Three outs away from a spot in the Berks Softball League final, Hamburg pitcher Hailey Strunk and the Hawks found themselves in a jam.
Exeter had scored two runs in the top of the seventh to cut Hamburg’s lead to two and the Eagles had the bases loaded and no outs.
Making her third career start in a Berks semifinal, Strunk remained composed.
“Trust my defense,” Strunk said she thought to herself. “I have a great defense behind me and they show up every day.”
And in the most pivotal part of the game, the Hawks’ defense showed up once again.
After striking out Eagles third baseman Sasha Bolonski for the first out, Strunk got shortstop Alena Dinnini to fly out to center fielder Amelia Gassert. The junior fired a throw home to catcher Shayna Morales, who collected the ball on one hop and tagged a sliding Cheyenne Boyles to complete the game-sealing double play.
“She’s honestly amazing,” Strunk said about Gassert. “I was pretty speechless.”
With her defense behind her, Strunk helped lead No. 2 seed Hamburg to a 5-3 win over third-seeded Exeter in a Berks semifinal on Monday night at Lyons Field.
“I hadn’t really pulled it out yet,” Strunk said about her previous losses in county semifinals. “Being a senior and having this amazing team behind me, it means the world to me.”
The win gives the Hawks (19-3) their first berth in the Berks final since 2010 after they lost in the semifinals in 2021 and 2023. Hamburg won the 2010 title game over Muhlenberg thanks to a no-hitter from pitcher Tara Klee.
The Hawks will take on top-seeded Wilson in the final on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Lyons Field.
“It’s one of the things that we were working for as a team, (something) this group of seniors wanted to achieve,” Hamburg coach Zena Lutz said. “I’m very proud of them.”
A senior, Strunk tossed 97 pitches over seven innings. She allowed three runs, two of which were earned, and 10 hits while striking out five.
“She had a really good night,” Lutz said about Strunk. “She hit her spots.”
The Hawks opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning, as an RBI triple from right fielder Kylah Reading scored third baseman Jenna Shuman. Reading came home on the following at-bat, as Strunk hit an RBI double to give Hamburg a 2-0 lead.
“Coming in here, getting the runs that we wanted to get up early in the game was just an amazing feeling,” Reading said. “To come out with the win is just awesome.”
A junior, Shuman finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. A senior, Reading went 2-for-2 with an RBI, two runs scored and two walks.
“She’s always going to do something for us,” Lutz said about Reading. “She’s just a great hitter and she’s just a great kid. I’m very proud of her.”
After Strunk got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third unscathed, the Eagles (17-5) finally got on the board in the fourth inning when Katelyn Stanley scored on an error.
The Hawks had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth and scored one run. They extended their lead to 3-1, as an RBI groundout from second baseman Hailie Edwards scored Reading.
Exeter relief pitcher Mackenzie O’Brien stifled the Hamburg offense at times. She allowed four hits and three runs in four innings. Boyles got the start for the Eagles, and in taking the loss she allowed two runs in two innings.
Hamburg added two more runs in the sixth on an RBI double from Shuman that scored pinch runner Mackenzie Hoover, and Strunk followed two batters later with an RBI single, plating Shuman to make it 5-1.
“We were pumped,” Reading said. “We all had the attitude that we wanted to win and wanted to go to the championship.”
The Eagles did not go away quietly in the final inning, as a lead-off double from center fielder Taylor Hill sparked a rally. Hill scored on an RBI single from Stanley and O’Brien scored on an RBI single from left fielder Jillian Warner as Exeter went station-to-station on the base paths.
With a strikeout and a crucial double play, the Hawks ended the rally and secured their spot in the county final for the first time in over a decade.
“I knew this was our game,” Strunk said. “I could just feel it walking into Lyons Field today.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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