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Hempfield Area punches ticket to PIAA 6A Championship game

The Spartans scored twice in the first inning and went on to a 6-1 victory over Cumberland Valley in the PIAA semis

Mon Jun 12, 2023 - 11:43PM

Sean Meyers Sean Meyers
Team captains and coaches from Hempfield Area and Cumberland Valley meet at home plate prior to their PIAA Class 6A semifinal game at Saint Francis.Team captains and coaches from Hempfield Area and Cumberland Valley meet at home plate prior to their PIAA Class 6A semifinal game at Saint Francis.

Last Updated: Tue Jun 13, 2023 - 1:10AM

The Spartans smacked four extra base hits and pitcher Riley Miller delivered another strong effort in the circle to guide Hempfield Area to a 6-1 victory against District 3 Champion Cumberland Valley in the PIAA Class 6A semifinals at Saint Francis University.

As a result, Hempfield Area (21-3) advances to the state championship on Thursday at Penn State University. The Spartans have captured four PIAA titles, including three in a row from 2016-18.

The Spartans scored twice in the top of the first and never relinquished the lead. Claire Mitchell led off with a single, Lauren Howard followed with an RBI triple, and she scored on a wild pitch.

Hempfield Area tacked on three more runs in the third, beginning once again with the same duo. Mitchell drew a walk, and Howard ripped a double to make it 3-0. Three batters later, Emily Griffith hit an opposite-field homer to extend the lead to five.

The Spartans capped their scoring in the sixth, as Sarah Podkul crushed a ball that sailed beyond the outfield fence for her first home run of the season.

"I think we come into these games like every other game, go into the batters box and just act like we've been here before," Podkul said about the Spartans hitting approach. "We're just very confident in there and that's how we get it done."

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Miller, meanwhile, continued her stellar run, as she allowed one run on seven hits and no walks, striking out eight. Her lone blemish came in the fourth, as the Eagles (19-6) received back-to-back singles by Sydney May and Maddie Martin to open the stanza, and a groundout by Evie Coburn plated May. After allowing at least one baserunner in each of the first five innings, however, Miller retired the side in order in the final two frames to seal the triumph.

For Hempfield Area, Lauren Howard went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Podkul posted a 2-for-3 effort, including her homer, and Mitchell went 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk.

Emma Stroup and Emma Morgan each had a pair of hits in the defeat for Cumberland Valley, while May went the distance in the circle, allowing six runs on nine hits, issuing three walks while striking out six.

The Spartans await the winner of Tuesday’s semifinals tilt between District 1 Champion North Penn and Chambersburg, the third-place team from District 3.