MORGANTOWN — The first two innings of Wednesday night’s Class AAA Region I, Section 2 winner’s bracket softball game between Bridgeport and University was something UHS coach Mindy Parks has been waiting for all year.
“For us to come in and score early, it really took the pressure off,” she said. “This is the team we’ve always thought we’d have. That was the frustration — we knew it was there and now it’s finally starting to come out.”
The Hawks (14-10) jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first by base-to-base softball — tallying six hits in the frame, including a triple by Lindsey Vorndran and five singles.
In the second inning, it was a repeat performance by the UHS bats, scoring another four runs on six hits, highlighted yet again by Vorndran, this time with a double.
In the regular season, the game would have been over after three innings because of a mercy rule, but the Hawks needed to get through five instead, and did it with ease behind pitcher Autumn Stemple with a 9-0 win.
With no rules in high school softball limiting the number of pitches or innings thrown, UHS is continuing to ride Stemple though the postseason. Including Tuesday’s opener against Preston, she’s combined for 10 innings pitched, allowing no hits and striking out 26 of her 30 recorded outs.
But, the offense is coming alive in support of Stemple at the perfect time, and a lot of it is youth learning to play at the varsity level.
“People have been learning and paying attention, watching things play out in the field and you can tell they’ve learned from that,” Stemple said. “A lot of our base runners have been making a lot of corrections. I’m proud of the younger girls for stepping up, too.”
The Hawks tallied 14 hits, led by three each from Stemple and Hannah Brown. Meysa Heitmann, Madison Moon and Vorndran each had two.
Stemple also helped her cause with a team-high three RBIs, while Moon and Brown each drove in two runs. Anna Argabrite and Vorndran also had RBIs.
“We’re peaking at the right time and I’m excited,” Parks said. “We’ve competed all year and we have a chance. This team is young and I think they’re starting to get it now.”
UHS will have Thursday off since it won the winner’s bracket and will now face the winner of Thursday’s game between Bridgeport and Buckhannon-Upshur on Friday. In the double-elimination format, even if the Hawks lose Friday, they will have another chance Saturday to win the sectional title.
BRIDGEPORT
Mason 2 0 0 0; Cook 2 0 0 0; Kwiatkoski 2 0 0 0; Pugh 1 0 0 0; Smith 1 0 0 0; Matheny 2 0 0 0; Earp 2 0 0 0; Hull 2 0 0 0; Stallman 1 0 0 0. Totals: 15 0 0 0.
UNIVERSITY (14-10)
Heitmann 3 2 2 0; Argabrite 3 1 1 1; Vorndran 3 2 2 1; Stemple 3 0 3 3; Jansen 3 0 1 0; Andrigo 2 1 0 0; Soadafore 1 1 0 0; Moon 3 0 2 2; Brown 3 0 3 2; Voris 2 0 0 0; Eryn Yocum 1 2 0 0. Totals: 27 9 14 9.
BHS 000 00 – 0
UHS 440 1x – 9
EXTRA-BASE HITS
2B (UHS: Vorndan); 3B (UHS: Vorndran).
PITCHING
BHS — Hull 4ip, 14h, 9r, 8er, 2so, 0bb.
UHS — Stemple 5ip, 0h, 0r, 0er, 12so, 2bb.
