UNIVERSITY PARK — The last thing the State College Little Lion softball team could tolerate in the District 6 Class AAAA final against Mifflin County on June 1 at Penn State’s Beard Field was a big early deficit.
Yet that’s exactly what the Lions faced after Mifflin sent nine batters to the plate in the second inning and posted an ominous four-run lead.
Missing two of its best hitters to recent injuries, SC could only play small-ball and try to chip away at the Lady Huskies’ lead. The Lions got one back in the fifth, but another bat-around and an additional five runs by MC in the sixth sealed State College’s fate.
Mifflin went on to a convincing 9-1 victory that secured its second-consecutive D6, AAAA championship and confirmed its reservation in the upcoming P.I.A.A. State Tournament.
Senior pitcher Hannah Ruby did the mound work for Mifflin. She pitched a complete-game, gave up nine hits, struck out five and did not walk a batter. After being spotted the lead in the second inning, she fought off the Little Lions until her team delivered the game-deciding rally in the sixth.
Center fielder Taylor McKay scored two runs and knocked in two runs in support of Ruby, while catcher Caitlyn Smith had two doubles, and Hannah Fitzgerald and Maddie Amspacker each had an RBI single. Mifflin was actually outhit by State College, nine to seven, but the Huskies took full advantage of three walks, three hit batters and three Lion errors.
“We outhit them,” State College coach Mike Harper said, “but they took advantage of us holding balls, throwing to the wrong bases, and not being in position. That’s the result of being inexperienced because we had two seniors (Andrea Myers and Abby Allen) go down with injuries just last week.
“But I’m not making excuses. Hannah Ruby is a great pitcher. That team is well coached, and they came swinging the bats. We got beat by a team that played better than us today.”
Mifflin’s second inning gave Ruby all the support she needed. With one out, Smith doubled and Hanna Kanagy was hit by a pitch. State College pitcher Hannah Shields then gave herself a chance to escape the inning when she struck out Hallee Weader for the second out. But McKay followed with her two-run hit, and Amspacker followed that with another RBI single that made it 3-0. On the next pitch, McKay scored on a first-and-third double steal, and the Huskies had their four-run lead.
“It was a great day,” McKay said, “and we all stepped in and did what we had to do. I mean, starting off was a big thing for me, and it was great to watch everyone continue after I started it off.”
For the next three innings, Shields was able to calm the Mifflin bats. She did pitch out of a second-and-third jam in the fourth inning, but the Huskies were unable to add to their lead.
State College tightened things in the top of the fifth. Center fielder Alyssa Shedlock doubled with one out, and Kayla Hawbaker immediately drove her home with a single to left.
In the sixth, SC was at it again after Shields singled to lead off, but she was stranded after a sacrifice bunt and then two failed bunt attempts for hits. The Lions were testing, but the Mifflin defense showed no signs of bending under the pressure.
“We did really well today in not getting rattled when they (State College) played small-ball,” Ruby said. “We kind of expected it because they normally do that, but we were just cool and did what we needed to do.”
Mifflin then took small-ball out of the equation with five more runs in the bottom of the sixth. A combination of two hits, a hit batter, a walk, and two big SC errors led to the five runs—all of which were unearned.
Earned or not, they were on the board, and all Ruby needed to do was close out the seventh inning for the win.
“I think when we manufactured those four runs in the second inning, it gave us an edge,” Mifflin coach Jack McCurdy said. “I wouldn’t say we had the game completed at that point. I knew we were going to have to keep scratching for runs, but when we scored in the sixth, I knew that was the momentum right there.
“And we played the small game very well today. I was proud of what they did, and I thought we played extremely well. They (State College) were trying to put pressure on the defense, and you’ve got to make those plays. But this is a good team with good chemistry, and we were telling them that this is just a necessary step to where we want to go.”
Mifflin (16-5) will now advance to the state tournament beginning on June 6 against Lower Dauphin, the No. 3 seed coming out of District 3.
