Nothing comes easy for WPIAL champ Hempfield in PIAA 1st-round win vs. State College
By:
Monday, June 2, 2025 | 8:03 PM
Hempfield’s Clair Mitchell scores against State College in the sixth inning during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
Hempfield first baseman Emily Bozek celebrates with starting pitcher Riley Miller after Miller two-hit State College during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
Hempfield’s Lauren Howard scores the winning run against State College in the sixth inning during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
Hempfield starting pitcher Riley Miller threw a two-hitter against State College during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
Hempfield’s Lauren Howard tracks down a ball in the hole and throws out State College’s Sarah Mellott for the final out during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
Hempfield’s Emily Bozek stretches for the throw on the final out of the game against State College’s Sarah Mellott during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
State College’s Sarah Mellott can’t come up with a ball hit by Hempfield’s Ella Berkebile, leading to the winning run in the sixth inning during a PIAA Class 6A first-round game Monday at Hempfield Area High School.
Hempfield softball players took a mile-and-a-half walk around Twin Lakes Park on Monday morning.
Coach Tina Madison wanted the girls to clear their heads and focus for their state playoff opener later in the afternoon.
The opener was successful, but it was far from a walk in the park.
The newly crowned WPIAL Class 6A champions traded scoreless innings with tough-to-figure State College deep into their PIAA first-round matchup before finally finding some offense to back Riley Miller’s pitching in a 2-1 victory before an estimated 400 at Robert D. Kalp Field.
“There might be shoulda, woulda, coulda’s, but we won,” Madison said. “It was just a lot closer than we wanted it to be. A win is a win.”
Hempfield (22-1) advances to play Chambersburg (19-5) in the quarterfinals Thursday at a time and site to be determined.
Miller, dueling with Little Lions ace Addison Harpster, took a perfect game into the sixth before settling on a two-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Hempfield gave Miller a 2-0 lead with a couple of runs in the sixth, both coming with two outs against Harpster, who kept the Spartans off balance with her offspeed pitches, including a screwball.
After an early bunt attempt did not work out, Hempfield spent the rest of the day trying to drive the ball.
“She had good movement,” said Hempfield’s Lauren Howard, who went 2 for 3 with an RBI. “We came in expecting outside pitches, and we saw more inside pitches. We expected a hard game, but I didn’t think it would be so close. I thought we could win like 7-4, not 2-1.”
State College (11-9), the District 6 champion that had not been to the state tournament since 2011, scratched out a run in the top of the seventh to cut the Spartans’ lead in half.
In the seventh, after Jessica Hawbaker walked, Harpster sent a grounder toward second, but the ball took a wild hop over second baseman Lauren Howard for a single. An errant throw to third got away for an error to scrape up an otherwise crisp defensive game for the Spartans, and the Little Lions cut it to 2-1.
Hempfield, though, quickly reset.
Miller fielded a comebacker for the second out before Howard’s final putout sealed Hempfield’s first win in the state tournament since 2023.
Miller moved to 18-1 and lowered her ERA to 0.39.
“Riley decided to go to first there,” Madison said. “That was huge. If we (make a mistake there), it’s first and third with one out, and who knows?”
Harpster struck out six, three looking, and allowed five hits while walking nobody. She fanned 17 in a subregional game against McDowell.
“(Harpster) reminded me of the Ligonier Valley pitcher from last year (Cheyenne Piper),” Madison said. “She had a lot of that up-and-in stuff. They have a nice little club.”
Hempfield finally showed assertiveness against Harpster in the sixth and scored twice as a result. Claire Mitchell doubled to the base of the fence in right center before Howard knocked her in with a two-out single to break the ice.
“Claire is so good at getting us going,” Howard said.
Mitchell also went 2 for 3.
Ella Berkebile’s pop-up to shallow right was dropped for an error, allowing Howard to race home and make it 2-0.
Howard tied Morgan Ryan’s team record for RBIs in a season with her 37th. Ryan set the record in 2017.
Howard has 40 hits, seven off the program mark set by Taylor Hoffman in 2015.
“The first time through (the order), there was a little grace,” Madison said of facing Harpster. “The second time, we usually get going. It took us longer for some reason. We don’t look at third strikes like that. We needed to be better prepared.”
Morgan Walt added a double for Hempfield.
Despite just two hits, the Little Lions still had a chance late.
“Our girls believed in themselves,” State College coach Courtney Morrison said. “They trusted the girls batting in front of them. This group expected to be in games.”
Morrison said her team worked on taking Miller’s outside pitch to right field.
“A lot of two-strike drills,” she said. “We worked on being in the box with 2-2 counts. Our girls battled.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Hempfield
More High School Sports
• Head of the Class: The top WPIAL softball players in each classification for 2025• Head of the Class: The top WPIAL baseball players in each classification for 2025
• Antone headlines Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame inductees
• Pa. baseball coaches association announces 2025 all-state teams, all-star game rosters
• Belle Vernon baseball coach out after 2 strong seasons
