Lady Pioneers repeat as PIAA Class A champions
Edward K.Thompson
The West Greene softball team huddles after defeating Williams Valley, 11-7, last year at Penn State University蘑菇视频 Beard Field to repeat as PIAA Class A softball champions.
West Greene蘑菇视频 Madison Lampe makes solid contact during last year蘑菇视频 PIAA Class A Championship against Williams Valley at Penn State University蘑菇视频 Beard Field. (Photo by Edward K. Thompson)
Edward K.Thompson
West Greene蘑菇视频 Linzee Stover lays down a bunt in the third inning of Thursday蘑菇视频 PIAA Class A Championship against Williams Valley at Penn State University蘑菇视频 Beard Field.
Edward K.Thompson
Edward K.Thompson Jade (10) and Madison Renner hug after West Greene defeated Williams Valley, 11-7, Thursday afternoon at Penn State University蘑菇视频 Beard Field to win the PIAA Class A softball championship.
Edward K.Thompson
Members of the West Greene girls softball team pose in front of the scoreboard after defeating Williams Valley, 11-7, Thursday afternoon to repeat as PIAA Class A champions.
Edward K.Thompson
The PIAA Class A softball trophy is raised high by members of the West Greene softball team after the Lady Pioneers defeated Williams Valley, 11-7, Thursday afternoon in the state final at Penn State University蘑菇视频 Beard Field.
UNIVERSITY PARK 鈥� The West Greene softball team battled against Williams Valley in the PIAA Class A championship for the third consecutive year and the Lady Pioneers prevailed with second-straight win, 11-7, last Thursday afternoon at Penn State University蘑菇视频 Beard Field.
鈥淲hat an unbelievable effort by our girls,鈥� West Greene coach Billy Simms said. 鈥淚t was back-and-forth and I thought so many of our kids stepped up today. We got a ton of support today and I want to thank everyone for coming out. It was a great atmosphere. It蘑菇视频 not just a West Greene crowd, it was a Greene County crowd. I saw friends from all four county schools and we appreciate the support.鈥�
West Greene rallied from a seven-run deficit last year to win 9-8 to erase any demons it had against Williams Valley when the Lady Pioneers lost 3-2 in 2016.
The Lady Pioneers (23-4) won the rubber match against their District 11 rival and were aided by monster games by McKenna and Madison Lampe.
McKenna hit for the cycle, scored three runs and drove in four, while Madison went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.
鈥淚t was just one of those games I guess,鈥� McKenna said. 鈥淚 really didn鈥檛 keep track of my hits and I didn鈥檛 think about it too much. I was in a little bit of a power slump. So I guess I was due for a home run. I just put a hard swing on the ball and it went over.鈥�
After the Lady Vikings (23-3) took a 1-0 lead in top of the first via an RBI double by losing pitcher Stevie Unger, West Greene quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning when McKenna Lampe scored on a RBI single by winning pitcher Jade Renner.
The Lady Pioneers took their first lead of the game on McKenna Lampe蘑菇视频 two-run homer in the bottom of the second for a 3-1 lead.
Both squads were held scoreless in the third before Williams Valley tied the game with two runs in the top of the fourth.
West Greene answered right back with three runs in the fourth, courtesy of an RBI hit by Madison Lampe, a sacrifice fly by Madison Renner and a RBI double by Kaitlyn Rizor.
鈥淚t was a seesaw game,鈥� Rizor said. 鈥淣o lead was safe and we couldn鈥檛 rest on any lead. We were just clicking so well on offense. Williams Valley is very tough and we knew they were not going to down without a fight. We just battled and stuck together.鈥�
In the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Pioneers extended their lead to 8-3 on another RBI single by Madison Lampe and Jersey Wise scoring on an errant relay throw.
Both Wise and Rizor finished three hits apiece, while Wise scored three times.
The Lady Vikings sent eight to the plate in the top of the sixth inning and made things a lot tighter by scoring four runs, trimming the deficit down to 8-7.
Like it did the entire game, West Greene responded with some timely hitting to score three huge insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
McKenna Lampe smacked a two-run triple, followed by RBI single from Madison Lampe. Altogether, the Lampe twins went 8-for-10 in the victory.
鈥淭hey set the table for us,鈥� Madison Renner said. 鈥淲hen they get on base and steal bases that gives the rest of the lineup confidence. I think we hit so good together and we were able to string our hits together for some big innings.鈥�
Jade Renner allowed two base runners in the top of the seventh, but the sophomore lefty escaped the jam and sealed the win with a pair of ground outs. The final one was a come-backer to the pitcher, whose quick spinning throw was snagged by first baseman Lexie Mooney thanks to a fantastic stretch.
Renner went the distance. She allowed seven runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts and no walks on 124 pitches. Renner is 14-0 in her post-season career.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 too nervous today, like last year,鈥� Jade Renner said. 鈥淚 did have confidence in all of my pitches and I was in the strike zone early on in the game. They were chasing my fastball and I kept them off-balanced with my change-up. I was ready for the game.鈥�
鈥淛ade had a lot of action on her pitches and she was able to avoid that big inning in the circle,鈥� Simms said. 鈥淓ven though we made some mistakes on the field, I thought our gloves were solid and we made the plays we needed too. We stayed in the moment and it was a luxury to be the home team today.鈥�
West Greene will look for the three-peat next season after a very successful 2018.
The Lady Pioneers will lose three seniors in Lexie Mooney, Linzee Stover and Madison Renner. Those three seniors played in their 100th game for West Greene and have gone 21-2 in the postseason.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want to play with any other group of girls,鈥� Mooney said. 鈥淭his team means the world to me. To win back-to-back state titles is really hard to put into words. All of the younger girls have bought into our program and we just became one big team.鈥�
鈥淭he atmosphere around this program definitely changed between our freshman and sophomore season,鈥� Stover said. 鈥淭his is a family. We always have each other backs and we pick each other up. Our lineup has been tough all year, and today we were on.鈥�
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 even imagine winning back-to-back state titles when I was a freshman,鈥� Madison Renner said. 鈥淭hings just came together for us and we were always there for each other. West Greene came from being a nobody to now, we are pretty good. It蘑菇视频 awesome to be a part of all of this success. It蘑菇视频 just crazy to think where we came from.鈥�