WPIAL softball: Seneca Valley’s season comes to bitter end with Class 6A title game loss to Hempfield
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley pitcher Lexie Hames pitches against Hempfield in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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A Seneca Valley hitter bunts the ball against Hempfield in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Emry Rice (6) cheers on teammate Olivia Herrem (4) as Herrem gets ready to bat in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Bella Gross (8) slides into second base for a steal in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley fell to Hempfield 1-0 in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Bella Gross (8) receives a groundout to first in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Seneca Valley’s Paige Volz (19) fist bumps one of her coaches after taking first base in a WPIAL Class 6A Softball Championship game on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at Norwin High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
NORTH HUNTINGDON TWP — Time and time again, Seneca Valley was on the verge of scoring against Hempfield pitcher Riley Miller, but continued to come up empty.
It was a theme that ended the Raiders’ season.
Twelve runners left on base, seven of them in scoring position, doomed SV in a 1-0 loss to the Spartans in Thursday’s WPIAL Class 6A softball title game at Norwin High School.
“We know her (Miller) well. She pitched against us in both games during the regular season (a 2-1 win and a 1-0 loss),” said SV first baseman Bella Gross. “We hit the ball well at times today, but just couldn’t string a few together.”
The Raiders (17-4) tallied exactly one hit in every inning. Their frustration began in the first frame when Lexie Hames, a Clemson University recruit, and Abby Kalkowski were walked and Gross reached on an infield single to load the bases with one out.
Miller, who is headed to Kent State, got Neve Miller to hit into a fielder’s choice in which courtesy runner Julia Valasek was forced out at home, and Liv Herrem to ground out to end the threat.
The free pass to Hames was intentional, the first of four times in the game she was so put on base. Hames batted .487 with seven home runs this season. The vast majority of her 40 walks this spring were intentional.
“It would have been nice to see a pair of Division I recruits facing each other. That doesn’t happen often around here,” SV coach Marlesse Hames said. “Lexie can change a game with one swing and taking her bat away, it’s very frustrating.”
The Spartans (21-1) came through in their opportunity to score in the bottom of the first inning.
Clair Mitchell led off with a single, moved to second base on a passed ball and scored on Allison Cervola’s base hit.
Lexie Hames got out of the inning without any further damage, but the one run was enough on this day.
Miller, who struck out five and walked six, stranded SV runners at second and third in the top of the second. In the fifth, the Raiders got Gross to third base, but again could not score.
“It was a bumpy ride there a few times,” Hempfield coach Tina Madison said. “I’ve seen her (Miller) a lot sharper than she was today, but she’s mentally tough.
“We scored in the first inning, and in the back of my mind, I was thinking maybe it would be enough,” Madison said. “But I would have liked to score two or three.”
Lost in the defeat was the fact that Lexie Hames held Hempfield, which carried a team batting average of .412 into the game, to a single run on six hits. She struck out nine and walked one.
“We just were unable to get the clutch hit,” Marlesse Hames said. “We had some mistakes in the field (four errors) and running the bases.”
Gross and Paige Volz combined to tally six of SV’s seven hits.
The Spartans will face District 6 champion State College in the first round of the state playoffs Monday.
Only the WPIAL champion advances to the PIAA tournament in Class 6A.
“It’s disappointing not being able to compete in states, but what I’m going to miss most is being with my friends every day,” said Gross, one of five seniors on SV’s roster. “I’ve formed great relationships from playing softball at Seneca Valley.”
Seneca Valley 000 000 0 — 0 7 4
Hempfield 100 000 x — 1 6 1
WP: Riley Miller 7 IP (5K, 6BB). LP: Lexie Hames 6 IP (9K, 1BB).
Seneca Valley: Abby Kalkowski 1B, Bella Gross 3-1B, Paige Volz 3-1B
Hempfield: Clair Mitchell 1B R, Allison Cervola 1B RBI, Abigail Magill 2-1B, Emily Bozek 2-1B
