The final chapter in the rivalry between Hempfield Area’s Riley Miller and Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames was written on Thursday, as Miller and the Spartans edged Hames and the Raiders 1-0 to claim the WPIAL Class 6A Championship at Norwin High School.

In registering the shutout, Miller helped propel the Spartans (21-1) to their ninth WPIAL crown, preventing the Raiders (16-4) from winning their fifth title, and second consecutively.

“The Riley Lexie show has been quite the four-year story,” noted Hempfield Area head coach Tina Madison.

Miller, a Kent State pledge, did not easily navigate throughout her outing on Thursday. The senior hurler allowed seven hits, one in each inning, while also issuing six walks, four of which were intentional to Hames. However, Miller stranded a dozen Raiders on the basepaths en route to the championship.

Conversely, the Spartans mustered just four hits and one walk against Hames, a Clemson signee, but their offensive output surpassed the two hits combined they mustered against Hames in the two regular-season matchups.

After Miller stranded the bases loaded in the top of the first, the Spartans struck in the bottom of the inning. Claire Mitchell opened the stanza with a single to right field, and then stole second and third. One out later, Allie Cervola delivered a single to center to score Mitchell, providing all of the run support that Miller needed.

The Spartans added just two more hits throughout the rest of the contest, but a trio of errors by Seneca Valley allowed the Spartans to threaten numerous times, including loading the bases in the sixth.

While Hames added to her prolific career strikeout total by registering nine Ks, the Spartans still achieved their objective of putting the ball in play against the fireballer.

“I told them if you keep your strikeouts under 12, you most likely win this game, and that’s the attitude going in,” Madison detailed.

Miller, conversely, stranded a pair of runners in each the second, third, and sixth innings. Still staked to a 1-0 advantage in the seventh, Miller racked up her fourth and fifth strikeouts with the potential tying run on base to seal the victory.

The Spartans, who were stunned in the semifinals last year prior to a title game showdown against the Raiders, spent the past 12 months looking for redemption in 2025. That vindication came in the form of a title, and the Spartans also advance to the PIAA postseason, which commences on Monday against State College Area.