No. 3 Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Class 5A softball quarterfinals.
“I saw a really good team effort,” North Hills coach Libby Gasior said. “I saw them do the little things right and just stick with the plan. Penn-Trafford is a great team. We knew that it’s not a series — you got to beat them once — and that’s all we had to do. And they bought into that, and they did their jobs.”
North Hills (11-7) created pressure in the top of the second inning by loading the bases. Then, the pressure gave way and the Indians brought three home three runs to build a 3-1 advantage early.
Makenzie Roskwitalski began the scoring for North Hills by battling in a long at-bat before lacing the 11th pitch she saw down the left field line for an RBI single. Lily Adamski took four straight balls to walk and force in a run, and Brianna Zwick had an RBI groundout.
“Pressure’s all on them; pressure’s on the other side,” Gasior said. “Nobody expects us to (win), nobody wants us to (win), so we’re just going to go and play as hard as we can.”
Pitcher Allyson Paulone struggled with control for Penn-Trafford (18-4). Despite issuing just one walk, she hit five batters, including three in the pivotal second inning, in picking up the loss.
“They did a great job taking advantage of Allyson early when she was struggling to hit that inside corner,” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little said. “You know, they did a very good job at putting the ball in play after they got people on base and building a big inning.”
After the three-run second, Little turned to Julia Salvador in relief. She allowed two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings before Paulone returned in the fourth.
With Salvador pitching, North Hills shortstop Emma Culver extended the lead to 4-1 with a leadoff home run crushed over the center field fence in the third, the first of her three RBIs.
“I need to, like, keep my head on it, and I try to go for the ones that are obviously down the middle, but also ones that I know I can hit, like outside,” Culver said. “I’m pretty good with outside, so I know what I can hit when it gets pitched.”
North Hills pitcher Abigail Sutton was also superb, getting the complete-game win. The senior scattered seven hits and gave up just one run while striking out five, walking none and hitting one batter.
“I think (Sutton) just was so gritty, she was just gonna do everything she needed to do. She got hit by a pitch there, kind of mid-game, and she really battled through that,” Gasior said. “The heat was a factor for both teams, but I just feel like she just worked her butt off, and she just did the small things right. So, I was happy with that.”
Culver smacked a bases-loaded two-run double in the top of the fourth to put North Hills ahead 6-1. Audrianna Baumgardner and McKenna Cote added more insurance runs by hitting a groundout and a single to drive Sutton and Culver home.
“(Culver) loves to hit the ball. She loves to hit the ball hard, she loves to hit the ball far, and it’s really great when she can do that on a big stage because she just loves to do it,” Gasior said. “And you’re seeing a kid at the happiest state they can be in, so it’s awesome to watch.”
Penn-Trafford scored its lone run of the game on a throwing error in the bottom of the first inning. Aria Smith scored from second after doubling earlier in the inning.
“I think it really helped us to get that first win versus Montour, because we were on a high,” Culver said. “The week break helped us, actually, and we got ready for the pitcher versus Penn Trafford.
“We feel really good. We’re ready to take on TJ or Plum.”
North Hills will meet second-seeded Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals Thursday.