JEFFERSON TWP— The climb is complete.

Taylor Smith's ground ball plated Zoe Hughes from third with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning for Knoch, capping a 3-2, come-from-behind softball win over Kittanning Tuesday at Laura Doerr Park.

The victory clinched the Section 5-AAA title for the Knights, the first outright section championship in the program's history. Knoch shared the crown with Hampton last year.

Three years ago, when the current seniors were freshman, Knoch won one game.

"It's our senior year and this is what we wanted," center fielder Hughes said.

It didn't come easily on this day.

Kittanning pitcher Liz Lambert retired the first 13 Knights she faced and took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth. Hughes walked with one out to give Knoch its first baserunner.

With Hughes running, Justine Rich bunted back to the pitcher. As Rich was retired, Hughes sped into third, beating the throw from the first baseman.

Hughes scored on a wild pitch moments later to get Knoch on the board. Smith's bloop single to right broke up the no-hitter later in the inning.

"That's a designed play,"Knoch coach Scott Docherty said of the first-to-third bunt play. "I've got a gazelle on the bases in Zoe and we're going to take advantage of that."

Before scoring the run, Hughes barely beat the tag at third on a close play.

"We had a good shot at getting her there and didn't do it,"Kittanning coach Tom Emminger said. "That turned out to be a big run."

Lambert wound up walking six batters — all in the final three innings. She took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh and walked leadoff batter Kirsten Brant.

"Liz was throwing the same pitches she was throwing the whole game and, suddenly, they weren't strikes,"Emminger said. "She stopped getting the calls."

Brant stole second and Hughes delivered a solid single to left, scoring Brant to tie the game. When the ball rolled between the left fielder's legs, Hughes got all the way to third.

"(Lambert) is usually really good at keeping the ball low. She knows where she wants to put it,"Brant said. "Her pitches were right down the middle today.

"I usually like to swing at the first strike I see. In that last inning, I decided to take a few pitches. I knew I had to get on base."

With Hughes at third and no outs, Emminger opted to walk Rich and Ashlee Antoszyk intentionally to load the bases.

With the infield in, Smith hit a ground ball right to the first baseman, but Hughes easily beat the throw to the plate to end the game.

Knoch pulled out the win despite managing only two hits

"We're not a cold weather team and it was cold out here today,"Hughes said. "We had to fight our way through this one."

Kittanning still needs one more win to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot.

"We made just enough bad plays today to cost us,"Emminger said. "We know Knoch's good. They have a lot of seniors. We have to forget about this and move on."

Kittanning 100 010 0—2 5 1Knoch 000 010 2—3 2 2None out when winning run scoredLiz Lambert (L, 8 K, 6 BB) and Carly Ochs, Amanda Sheppeck (W, 5 K, 1 BB) and Justine Rich.

Kittanning (10-6, 8-5): Liz Lambert 2-1B, Abbie Mechling RBI, Rhonda Claypoole 1B, Carrie Merryman 1B RBI, Merkeia Pirhalla 1B

Knoch (13-3, 12-1): Zoe Hughes 1B RBI2-R, Taylor Smith 1BRBI

Thursday: Knoch at Indiana