JACKSON TWP — Maybe it's true that girls really do dig the long ball.

In Thursday's Section 3-AAAA matchup against Butler, Seneca Valley smacked three two-run homers in the first two innings to build a 7-0 lead en route to an 8-1 victory over the Tornado.

Jackie Mangola hit a home run in each of the first two innings while Dana Hughes accounted for the other in the second.

"We don't usually hit that many," said Seneca Valley softball coach George Trew. "But we've had five different players hit home runs. Jackie has three now and Dana has two,

"We're hitting the ball well and as long as we keep doing that, we'll keep winning,"he added.

"Seneca Valley has good personnel," said Butler coach Lyndsay Millea. "Their pitching is good, their defense is good and their hitting is good."

After Hughes led off the Raiders' first inning with a single, Butler freshman Angie Reddick struck out Alyssa DiMaria before Mangola smacked a home run over the center field fence.

Courtney Grootegoed followed with a hard liner off the leg of Reddick, who was down for a few minutes but stayed in the game.

The Raiders (7-1, 5-1) loaded the bases before Kelsey Gray's sacrifice fly scored courtesy runner Ali Burry for a 3-0 lead. Reddick then induced Sarah Mantick to fly out to end the inning.

Butler (3-4, 2-4) tried to follow with a rally in the top of the second when Grootegoed walked leadoff batter Erica Thrower and Sadie Marak singled.

The duo advanced to second and third with two outs, but Grootegoed got Nikki Hlabik to ground out.

Seneca Valley assumed control in the second when Lauren Hunt opened with a walk and Hughes homered to make it 5-0. Next up, DiMaria walked before Mangola homered.

Megan McCormick lofted a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning that brought home DiMaria to make it an 8-0 Raiders advantage.

"We're hitting well," said Trew. "We've been getting about eight, nine, 10 hits and about seven, eight runs a game."

Grootegoed finished the game with three strikeouts, two walks and limited Butler to four hits.

"She was 4-0 last year and, besides the wins, she was great in relief appearances," said Trew. "She really wanted the job this year. She's stepped up and wanted it and that's what you want to see."

Reddick also settled down after the early fireworks and the line drive. She kept the Raiders in check, allowing just three hits over the final four innings.

"She had a difficult time early hitting certain pitches," said Millea. "She didn't let it rattle her. That's saying a lot for a freshman. That takes a lot of guts to stay in the game."

Butler threatened again in the sixth inning when, with two outs, Jenna Geibel launched a double to the base of the left-field wall.

Two batters later, Geibel scored on an error to stop the shutout bid.

Butler 000 001 0—1 4 0Seneca Valley 340 100 x—8 10 1W: Courtney Grootegoed 7 IP (3 K, 2 BB).

L: Angie Reddick 6 IP (3 K, 5 BB).

Butler (3-4, 2-4): Sadie Marak 2-1B; Karen Cumberledge 1B; Jenna Geibel 2B

Seneca Valley (7-1, 5-1): Dana Hughes 1B, HR, 2 RBI; Alyssa DiMaria 1B; Jackie Mangola 2 HR, 4 RBI; Courtney Grootegoed 1B; Megan McCormick 1B, 2B; Sarah Mantick 1B; Ali Burry 1B; Kelsey Gray SF RBI

Monday: Hampton at Seneca Valley; Riverside at Butler