A game is never over until it’s over, and Hempfield learned that lesson Tuesday the hard way.

With a spot in the PIAA Class 6A championship up for grabs, the Spartans (23-2) appeared to be in complete control of their state semifinal matchup against District 11 runner-up Nazareth (22-6) at Robb Sports Complex at Shippensburg University. Instead, the Blue Eagles mounted a comeback for the ages, rallying for six unanswered runs against Hempfield with two outs in the top of the seventh inning for an improbable 6-4 victory.

In the midst of a remarkable season that included the school’s second WPIAL championship in the past three years and the ninth overall in its storied history, the Spartans appeared to be on the brink of another trip to Penn State’s Beard Field to compete for the PIAA Class 6A title, but it simply wasn’t meant to be.

After jumping to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring triple by Lauren Howard followed by a sacrifice fly by Allie Cervola, Hempfield tacked on two more runs in the fourth to give ace pitcher Riley Miller a four-run cushion. Meanwhile, Miller cruised through six scoreless innings before Nazareth finally cracked the code against her in the seventh.

With the Blue Eagles down to their final strike and the bases loaded, Emma Infantino blasted a three-run double to trim the Spartans’ lead to 4-3. Briana Recchia followed with a game-tying single, then Nazareth scored the go-ahead run on an error before adding another insurance run.

Hempfield then had the tying run to the plate with a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh, but the Spartans were unable to capitalize, as a game-ending groundout brought a gut-wrenching end to the team’s tremendous season.

Scoreboard

Class 6A

Central Dauphin 2, Perkiomen Valley 0

Nazareth 6, Hempfield 4

Class 5A

Penn-Trafford 8, West Allegheny 2

Greencastle-Antrim 13, West Chester East 0

Class 4A

Kennard-Dale 5, Fort LeBoeuf 2

Valley View 5, Northwestern Lehigh 4

Class 3A

Bald Eagle 5, Susquenita 0

Pine Grove 3, Mid Valley 0

Class 2A

Neshannock 12, Chartiers-Houston 1 (5 innings)

South Williamsport 9, Williams Valley 5

Class 1A

Union 8, Cambridge Springs 0

Northeast Bradford 1, Claysburg Kimmel 0

Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.

Steve Rotstein

Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.