This is a spring of history-making at Hershey High School.
For the first time in 23 years – a span of 44 games with the lost season to COVID – Hershey softball defeated Lower Dauphin.
The Trojans’ 5-4 Mid-Penn Keystone Division win April 22 at South Field ignited a celebration that was a long time coming.
“That is a long time,” Hershey coach John Zitko said. “Before the game, we said let’s win this one for our seniors. The intensity was very high, and it carried over to the field.”
The game came down to the final pitch. Hershey carried a 5-1 lead into the seventh inning, before freshman shortstop Jordan Frye, who went 4-for-4, hit a three-run homer for LD with one out.
Winning pitcher Maddie Bowe got the final two outs on a grounder to third and a strikeout to set off the celebration.
“This game was amazing,” senior Grace O’Connor, who drove in two runs with a double, said. “We love playing LD. They’re such a good team. But we also have a lot of love amongst ourselves, and that love showed up on the field today.”
The game also included two hard-hit balls by LD that ended up being inning-ending, line-drive double plays to third baseman McKinley Ebert and Bowe that quashed LD momentum.
Both balls couldn’t have been hit harder.
Hershey’s winning runs came in the fourth after senior Emma Galvez led off with a double to right center.
Ebert drove her in with a double that led LD coach Hannah Swartz to relieve starting pitcher Carissa Wenner with Sadie Borrelli.
Ebert advanced to third on a long fly ball out by Dani Blaze, who doubled twice.
Ebert then scampered home with the winning run on a wild pitch.
“It felt really good to win this game,” Galvez said. “After 23 years of losing to LD, it was super emotional, especially for us nine seniors in our last time playing them. Ending that losing streak means a lot.”
Jordan Frye, who went 4-for-4 in the game, brought LD to within one run in the seventh, hitting a three-run bomb with one out. Photo: Geno Simonetti.
LD senior captain Sammie Gallick, who lamented the loss, admitted it was a good game.
“It was a very good game,” she said. “The energy was great from both sides. They had tough defense and hit the ball well. We hit the ball well, just not quite enough.”
Keystone softball just got tighter, making upcoming games important.
LD dropped a nine-inning game April 16 at Red Land to create a tie at the top of the standings.
Hershey, LD and Carlisle are a game behind RL, with Hershey playing at RL on April 30.
The Trojans were coming off another mammoth win, 7-5, over Carlisle on April 17 at Hershey.
The win was highlighted by a pair of triples by sophomore catcher Sarah Young, who drove in four runs.
Hershey plated five runs in the fifth inning to open a 7-1 lead.
Talie Kaag started it with a single and stolen base, followed by a run-producing double by Blaze.
O’Connor reached on an error before Young tripled to deep right center. Bowe then singled to drive in Young.
The Thundering Herd answered with two runs in the sixth and two in the seventh, punctuated by a towering homer to left by Alexis Kline in the seventh.
“It got a little closer than we wanted, but it was a good win,” Zitko said. “On Kline’s homer, that was the fastest swing I saw all season.”
Hershey batters padded their stats the day before in a 19-3 Keystone win at Palmyra in five innings.
The Cougars stayed within 10 runs until Hershey scored seven in the fifth.
Ebert, last year’s Sun Country batting champ, had a big day by going 4-for-4 with four RBI.
Senior first baseman Jadyn Armogida also drove in four runs on two hits, including a homer.
Other home runs went to Ebert, O’Connor and Blaze.
With Hershey’s power at the plate, anything from here is possible.
Lower Dauphin
Second baseman Lila Markowitz made the play of the year April 17 in LD’s 10-9 non-league win at Elizabethtown.
The Falcons were cruising along with a 10-3 lead when the Bears rallied for six runs in the seventh inning.
With runners on first and second, Markowitz dove for a grounder up the middle. She snagged it and, while prone, acrobatically tagged out the runner a step before second to end the game.
The Falcons were led by Gallick and Anece Zubler, both of whom drove in three runs.
Zubler and Borrelli had homers.
The win was welcome after losing at Red Land the day before, 6-5, in nine innings.
RL’s Logan Shettel hit a two-run homer in the seventh to send it into extra innings.
The Patriots walked off with the win due to LD’s third error.
“We bounced back after Red Land,” Swartz said. “This team has a ton of grit.”
The losses at Red Land and Hershey dropped LD to No. 10 in the District 3 5A power ranking, with Hershey moving to No. 8.
Palmyra
The young Cougars were schooled in back-to-back losses to Hershey and Middletown.
The Trojans started slowly before rolling to a 19-3 Keystone win in five innings.
Mia Morrison, who tripled, drove in two Palmyra runs, with Layla Musser plating the other run.
Against Middletown, the non-league Blue Raiders prevailed 21-0 in five innings.
They moved to 8-2 behind a 15-hit attack and nine Palmyra errors.
Palmyra coach Nate Kinney said the Cougars are persevering.
“There’s a lot of struggles in our division this year, but it is what it is,” Kinney said. “It’s good for us to grow and get better. The other sports pulling competitive kids doesn’t help either.”
Palmyra’s woes continued with a 10-4 Keystone loss Tuesday at Bishop McDevitt.
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