Hershberger pitches, hits Lady Colonials to 10-2 win over Laurel Highlands
Jonathan Guth | Herald-Standard
Albert Gallatin’s Maddie Flowers scores the first run in Tuesday’s Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands while Fillies starting pitcher Lauren Sperry attempts to field the throw. The Lady Colonials won, 10-2, to earn the first section championship in program history.
Albert Gallatin's Madison Hershberger delivers a pitch during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands.
Laurel Highlands starting pitcher Lauren Sperry fires a pitch during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game against Albert Gallatin at Laurel Highlands.
Laurel Highlands' Allison Lowery scores in front of Albert Gallatin pitcher Madison Hershberger during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands.
Albert Gallatin's bench lines up to greet Madison Hershberger after she hit a home run during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands.
Albert Gallatin's Ally Bezjak is about to throw to first base to record an out during Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands.
Laurel Highlands right fielder Kaia Zungri looks over the fence after Albert Gallatin's Madison Hershberger hit a three-run home run during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands.
Laurel Highlands' Jenna Bliss swings in front of Albert Gallatin catcher Katie Kelley during Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands.
Albert Gallatin's Maddie Flowers reaches third base during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game against Laurel Highlands. Lady Colonials head coach Gary Serock and the Fillies' Jenna Bliss watch the play develop.
Albert Gallatin's Maddie Flowers rounds second during the first inning of Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game at Laurel Highlands. The Fillies' Kaelyn Dewar watches as Flowers runs by.
Laurel Highlands' Allison Lowery stops before heading back to first base during Tuesday's Section 2-AAAAA game against Albert Gallatin at Laurel Highlands.
Madison Hershberger hit a three-run home run and recorded 12 strikeouts to lead Albert Gallatin to a 10-2 Section 2-AAAAA victory on Tuesday at Laurel Highlands.
The Lady Colonials (10-2, 11-3) had already clinched a share of the section title on Thursday following a 22-7 win over Ringgold, but needed to defeat the Fillies (1-11, 1-13) to claim first place outright. The championship is the first in program history.
“It is great to win the first section title in program history, but we want a lot more,” Albert Gallatin coach Gary Serock said. “You couldn’t have told me we were going to get to this level when I stepped in six years ago, but we put it together with our feeder program and travel ball, and these girls, I owe them everything, and they mean the world to me.
“We were flat today. I take my hat off to Laurel Highlands. They have a great coaching staff and will be a team to reckon with down the road. We knew it wouldn’t be easy against them.”
Hershberger allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in seven innings. She walked five and hit one batter.
“What more can I say?” said Serock in reference to Hershberger’s performance.
“I am at a loss for words. The girls is just amazing and does it day in and day out, and we are excited to have her on our side. That home run was huge and a big lift.”
Albert Gallatin scored all the runs it would need in the first inning when Maddie Flowers reached on an error that put her on third base and scored on a wild pitch with Ally Bezjak batting for a 1-0 lead.
Bezjak walked, Annalia Paoli singled and Hershberger hit her three-run homer to right field for a 4-0 advantage.
Laurel Highlands scored in the bottom of the inning when Allison Lowery walked moved to second on a groundout and to third when Hailey Rusko before scoring on a wild pitch with Emma Bliss batting to cut the deficit to 4-1.
“We had opportunities but couldn’t capitalize on them,” Laurel Highlands coach Floyd Shroyer said. “We gave them too many unearned runs.”
Fillies starting pitcher Lauren Sperry kept the Lady Colonials’ potent offense in check for the next five innings, but the visitors scored two runs on two hits for a 6-1 lead.
Sperry yielded six runs (three earned) on seven hits in six innings. She had four strikeouts and walked one. Sydney Petrowski took over for Sperry in the seventh.
“Lauren (Sperry) has improved a lot in the last couple of weeks,” Shroyer said. “She got herself a new pitching coach, and the future is bright. She is a hard worker and pitched a good day today. The ball is moving a lot more for her now. Watch out for her and (Sydney) Petrowski both next year.”
Albert Gallatin got its two runs in the sixth on another home run when Hershberger reached on an error and courtesy runner Maria Sutton scored on Lindsey Robinson’s blast to left field.
“Home runs can come from anywhere on our team,” Serock said. “Lindsey Robinson stepped up today. She has been in a slump, and I put, ‘I’m a hitter,’ in her hat today and she went up and got a home run. She needed that.”
Bliss hit a home run to center to lead off the sixth and the deficit was cut to 6-2.
The Lady Colonials added four runs on five hits in the seventh.
Katie Kelley reached via error, and after back-to-back singles by Flowers and Bezjak, Paoli picked up her third hit, a double to center, to scored Flowers for a 7-2 advantage.
Bezjak scored on Hershberger’s RBI groundout to second base before Paoli trotted home on Hannah Turtzer’s single to right field for a 9-2 lead.
Robinson walked and Turtzer scored on Harlie Vance’s single up the middle. Vance had two base hits.
Albert Gallatin will await its playoff fate on Thursday at the WPIAL Softball Pairings Meeting.
“We would like to get a top three seed because we won our section, and I thought we had some big wins in a strong section,” Serock said. “You never know who you will play, but we will take it one at a time.”
The Fillies are scheduled to host cross-town rival Uniontown (2-8, 3-11) on Thursday at 4 p.m. LH will not make the playoffs this year, but Shroyer likes the direction the program is going. He would like to see more work put in during the offseason.
“I am excited to work with these girls in the summer and the fall,” Shroyer said. “Hopefully, we will be a much-improved product next year. It comes down to your preparation in the summer and fall ball, and our girls haven’t put that time in as much as Albert Gallatin’s done.
“We have some girls that do, but we need everybody on the team, 1-10, to do that. It makes a difference.”
Laurel Highlands celebrated Senior Day and honored Rusko, Jenna Bliss, Becca Marinelli and Preslie Stoken prior to first pitch.