Work starting to show dividends for Penn Hills softball team

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, April 23, 2022 | 9:01 AM

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When the season began, first-year softball coach Ashley Banner believed the inexperienced Penn Hills softball team had potential.

The Indians’ first win in her tenure, an 18-8 six-inning victory over Plum on April 13 on the road, snapped a significant losing streak. Penn Hills hadn’t beaten the neighboring Mustangs since a 4-2 victory on April 29, 2009.

The Indians had lost 18 consecutive to Plum. Maura Wade and Abella Gray each drove in five runs to help Penn Hills score its first section win of the year and topple the Mustangs.

“We were slow to start, but once our bats we heated up, one thing led to another,” Banner said. “Once we started to get hits against Plum, their confidence started to build. The team supported each other well and it shows.”

Penn Hills may have the opportunity to knock down many more barriers. By knocking off rival Woodland Hills, 15-0, last Wednesday, the Indians evened their record at 2-2 overall and 2-2 in Section 1-5A play.

Penn Hills went 0-12 in the section last season and only won two games overall.

One of the Indians’ losses in section play this season came due to a forfeit to Kiski Area. Penn Hills made the decision as a district to not play the Cavaliers in any sports due to an incident at a middle school volleyball match. Penn Hills accused Kiski Area fans of making racist comments and gestures during the match.

The Indians will also forfeit their second scheduled meeting with the Cavaliers later in the season.

Banner said she could see the excitement with her team after Penn Hills beat Woodland Hills. The Indians took advantage of the Wolverines’ mistakes to win in three innings.

Gray had a team-high two RBIs.Wade allowed one hit in three innings of work to earn the win in the circle.

“You can see their morale up and the excitement after the win,” Banner said. “Their hard work was paying off.”

While Penn Hills hasn’t had a large sample size of games — the Indians only contested three through April 20 — there have been several players hitting at an outstanding clip. Gray leads the team with a .727 average, while Kiera Mack is hitting .714 and Lauren Sipple is at .667.

While those averages are unlikely to keep up as Penn Hills gets more games in, Banner believes the Indians have the foundation to continue to challenge for more wins in section.

“We’re taking it one game at a time and we are setting the bar high,” Banner said. “We want to challenge them. We are putting our best foot forward and are excited to see the hard work pay off.”

Tags: Penn Hills