Hempfield softball team wins with stifling defense

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, June 10, 2023 | 9:39 PM

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In the PIAA softball playoffs, every team can hit. Short game or long, small ball or power shots.

But pitching and defense, now that makes for a lethal combination.

Take those two and blend them with just the right amount of offense, and the state championship can be well within reach.

WPIAL champion Hempfield (20-3) has those traits in place as it gets ready to play District 3 champion Cumberland Valley (19-5) at 4 p.m. Monday in the semifinals at St. Francis (Pa.) in Loretto.

Hempfield has made the semis six times since 2015. It will chase its first finals appearance since 2018 when it three-peated.

Crisp, toned defensive play helped Hempfield defeat Downingtown East, 2-0, in Thursday’s quarterfinal in Mechanicsburg.

Yes, sophomore pitcher Riley Miller only allowed three hits and recorded a shutout, but she also managed a season-low three strikeouts while Hempfield made 17 ground-ball outs.

“We trust them to make the plays,” Spartans coach Tina Madison said. “They have proven in high pressure situations they can handle it and get out of it. Even when I intentionally walk batters, they remain calm.”

Fundamentals long have been part of the winning tradition at Hempfield. Longtime coach Bob Kalp used to spend hours at practice working on the most humdrum drills: fielding bunts, cutting down runners and making routine plays.

A stickler for details, Kalp believed if the little things were taken for granted, the larger goals never could be accomplished.

In its latest win, Hempfield worked out of a bases-loaded jam early and made sure Downingtown East left runners stranded at second and third in a nervous seventh inning.

Again, defense scratches out rallies.

Repetition remains a keystone to preparation.

“It essentially comes down to knowing and understanding the fundamentals,” Hempfield junior second baseman Sarah Podkul said. “And then practicing those fundamentals with repetition after repetition in practices from the start of the season until now. Riley does a great job of keeping the ball down and getting a lot of ground balls hit to us. As a unit, we are all trained to be ready on each pitch and react to the play.”

Teams that chop it up on the infield often find themselves heading home early or settling for silver.

Hempfield has a respectable .955 fielding percentage for the season. That number for the postseason, though, is .984.

The Spartans have 30 errors all season, but only two in the playoffs.

Madison said Hempfield’s defensive approach starts with Miller hitting her spots.

“However, we are extremely tough in all positions on the field, only committing the two errors in postseason,” the second-year coach said. “(On Thursday) Sarah made every play that came to her she was locked down — we got a lot of ground balls.”

Madison made some tweaks to the opening day defense as the season has worn on.

Sophomore Allie Cervola moved from catcher to shortstop, and sophomore Lauren Howard slid over from short to third base.

Howard had a home run and a double in the quarterfinal win, the Spartans’ second straight shutout in the state playoffs.

Another key change: Freshman Ella Berkebile took over at catcher.

“The defense has been solid (after those moves),” Madison said. “Nobody seems to run on Ella after she shows off her arm in warmups.”

Podkul said if Hempfield plays its normal defensive game, it should be all systems go on Monday.

“We need to have a solid couple of practices this weekend and continue to stay focused and relaxed,” she said. “And on game day, everyone needs to do their part.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield