May 20, 2013 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – When you talk about game-changing home runs, you usually aren’t talking about the No. 9 hitter in a high school softball team’s lineup.

When Lauren Ackerman, the No. 9 hitter for West Mifflin High School, fell behind 0-2 in the count in the fourth inning of the Titans’ WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal game Monday afternoon against Trinity, just putting the ball in play to get the go-ahead run in from third base became her priority.

Ackerman, however, didn’t put the 0-2 pitch into the field of play. Instead, she hit the ball over the center field fence for a three-run homer that gave West Mifflin a 4-1 lead. The unlikely home run and swing of momentum ignited West Mifflin’s offense and the seventh-seeded Titans went on to a 9-5 victory over second-seeded Trinity at Lilley Field.

West Mifflin’s Crystal Cook, the No. 7 hitter, smacked a three-run homer in the fifth inning and a solo shot in the seventh, and the Titans (17-4) held off a last-ditch rally by Trinity to advance to next week’s semifinals.

“We have people, one through nine in the order, who can hit,” West Mifflin coach Casey Phillips said. “Ackerman is a deceptive No. 9 hitter because she’s capable of hitting a home run.”

Ackerman’s blast was only the fourth hit of the day off Trinity pitcher Tiffany Clark, but it jump-started the Titans’ offense. West Mifflin finished with 14 hits, including three (and four RBI) by Cook. Titans pitcher Paige Flore got stronger through the middle innings and West Mifflin built leads of 7-1 and 9-2.

“It gives a team a confidence boost when you get a big hit like that from someone down in the batting order,” Trinity coach Mike Marino said. “We knew West Mifflin could really hit the ball. We knew they’d put it in play. They just hit the ball more than we did.”

Most of the hitting for Trinity, which ends the season with a 12-5 record, came from the top two hitters in the order, sophomore shortstop Olivia Gray and freshman catcher Delaney Elling. Gray was 2-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs. Elling was 3-for-3 with a walk and four RBI. In two career postseason games, Elling is 8-for-8 with eight RBI.

While every starter except cleanup hitter Alyssa Cairns had at least one hit for West Mifflin, Trinity’s Nos. 3 through 7 hitters were a combined 0-for-18, which made sustaining momentum difficult.

Trinity took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Gray led off with a double and scored on Elling’s single up the middle. The Hillers, however, didn’t score again until the fifth when Madison Hornack singled, Gray walked and Elling hit another run-scoring single up the middle.

“We started the game with two hits and no outs, and only got one run out of it. We didn’t take advantage of opportunities,” Marino said.

Cook’s first homer made the score 7-1 in the fifth. The second shot made it 9-2 in the seventh. Trinity did put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh and created some uneasy moments for the Titans.

“One thing we talked about was not letting up because Trinity is one of the best hitting teams in the WPIAL,” Phillips said. “All year, they scored runs in bunches. You saw that in the last inning. There was no quit in that team.”

In the seventh, Brianna Thomas’ single, Hornack’s fielder’s choice grounder that failed to produce an out and a walk by Gray loaded the bases, and Elling lined a two-run single to right centerfield. Gray then scored on Brooke Beck’s sacrifice fly, but Flore ended the game with two strikeouts.

“One thing about this team is it never gives up,” Marino said. “They’ll fight to the end. I’m proud of them.”