Stemple shines, keys University’s 8-0 win over Bridgeport

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — While University and Bridgeport split a pair of regular season meetings, standout Hawks’ pitcher Autumn Stemple didn’t throw in the contest the Tribe won, 5-0.

Stemple, who did pitch last Thursday in the Hawks’ 10-0 regular season victory over the Indians, was back in the circle Wednesday as UHS welcomed Bridgeport for a Class AAA Region I, Section 2 winner’s bracket matchup at Mylan Park’s Lynch Field.

Stemple made her presence felt and then some, logging a perfect game over five innings and recording 13 of her 15 outs via strikeout in a dominant performance that led the Hawks to an 8-0 win.

“I mixed almost all of my pitches in,” Stemple said. “I threw a lot more outside than I usually do. I think they were trying to learn from the last game that we just faced them recently. They were backing off the plate from my screwball, but I gave them more of my curve ball this game. I was mixing speeds and mixing pitches and locations, and everything was working pretty well today.”

The win puts University (15-9) on the brink of a sectional championship, with the Hawks to welcome the winner of Thursday’s elimination game between Bridgeport and Buckhannon-Upshur on Friday.

Stemple was on point from the outset of Wednesday’s contest as she struck out the side in each of the first two innings. In between, Hawks’ leadoff batter Anna Argabrite scored the game’s first run on one of two Bridgeport (9-12) errors in the opening frame.

“When we got here, the field wasn’t in great shape, so I was a little worried about the conditions, but it worked out OK,” UHS coach Mindy Parks said. “She was in a groove and she knew she could do it. She was on tonight. She was feeling pretty good.“

Although University recorded only four hits, the Hawks used small ball to their advantage and put it on display in the home half of the second. Ashlyn Weaver led off with a single to center and Kelsey Park followed with a sacrifice bunt that led to a throwing error and allowed the Hawks to have a pair of runners in scoring position.

Weaver scored on a passed ball and Park touched the plate on Argabrite’s groundout to shortstop, allowing the Hawks to lead 3-0.

“Our best quality that we bring to the table is defense and tonight was just a bad showing,” BHS coach Chelsea Holcomb said. “Unfortunately that has happened to us, but when they tried to small ball us, we were already in our heads mentally and we let some mental errors after that builld.”

The Indians put the ball in play for the first time in the third, but Chloe Pethtel was ruled out on a throw to first base that hit her, with the call stemming from her being out of the baseline.

Lauren Huebsch led off the third with a double for UHS, then scored when Stemple helped her cause with a single just inside the first base bag that allowed Huebsch to score for a 4-0 lead.

Kaylee Riffle’s successful sacrifice bunt allowed Paige Conrad to score the fifth run, while Alyssa Spadafore, who reached via base-on-balls, scored later in the third on Weaver’s groundout to second.

“We manufactured some runs and got a couple important bunts down to get things moving,” Parks said.

Stemple struck out the side in the fourth and University added two more runs on Ally Jansen’s groundout to third that scored Argabrite, and Huebsch’s RBI ground ball to short that enabled Meysa Heitmann to come home for the eighth and final run.

With an opportunity to end the game early by keeping Bridgeport off the scoreboard, Stemple did just that. Makenna Smith sent a ground ball to the first out, before Stemple continued to overpower the Tribe and added consecutive strikeouts to seal the verdict.

“She is a beast on the mound and we have slow hands,” Holcomb said. “We just can’t get around quick enough to get on her. We tried to small ball them a little bit and our hand-eye struggled as far as trying to lay down those bunts. You have to give her credit. If we can’t hit the ball and put it play, we have no chance of getting a run on the board.”

Pethtel took the loss after allowing six runs on three hits with a pair of walks and strikeouts. She threw the first three innings before giving way to Smith, who allowed two runs in one inning with one base-on-balls and strikeout.





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