Hempfield slips past Seneca Valley in ultimate showdown between 6A softball superpowers
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Thursday, May 29, 2025 | 3:04 PM
Hempfield’s Morgan Walt lifts the WPIAL Class 6A championship trophy after the Spartans defeated Seneca Valley, 1-0, in the finals Thursday at Norwin.
Hempfield pitcher Riley Miller delivers a pitch during the second inning against Seneca Valley during the Class 6A championship Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Norwin High School.
Hempfield’s Allison Cervola fields a ball against Seneca Valley during the Class 6A championship Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Norwin High School.
The Hempfield Lady Spartans celebrate a 1-0 victory over Seneca Valley in the Class 6A championship Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Norwin High School.
Seneca Valley’s Addie Winklel fields a ball during the fourth inning against Hempfield in the Class 6A championship Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Norwin High School.
Hempfield coach Tina Madison places first place medals on her Lady Spartans after defeating Seneca Valley in the Class 6A championship Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Norwin High School.
Seneca Valley’s Izzy Schall fields a ball during the fourth inning against Hempfield in the Class 6A championship Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Norwin High School.
Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames wipes a tear after congratulating Hempfield following the Spartans’ 1-0 victory in the WPIAL Class 6A championship Thursday at Norwin High School.
Seneca Valley Lexie Hames wipes a tear after congratulating the Hempfield Lady Spartans a 1-0 victory in theClass 6A Championship game at Norwin High School Thursday May 29, 2025,
So many things about this softball championship game seemed off.
Not the matchup itself — that was about as good as it gets.
It was the different day, the morning start time, the alternate site, that were peculiar.
“We all agreed this doesn’t feel like a WPIAL championship game,” Hempfield pitcher Riley Miller said. “Still the nerves and excitement, yeah, just not the same.”
But as the top-seeded Spartans took their one-run lead deeper into Thursday’s 6A final against No. 2 and rival Seneca Valley at Norwin, the championship feeling started to come back for one of the state’s storied programs.
“You look around a few innings in and you’re like, wow, there are a lot of people here,” Miller said. “There is a lot of excitement here.”
The girls didn’t need the atmosphere of Cal (Pa.), where the finals usually are played. A plead for fairness had nothing to do with Title 9.
Hempfield scored a run in the bottom of the first and kept the Raiders trapped on the bases on the way to a 1-0 victory and their ninth WPIAL title, tying Chartiers-Houston for the second-most in league history.
Seven of Hempfield’s titles have come in the last 10 years.
“It’s surreal,” Hempfield center fielder Claire Mitchell said. “I never felt so emotional.”
Hempfield (21-1) is back on top of WPIAL 6A softball after another nip-and-tuck defensive struggle with the Raiders (16-4) and ace pitcher Lexie Hames.
The title game was pushed back a day because of Wednesday’s rainout at Cal (Pa.) and moved to an alternate site because there were three more championships Thursday at Cal’s Lilley Field.
“It was a little weird playing here, and the atmosphere was different for sure,” Hempfield coach Tina Madison said. “But we brought fans. We showed up.”
Hempfield made the most of the odd setting, celebrating with family and fans on the turf infield just like it did at Cal in 2023 when it edged Seneca Valley, 2-1, on an eighth-inning walk-off home run by Mia Bandieramonte.
“Both teams were fighting,” Madison said. “The defense didn’t let up.”
Hempfield scored in the bottom of the first inning, producing a rare earned run against Hames, and kept the Raiders confined to the bases all day to produce their second title in three years.
Defending champion Seneca Valley, which was seeking its third WPIAL title in four years, had seven hits, one more than Hempfield, but stranded 12 runners in Hames’ final prep game.
“We made some mistakes,” Seneca Valley coach Marlesse Hames said. “We couldn’t come up with a clutch hit. It’s a dogfight all the time when we play them.”
Kent State recruit Miller tossed a complete-game shutout for Hempfield, earning her fifth win against Hames, a Clemson commit who struck out nine and walked one. Hames finished her career with 940 Ks.
Hempfield had two hits combined in the first two games against the Raiders this season.
“If we kept the strikeouts under 12, I knew we had a good chance to win,” Madison said. “We had to limit strikeouts.”
Miller wasn’t overpowering. She struck out five and induced nine groundouts. Madison warmed up backup Julia Varhola but stuck with Miller.
Abigail McGill and Emily Bozek each had two hits for the Spartans, with Allie Cervola knocking in the only run.
“I thought we could get hits and string hits together,” said Cervola, an Ohio commit. “We were all confident in each other. We knew defense was going to be super important.”
As for the lone run, Mitchell led off the first with a single, moved to second on a passed ball, and stole second, before scoring on Cervola’s hit.
“That wasn’t the way I thought we’d get a run,” Mitchell said. “I thought maybe it could happen on a squeeze bunt. I’m glad it worked out the way it did.”
Hames was walked intentionally four times.
The Raiders left the bases loaded in the first. Hempfield did the same in the sixth. A wild pitch by Hames could have allowed Hempfield to add some insurance, but Norwin’s short backstop aided the Raiders.
“We could have scored two more there at Cal,” Madison said.
Paige Volz and Bella Gross each had three hits for Seneca Valley.
Hempfield returns to the PIAA playoffs and could host a first-round game Monday against State College (11-8).
9-TIME WPIAL CHAMPS.
.@hasd_athletics @HEMPSOFTBALL @SV_Sports #wpialsoftball https://t.co/81svbitzgz pic.twitter.com/vL8NeVDZC5
— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) May 29, 2025
Hail to the Spartans. @hasd_athletics @HEMPSOFTBALL @SV_Sports #wpialsoftball pic.twitter.com/ZmWvjBna3J
— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) May 29, 2025
Thank you Hempfield !! pic.twitter.com/modwaKfgMh
— Hempfield Softball (@HEMPSOFTBALL) May 29, 2025
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Hempfield, Seneca Valley
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