Through the first three innings of Friday’s PIAA Class 6A Championship, Hempfield Area had no answers for Owen J. Roberts pitcher Maddie Reed. Meanwhile, Spartans hurler Julia Varhola looked out of sync at times, while the defense around her also proved shaky.

The Spartans offense broke through for five unanswered runs between the fourth and fifth frames, though, and they held off a seventh-inning rally to prevail against the Wildcats 5-4 at Beard Field at Penn State University.

With the win, the Spartans (25-1) captured their fifth PIAA crown, the most ever for a WPIAL squad, and Hempfield’s first since 2018.

Owen J. Roberts (28-2), the District 1 Champion that was appearing in its first state title game, wasted no time in taking the lead, as the Wildcats scored moments into the contest. Audrey Vermillion drew a leadoff walk, and Maddie Almond moved to her second with a sacrifice bunt. Reed then followed with a bunt single, and Vermillion scored shortly thereafter on a passed ball.

As Reed retired the Spartans in order through three innings, the Wildcats tacked on to their lead in the fourth, taking advantage of some Spartans’ defensive lapses. After Varhola retired the first two batters, Amelia Atkins singled, Addyson Cashman reached on an error, and Devon King drew a walk to load the bases. Leah Cashman followed with a one-hopper to second, but Jocelyn Luft misplayed the bounce, allowing two runs to score.

From that point forward, however, Hempfield Area proved to be the better team, beginning in the bottom of the inning, when the Spartans scored twice in a matter of seconds. After Jayelyn Luft reached on an error to become the Spartans’ first baserunner, Lauren Howard smacked an RBI double to right, and Ella Berkebile followed with an RBI triple to left to make it 3-2. Reed, however, used back-to-back strikeouts to strand Berkebile at third and keep her team in the lead.

That advantage was short-lived, though, as the Spartans cashed in three runs in the fifth. Emily Bozek started the surge with a double, and Emma Rigby followed with a single and advanced to second on the throw. With two in scoring position, No. 9 hitter Abby Magill delivered a two-run single down the first-base line to give the Spartans their first lead, at 4-3. Magill later scored, too, when Howard reached on a two-base error.

“We had to make some adjustments, and we did,” Hempfield Area head coach Tina Madison said of her offense.

“She’s a good pitcher, but we just knew we needed to put the ball in play, and we squeaked out runs when we needed to,” added Howard. “Our motto all year has been win the fifth, and that’s exactly what we did, and I think that really turned around the whole game."

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Varhola retired the Wildcats in order in the sixth, but the seventh provided the ultimate test for the Hempfield senior pitcher. After she retired the first batter of the frame, Vermillion laced a triple to right, and she scored on a wild pitch to pull Owen J. Roberts within a run. Almond drew a walk, and Reed singled on a blooper to center to put the go-ahead run on base. Magill snagged a foul ball for the second out, but Almond tagged and advanced to third. However, Varhola induced a hard ground ball off the bat of Bella Winnick to third, and Joey Cline fielded it cleanly and threw across the diamond for the clinching out.

Madison, who was a star player on the first Hempfield state championship squad in 1999 under the guidance of Bob Kalp, prayed to her former coach during the tense final inning.

“I was thinking about him in the seventh inning,” she said of Kalp, who passed away just prior to the start of the softball season. “We had an angel, and I hope he’s happy up there celebrating with us.”

In the triumph, Varhola went the distance in the circle, allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits, with four walks and seven punchouts. Although Hempfield Area mustered just five hits, Magill notched a pair of RBIs and scored a run.

Reed lived up to the billing for Owen J. Roberts, as she worked six innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits and no walks, while striking out 11. At the plate, she went 3-for-4, while Atkins had a pair of hits.