JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
You can find Phil Glatfelter’s story on Lampeter-Strasburg’s quarterfinal win here.
Another day, another assignment. After covering district volleyball on Monday and Wednesday and district soccer on Tuesday, I shifted sports once again Thursday and headed to Garrett Park in Willow Street for district softball. And what a game: Donegal 2, Manheim Central 1 in a battle of L-L League Section 3 rivals. After allowing a run on two hits in the top of the first, the Indians’ Abby Hoover was electrifying, retiring the final 19 Barons in a row, as Donegal set up a showdown with another Section 3 foe: Lampeter-Strasburg, which won its quarterfinal. Here’s my story from Friday’s New Era:
When you’re hot you’re hot.
And Thursday, on a chilly, windswept afternoon at Garrett Park in Willow Street, Abby Hoover was scorching.
After a shaky first inning, Donegal’s ace righty settled in and retired the final 19 hitters in a row, leading the Indians to a 2-1 victory over Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 foe Manheim Central in a District 3 Triple-A girls softball quarterfinal game.
Up next for Donegal, the No. 3 seed, is another familiar foe in the district semifinals on Tuesday: Section 3 rival Lampeter-Strasburg, which topped Kennard-Dale 6-2 in 11 innings Thursday.
L-S defeated Donegal in last year’s district finale.
Manheim Central, the No. 6 seed, was eliminated and finished the season 16-6 overall. The Barons went 0-3 against Donegal this season, and the final loss sent Central packing.
“We were concerned because it’s tough beating a good team three times in one season,” Donegal coach Tom Hartman said, “and Central is a really good team. So we’re tickled to win this one.”
Hoover, who pitched back-to-back no-hitters earlier this season, gave up a pair of singles and an earned run to the Barons in the top of the first. After that, she was simply sensational, needing just 66 total pitches – 49 for strikes – to seal the deal.
“Abby, Abby, Abby, Abby, Abby – that’s all I can say,” Hartman said, smiling. “She was hitting her spots, which is pitching to her strength.”
Hoover kept the Barons’ bats at bay by continually painting the outside corner with gas.
“Outside fastballs,” Donegal catcher Taylor Hatt said. “She kept throwing that pitch the whole game.”
And Central’s hitters had no answers for it, as Hoover struck out four, didn’t allow a walk, and after the first inning, the Barons hit just two balls into the outfield.
“I was just going for the mitt,” Hoover said. “That’s a pitch the umpire was calling, so that’s the pitch we kept going for. We tried to stay with it.”
Donegal (20-3) scratched out its two runs.
In the bottom of the first, Morgan Kibler led off with a single and was bunted to second by Jen Swarr. Nicky Hess followed with a single to put runners on first and third, and Kibler scored when Whitney Breneman grounded out to short to make it 1-1.
The Indians went ahead for good in the bottom of the fourth when Hatt and Kaitlin Houseal hit back-to-back singles off Central fireballer Janelle Fair, who allowed six hits and struck out six.
With one out, Katie Robinson hit a grounder to Barons’ shortstop Samantha Ginder, who fired home. But her throw was wide and courtesy runner Olivia Lehman scored to give Donegal a 2-1 lead.
Kayla Cook singled home Ginder, who led off the game with a base hit, to account for Central’s lone run.
“I had a lot of butterflies in the first inning because it’s definitely hard to beat a good team like that three times in one season,” Hoover said. “And if we lost this game, we were going home. But we’re not ready for this to end just yet.”
In Thursday’s Quad-A games:
Central York 3, Warwick 1
Central York scored three runs in the fourth without a hit, and eliminated Warwick in a first-round game.
Central York will take on L-L League runner-up Solanco in a quarterfinal game tonight at 6:30 at Garrett Park.
Alexandra DiGiacomo’s RBI single scored Bri Martin for Warwick’s lone run.
Governor Mifflin 6, Cedar Crest 0
Cedar Crest managed just two hits, and Mifflin iced the game with a four-run fifth inning and eliminated the Falcons.
