Cimino, Orth help North Penn find enough offense to secure PIAA-6A championship

STATE COLLEGE >> After striking out in the bottom of the second inning, Gianna Cimino expected Hempfield Area pitcher Riley Miller to give her more of the same when the North Penn junior stepped up to the plate with two outs in the fourth.

“I knew she was going to pitch me outside again,” Cimino said. “And since she got me on the last at-bat, so I was just looking for that outside pitch again and I went with it.”

Cimino connected, sending a pitch out to right center field and dashed to second base for a double.

With a runner in scoring position and Thursday afternoon’s PIAA-6A championship game still scoreless, Sophia Orth recognized it was a moment where she had to come through.

“I was like ‘I’m not leaving her out there with that double,’” Orth said.

The junior did, following Cimino with another double to right center, allowing Cimino to score the game’s opening run.

“She was throwing us outside the whole day, so I knew I was getting the first pitch outside,” Orth said. “I just knew I had to go with it. Keep my head clear, following up G – G’s amazing, she’s so clutch getting that double with two outs.”

The Knights could not add to its slim advantage but Julia Shearer made sure they did not need to. The senior left-hander finished her stellar high-school career with a nine-strikeout, four-hit shutout performance as North Penn claimed its second state title in three seasons with a 1-0 win at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park.

“I think we have so much confidence in each other and we trust each other,” Cimino said. “And when we get that one run that helps our confidence.”

It was the second straight 1-0 victory for the Knights and second in which Orth brought in the winning run to help North Penn secure a perfect 28-0 season.

“For Sophia to come through with the hit – a kid that played third base for us and never played there before and was on the JV team last year,” Knights coach Rick Torresani said. “No pressure – just came out and hit the ball.”

Against Chambersburg in the semifinals, Orth came up in the top of the eighth with one out and runners on the corner and sent a fly ball out to center, which was caught but gave Annabelle Smink the chance to race in from third. Smink looked to have been tagged out before sliding into home but the call was safe, giving Orth an RBI sac fly and North Penn a 1-0 lead that became the final score.

“It felt great just to come through for my teammates and for me, especially the seniors, they all worked so hard, we’ve all worked so hard to get here,” Orth said. “And just to be able to contribute this year. Last year I wasn’t with this squad, I was on JV so being able to support all my teammates and come through for them was amazing.”

While Thursday was just the third time all year the Knights were held to a single run, North Penn did collect seven hits off Miller – three from extra bases. Orth went 2-for-3 while Casey Sokol capped a strong end of the season, going 3-for-3 with a double down the right-field line in the third.

For Sokol, it was her fifth multi-hit game in eight postseason contests – three of those coming in states, including another three-hit effort against Hazleton in NP’s 18-0 five-inning quarterfinal win.

“I think we had good approaches,” said Orth of the final. “I think we did. I think we just got unlucky in placement a lot. They played really strong D, luckily we were able to poke a few through and get that run. I think we were making good contact, we got caught up a little bit but I think we stayed very clear and collected, got it done.”

The Knights had a chance to add to the lead in the fifth. Casey Sokol led off with a single and went to second on a Jaclyn Diaz sacrifice bunt. That brought up Shearer, but Hempfield opted to intentionally walk her for the second time.

“I saw one pitch the entire game,” said Shearer, who hit a bunt single in the first. “It was frustrating. I wanted to hit, they knew I wanted to hit, they didn’t let me hit. So it was just really frustrating as a senior to not be able to swing.”

Shearer was safe at second on a Sarah Sabocsik fielder’s choice, loading the bases with one out. But Sokol was forced out at home on a fielder’s choice then a groundout kept the Spartans down 1-0.

In the sixth, Orth hit a one-out single with a Bella Nunn sac bunt advancing Orth to second. Orth attempted to score as Sokol singled to right but was thrown out at home.

“I don’t have a lot of speed,” Orth said. “So rounding third this is going to be close. And, yeah, it happens.”

The Knights were denied a second run but Shearer prevented any drama in the top of the seventh, striking out the side for the fifth state title in program history.

“It’s unbelievable,” Cimino said. “I don’t even know what to say, I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet but it’s amazing. This team is so great – our chemistry, everybody’s clutch when we need them.”