PIAA Class 6A Championship

Hempfield Area (24-1) vs. Owen J. Roberts (28-1) – Friday, 4 p.m. Beard Field at Penn State University

Pregame at 3:45 p.m. on WSN Audio - LISTEN LIVE

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When the current Hempfield Area softball seniors were freshmen in 2023, the Spartans reached the state championship game but fell 1-0 to North Penn. After failing to qualify for the state tournament two years ago, Hempfield Area suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the PIAA semifinals against Nazareth last year. Now, the Spartans have another opportunity to write the ending that has eluded them, as they will play for state gold once more against Owen J. Roberts.

The Spartans (24-1) will face the Wildcats (28-1) at 4 p.m. Friday at the Nittany Lion Softball Park at Penn State University in the PIAA Class 6A Championship.

“I think the girls feel really special getting to step on that field in that environment,” revealed Hempfield Area head coach Tina Madison, who played collegiately at Penn State.

While the Spartans enjoyed a dominant regular season, with their lone loss coming to Shaler Area, which captured state gold in Class 5A on Thursday, Hempfield Area has arguably been even better during postseason play.

In the WPIAL bracket, the Spartans garnered the top seed and a bye to the semifinals. From there, they smashed Canon-McMillan 13-0 in five innings, and then notched district gold with a statement victory against Seneca Valley, pulling away from the rival Raiders in six frames, 11-1.

Hempfield Area opened on the road in the state tournament, and held off a late rally to edge District 10 Champion McDowell 8-6. Subsequently, the Spartans notched the first of two consecutive shutouts against District 3 runner-up Chambersburg in the quarterfinals, 4-0. Perhaps the most impressive performance of the season came on Monday, as Hempfield Area overwhelmed District 3 winner and reigning state champion Central Dauphin 8-0 at Philipsburg Osceola Area High School.

In that triumph, Spartans senior hurler Julia Varhola tossed a five-hit shutout, while the bottom four in the Hempfield batting order combined to reach base nine times. With some of the less-heralded players leading the charge, the Spartans exploded for seven runs in the second inning, giving Hempfield a lead it would never relinquish.

“I talk a lot about how I need three or four of them to have a great game, and five of them to have a good game,” Madison said of her lineup. “Our bottom of the order is just playing really well.”

The team standing in the way of the Spartans capturing the fifth state title in program history is Owen J. Roberts, which has been equally impressive on its run through the PIAA bracket.

After ousting Wilson 5-2 in the opening round, the District 1 Champion Wildcats smashed Williamsport 11-0 in six innings in the quarterfinals, and followed with a 3-0 whitewash against Haverford in the semis on Monday at Spring-Ford High School.

While the Wildcats don’t boast as many college prospects as the Spartans do, Owen J. Roberts has posted eye-popping statistics all season, outscoring its foes by a margin of 271-57.

Sophomore Maddie Reed has been the catalyst, as she has been one of the best two-way players in the state. In 29 games, she’s hitting .545 with a team-record 45 runs, along with 24 RBIs, a pair of home runs, and 16 stolen bases. She’s been perhaps even better in the circle, compiling a mark of 21-0 with an ERA of 0.97 in 130 innings, issuing 22 walks with 218 strikeouts.

Senior Bella Winnick has also produced robust numbers, as the third baseman has a .307 batting average, pacing the team with six homers and 29 RBIs, while also scoring 31 runs. Classmates Audrey Vermillion, a University of Wisconsin-River Falls pledge, and Oakland University commit Amelia Atkins are also crucial to the Wildcats’ success.

The Spartans, meanwhile, boast a star-studded lineup that includes seniors Lauren Howard (University of Virginia), Claire Mitchell (Marist University), Ella Berkebile (Bucknell University), and Emily Bozek (Indiana University of Pennsylvania), while freshmen twins Jocelyn and Jayelyn Luft rank first and second on the team, respectively, in batting average.

In the circle, Varhola, a James Madison University recruit, has gone 20-1, with an ERA of 1.67 in 117.1 innings, with 46 walks and 181 strikeouts.

Thus, Madison has tailored her strategy for a matchup of elite hurlers.

“I’m going to be a little bit more aggressive, because it is going to be a low-scoring game. I’m not going to be treating a baserunner like a fragile piece of porcelain,” she said.

“It does take a little bit more digging to prepare for these teams from state, and even if there was a curveball that they threw and we weren’t prepared for it, we have to be able to make the in-game adjustments,” Madison continued. “Players who can do that, it sets them apart.”

Hempfield Area’s most recent PIAA Class 6A Championship came in 2018, when the late Bob Kalp was leading the program. The Spartans’ first state title was in 1999, when Madison was a star player under Kalp.

Conversely, Owen J. Roberts is appearing in its first state title game.