Kemerer homers twice, leads Franklin Regional’s rally past Penn-Trafford

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, April 18, 2018 | 10:51 PM

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If you see a ribbon on Chrissy Kemerer's head, there's a good reason for it besides just keeping her hair in place.

It gives her great power.

Well, maybe that's not exactly the case. But something's gotten into the Franklin Regional senior softball player.

Kemerer homered twice — her third in the past two games — and drove in six runs Wednesday to power Franklin Regional past visiting Penn-Trafford, 13-9, and into first place in Section 1-5A.

“It's the white ribbon,” Franklin Regional coach Jim Armstrong said. “We keep telling her that, anyway. It started at Plum (on Friday), and she wore it again today.”

It was the seventh consecutive victory for the Panthers (8-1, 6-0), who moved past Penn-Trafford (7-2, 7-1) in the standings by a half-game.

Both teams are back on the field Thursday for section games — Franklin Regional traveling to Kiski Area, and Penn-Trafford returning home to play Plum.

Kemerer, who also homered last Friday for the game's only run in an eight-inning, 1-0 victory at Plum, hit a two-run shot in the third after Penn-Trafford built a 6-0 lead.

She blasted a grand slam over the right-field fence and onto the tennis courts during a six-run fourth that put Franklin Regional ahead 8-6.

“I'm extremely surprised. That's about all I can say about it,” Kemerer said. “I don't really know what's gotten into me. We took batting practice (Tuesday) off a pitching machine in the gym, and I felt pretty good. But I'm a line-drive hitter. I hit for average. I don't hit many homers.”

Kemerer said she's hit just eight homers during her high school career — three in the past two games, though.

“She's seeing the ball and hitting the ball well now,” Armstrong said. “We hit the ball pretty good as a team today, and that's pretty amazing because I can't remember having a year like this where the weather has kept us off the field so much.”

Mariah Deriggi was 4 for 4 with three RBIs, and Abby Kane also had three RBIs for Franklin Regional, which outhit Penn-Trafford, 15-12, and survived a shaky day in the field with four errors.

Emma Armstrong had three hits to lead Penn-Trafford, which entered the day on a three-game winning streak by outscoring its opponents 43-3.

“It's really unusual for us to give up that many runs,” Penn-Trafford coach Danny Little said. “Give them credit. We beat them late in the season last year by a lopsided score, and I'm sure those girls held that in. They came out today and wanted this game.”

Penn-Trafford, which edged Franklin Regional by a game for the Section 1-5A title a year ago, defeated the Panthers, 20-4, in a key late-season clash May 2.

Angalee Beall pitched a complete game for Franklin Regional, surviving single runs in the first two innings and a four-run rally in the third that gave Penn-Trafford a 6-0 advantage.

She struck out three and walked two.

After Franklin Regional began to chip away and make it 6-2 on Kemerer's first homer, the Panthers took the lead for good with a six-run outburst in the fourth, capped by Kemerer's grand slam.

They added to it with two runs in the fifth to make it 10-6 before Penn-Trafford nearly chased Beall in the top of the sixth with a three-run rally to close within 10-9.

“We had a chance to put them away early, but they clawed back,” Little said.

Franklin Regional added three runs in the bottom of the sixth for another cushion, highlighted by Deriggi's fourth hit — a two-run double — and the Panthers held on to remain undefeated in section play.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford