Hempfield softball overcomes slow start to cruise past Penn Hills
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Thursday, April 12, 2018 | 10:27 PM
Through two innings, No. 1-ranked Hempfield and its 45-game winning streak got tested by a heavy underdog.
But then, as has been the case for the last two seasons, the bats woke up, the pitching took over and the Spartans rolled to a 13-0 win over Penn Hills in Section 2-6A softball action.
Following a pair of scoreless, hitless innings to start the game, Hempfield (5-0, 3-0) rattled off five runs in the third inning, followed by eight more in the next frame.
Seven different Spartans drove in at least a run and senior pitcher Maddie Uschock struck out eight batters and allowed just one hit in the victory, which was ended by the 10-run rule in the fifth.
“I'm proud of my girls,” said Uschock, a Dominican recruit. “It's a completely new season, and everything's different for us coming off the past two seasons. We're trying to get into a rhythm. We're practicing hard every day, and I think it's showing.”
Unlike the past two WPIAL and PIAA championship campaigns, Hempfield did not do its damage with power, as just one of its 13 hits went for extra bases. Uschock was the only player to drive in multiple runs.
“I think the fact that it started out with Penn Hills playing so well the first three innings, it took a little bit of the idea that this was going to be an ugly rout out of it,” coach Bob Kalp said. “We did a lot of hitting in that game, so I'm happy to see that.”
Penn Hills (1-3, 1-3) was able to keep things in check early thanks to the pitching of senior Jasmine Woodings and a defense that made several difficult plays while fending off heavy winds.
The shutout was Hempfield's 24th during the 46 consecutive wins. A lot of those blankings are credit to Morgan Ryan, who is now pitching as a freshman at Notre Dame. But Uschock is continuing the lineage of strong play in the circle.
“Every team that plays us, we know they want to beat us,” Uschock said. “We know they want to break that streak. But that's a good kind of pressure for us.”
On the day, Hempfield won two games while only having to bat in six total innings. Earlier, the Spartans dismantled Allderdice, 17-0, in three innings. Sophomore pitcher Kylie Saus allowed only a leadoff single in the win.
Josh Rowntree is a TribLive High School Sports Network broadcaster.
Tags: Hempfield Area, Penn Hills
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