On March 25, the State High Softball Team hosted Altoona at Community Field in the first game of the spring season. The Little Lions thrashed the Mountain Lions of Altoona 10-0 in just six innings. Junior Addie Harpster propelled the team to victory by pitching four scoreless innings and smacking a home run at the plate in the bottom of the sixth.
Harpster struggled with control in the first inning, walking two batters, but only once did an Altoona batter make contact. The Little Lions wasted no time in their half of the first, hanging a four on the scoreboard. Leadoff batter Jess Hawbaker got things started with a walk and a stolen base, putting her in scoring position. Harpster then brought her home with a first-pitch double to put the Little Lions on the board. Sophomore Paige Moriarta kept the parade going with a two-run double, scoring Harpster and Sydney Wells, who was hit by a pitch. Kennedy Stahl then brought in Moriarta with a double of her own, bringing the run total to four. Stahl was thrown out at the plate by a laser from center field, but the damage was done.
Altoona again could not figure out Harpster in the second inning, going three up and three down. Harpster brought her strikeout total to four with two more in the top of the second, but strikeouts actually are not her main goal while pitching.
“We had a lot of strikeouts that were very unneeded,” Harpster said. “So going into these practices in the upcoming weeks, we’re going to work really hard on hitting the outside corners making them [opponents] go opposite field.”
The Altoona defense tightened up in the middle innings, holding State High scoreless through the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth inning, though, the Little Lions broke through again with two more runs. Wells and Tori Kroboth set the table with a hit by pitch and an infield single, and Gabi Todd brought them home by reaching on an error. Todd smacked a high-bouncing ground ball at the Altoona shortstop and she airmailed her throw out of play, bringing Wells and Kroboth home and sending Todd to second base.
State High brought on Moriarta in relief of Harpster to begin the fifth frame after seven strikeouts and just one hit. Moriarta picked up right where Harpster left off, sitting down three Altoona batters in a row.
The Little Lions added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run by catcher Elizabeth Sikorski, bringing the score to 7-0. Moriarta again kept Altoona at bay in its half of the sixth, as hope dwindled for the Mountain Lions.
That hope ran out for Altoona in the bottom of the sixth, as the Little Lions came out on an absolute tear. Wells started the inning by ripping a triple off the wall in right-center field, and Harpster brought her home with a two-run home run.
Harpster was focused on the team win, not the home run, but said, “Being the first game of the season, I was just excited to put one over against a decent team.”
The 10-0 win by mercy rule was sealed by three more hits by senior Ruby True, Todd, and Moriarta.
The Little Lions (1-0) are back in action on Tuesday, April 2, when they visit Chambersburg, and back at home on April 4, when they host Cedar Cliff.
