Sixth sense: Hempfield uses big inning to rally past Norwin

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 | 9:33 PM

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Time was running out on Hempfield, the WPIAL's top-seeded Class 6A softball team, but the three-time champion Spartans found a way to prevail in the nick of time and extend their playoff victories streak to 16.

Hempfield scored all five of its runs during a sixth-inning rally to erase a two-run deficit and stun No. 5 Norwin, 5-3, in a semifinal game Wednesday at Seton Hill.

Maddie Uschock gave up one earned run and struck out six with no walks for Hempfield (19-3), which advances to the championship game against No. 3 Latrobe on May 30 or 31 at Seton Hill.

“I'm going to enjoy this win for 24 hours before I think much about anything else,” Hempfield coach Bob Kalp said.

Norwin (12-7) will play No. 2 Baldwin (11-5) in the WPIAL consolation game for a chance to advance to the PIAA tournament.

Trailing through five innings, Hempfield clawed back in the sixth. The Spartans tied it at 2-2 on an RBI triple by Ashley Orischak and a run-scoring infield single by Olivia Persin.

Laura Fox was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, producing the go-ahead run, and Margaret Monzo followed with a two-run single that gave Hempfield a 5-2 lead.

Until then, Norwin's Natalie Krzywiec was breezing along on a four-hitter.

“I figured two runs wasn't going to be enough,” Norwin coach Brian Mesich said. “There were a lot of crazy bounces out here today. You play on grass all season and then you come in here, and it's a different game. The ball was spinning every which way on the turf.”

Norwin (12-7) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first that stood until Hempfield's outburst.

“I know you always hear it, but the biggest thing was our girls didn't quit,” Kalp said. “We came out slow and didn't play with much enthusiasm. We had chances after we literally gave them two runs in the first, but we didn't cash in.”

Norwin, which dropped both of its Section 2 games against Hempfield during the regular season, touched Uschock for two first-inning runs with the help of two Hempfield errors. Carly Cook's sacrifice fly gave the Knights a 2-0 lead, but they failed to add on, stranding two runners.

Hempfield couldn't push across any runs despite putting runners in scoring position in three of the first five innings. Then, the Spartans erupted in the sixth, sending 10 batters to the plate and taking advantage of two hit batsmen and one walk to go with four hits.

When Uschock singled in the fifth, advanced to second on Persin's sacrifice and moved to third on a single by Fox, Hempfield appeared to be on the verge of breaking through.

But Fox was thrown out trying to stretch her hit into a double, and Krzywiec struck out Monzo to end the threat.

“When we didn't get one there, I figured maybe we squandered our last chance,” Kalp said.

Down by three, Norwin tried to come back in the seventh. Shaelyn Gillham led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and to third on Leah Yoder's single before scoring on Hailee Culbertson's double down the right-field line.

But Uschock got Megan Miller to line out to third before striking out Alexandra Brentzel to end the game.

“We just couldn't get enough timely hits, but we're making progress as a program,” Mesich said. “This is the farthest we've ever gotten.”

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hempfield Area, Norwin