No issues for Hempfield pitcher this time as Spartans down Norwin

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, May 1, 2026 | 8:53 PM

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A sub-par performance by her standards in the first game against Norwin gave Julia Varhola pause.

Her confidence didn’t waver, but she knew that day was somewhat of an anomaly.

“It gave me motivation,” the Hempfield senior pitcher said. “This game, I wanted to show who I really am.”

Pulled after a bad first inning when the softball teams met earlier in the season, Varhola did a 180-degree turn in Friday’s rainy rematch.

Her stumble gave rise to one of her strongest starts of the season as she pitched a complete game with 12 strikeouts to lead No. 1 Hempfield past the third-ranked Knights, 8-2, in the Class 6A section finale through light, steady rain at Robert D. Kalp Field.

“That (last) game made me see I can’t take (Norwin) lightly,” said the hard-throwing Varhola, who gave up six hits. “They have good hitters.”

Not only did section champion Hempfield (17-1, 14-0) sweep rival Norwin (10-6, 10-4), but it finished section play undefeated for the first time since 2017.

The Spartans have won 15 straight games.

Their latest win was a collective “that’s more like it” for the defending WPIAL champions.

“Julia was great today,” Hempfield coach Tina Madison said. “It’s not easy to pitch in the rain. Trust me, I know. The field started to get bad toward the end, but she hung in there. We have confidence in her.”

Madison didn’t go to the bullpen this time. Freshman Jayelyn Luft came on in relief of Varhola in Hempfield’s initial 10-6 win over the Knights but played first base this time with senior Emily Bozek not in the lineup for personal reasons.

Madison nearly made a change in the seventh when Norwin loaded the bases on a single and two walks but stayed with her ace, who improved to 14-1.

Junior Katie Dougan was warming up but did not take the circle.

“She used reverse psychology on me when she came out (to the circle),” Varhola said of Madison. “I wanted to finish. It’s great to end section play undefeated. If I was going to pick a team to do it against, it would be Norwin.”

The slap-hitting Luft did her damage at the plate, going 4 for 4 with two RBIs.

Senior Lauren Howard added two hits and four RBIs for Hempfield, lacing a three-run double in the sixth.

Hempfield scored three runs in the first. Luft singled and scored on senior Lauren Howard’s single to center.

After senior Ella Berkebile reached on a single, freshman Jocelyn Luft cleared the bases with a two-run double to the fence in right.

“Norwin came out like a lightning bolt last time,” Madison said. “We had to make sure that didn’t happen again. We have speed. When we get the right people on the base paths, good things happen.

“We did some good things, but I don’t think we have played our best softball 1 through 9, yet.”

Norwin, which did not have consecutive hits, had two innings end in unorthodox fashion. In the fourth, a ground ball hit a base runner for interference.

In the next frame, Hempfield picked off a leaning runner at third with a nifty play, moving the infield up before catcher Berkebile took a pitch and lasered a dagger down the line and Howard made the tag for the second straight game.

Senior Claire Mitchell led off the fifth with a single and stole second. Jayelyn Luft capped a lengthy at-bat with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

In the sixth, Varhola led off with base hit, and junior courtesy runner Alexis Briscoe went to second on a two-out infield single by junior Joey Cline.

Mitchell walked to load the bases, and Jayelyn Luft ripped a hard single up the middle for the fifth run before Howard smacked her base-clearing double to make it 8-0.

“I was thinking power slap (with the bases loaded), but it was just about putting it somewhere they were not,” Howard said. “It’s good to get the section (undefeated). It’s been a long time. I am so glad to see Julia pitch well today and come back like that.”

Norwin posed a mild threat in the seventh after senior Addy Grimes led off with a single, and the next two batters walked to load the bases.

Varhola got a strikeout, but freshman pinch-hitter Emma Gibson delivered a two-run single to make it 8-2.

Varhola didn’t allow any further damage, however, and Hempfield completed its 34th straight win at home.

“Getting the early lead helped my confidence,” Varhola said. “I felt fresh, and I was able to work on hitting my spots. The mound got a little slippy toward the end.”

Norwin was missing two starters: senior shortstop Gracie Castelli and sophomore catcher Makenna Black. They did not play for undisclosed reasons.

“It was tough today with the conditions,” Norwin coach Brian Mesich said. “It was rough. We wanted to play them (Thursday), but it is what it is. It didn’t feel like normal game. We had an incident happen before the game. We had a disconnected lineup.”

Senior Abbie Telli took the loss for Norwin, which had won four of five.

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

Tags: Hempfield, Norwin