West Greene to take another swing at state title
West Greene’s Madison Renner, right, celebrates with Madison Lampe at home plate during the Pioneers’ PIAA Class A semifinal victory over DuBois Central Catholic Monday afternoon at North Allegheny High School.
West Greene celebrates after beating DuBois Central Catholic Monday afternoon in a PIAA Class A semifinal game. Madison Renner, left, hugs Madison Lampe and Jade Renner hugs Kaitlyn Rizor at North Allegheny High School.
West Greene’s Madison Renner, right, celebrates with McKenna Lampe after the Pioneers defeated DuBois Central Catholic Monday to advance to the PIAA Class A championship game.
The Lampe sisters, Madison and McKenna, get a hug from their father John Lampe after the Pioneers defeated DuBois Central Catholic Monday to advance to the PIAA Class A championship game.
WEXFORD – The Little School That Could has another chance to be a state champion.
Move over “Hoosiers,” the story unfolding at West Greene High School – population just over 200 – is just as compelling as the Hickory basketball team coached by Gene Hackman in the movie.
Bill Simms, the Pioneers head softball coach, has guided the team to the PIAA Class A finals again after a 9-5 victory over Dubois Central Catholic on a steamy Monday afternoon at North Allegheny High School.
The win, which pushed West Greene’s record to 25-1, creates a rematch from last year’s final against Williams Valley at 11 a.m. Friday at Nittany Lion Park on the campus of Penn State University.
Williams Valley defeated West Greene, 3-2, in last year’s final. But if emotion means anything, then you have to like the Pioneers’ chances as Simms was brought to tears talking about this latest accomplishment.
“It’s been tough on me, a lot of pressure, a lot of sleepless nights,” Simms said, his voice cracking and cheeks reddening. “You don’t want to sell your kids short as a coach. It’s nice to get them back (to the state championship game).”
And third baseman Madison Lampe echoed those feelings.
“It means a lot,” she said. “Last year was a different feeling because everything was first, first, first. Now we made it and we’re just as excited.”
West Greene has already made history as Friday’s game against Williams Valley marks the first time a rematch of the previous year’s state final game in Class A takes place.
A state final rematch has occurred only twice in PIAA history:
In 2002 and 2003, North Allegheny and Neshaminy met in Class 4-A with North Allegheny winning in 2002 and Neshaminy in 2003. In 1983 and 1984, when there were only two classifications – Triple-A and Double-A – Kutztown and Iroquois split with Iroquois winning in 1983 and Kutztown in 1984.
This was the second time in as many years West Greene and Dubois Central Catholic met in the state semifinals, which doubles as the West Region final. The Pioneers came away with a 5-2 victory in a game also played at North Allegheny.
In yesterday’s four-run win, second baseman Kaitlyn Rizor had the critical hit of the game, a bases-loaded double that drove in three runs and gave the Pioneers a 4-0 lead in the third inning.
“The umpires had a tight strike zone so we just tried to find our pitch,” said Rizor, who got on base four times. “I hit an inside fastball. It was a huge momentum switch for us. It gave (starter Jade Renner) a lot of breathing room and allowed us to play relaxed.”
But Dubois Central Catholic didn’t win the District 9 title by luck. The Cardinals (23-2) cut that lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the third inning on a two-run single by second baseman Ashley Winble.
Then something weird happened in the top of the fourth inning. West Greene had just pushed across a run when left fielder Linzee Stover singled and scored on a triple by center fielder McKenna Lampe. Simms wanted to try a suicide squeeze bunt and so he signaled to Madison Lampe.
On the pitch to the plate, McKenna Lampe broke for home. The only problem was Madison Lampe had not squared to bunt, having missed the sign. Instead, Madison Lampe swung away and sent a rocket over the left-field fence for a two-run home run that gave West Greene a 7-2 lead.
“I shouldn’t leak this out but Madison Lampe has the greatest missed sign in West Greene softball history,” Simms said with a smile. “We put the squeeze on and … she hits a two-run homer. That’s a great missed sign.”
But Madison Lampe said it wasn’t a missed sign, just a golden opportunity.
“When I hit it, I thought there was too much air under it,” she said. “I was just trying to get a hit to score McKenna.”
Dubois Central Catholic cut the lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single by first Bittner Allysa Bittner but Jade Renner got DH Carly Semancik to foul out to first base.
The teams traded runs in the seventh with the Pioneers getting RBI from first baseman Lexie Mooney and Stover, and the Cardinals matching with a two-run home run by catcher Jordy Frank.
West Greene took a 1-0 lead in the first, taking advantage of three errors by centerfielder Macey Hanes.
West Greene pulled off two doubleplays in the game, a 6-4-3 with a runner on first and no outs in the third; and a doubling of the runner at second base on a line out to centerfield that killed a rally.