Smink called safe on slide home in 8th, North Penn edges Chambersburg in PIAA-6A semifinals
MILLERSVILLE >> Annabelle Smink had to change things up for herself and the North Penn softball team.
The senior shortstop’s first three at-bats all ended in groundouts. But leading off the top of the eighth inning with the Knights and Chambersburg still scoreless in their PIAA-6A semifinal Tuesday night, Smink shifted her strategy. Swinging on the first pitch offered, she knocked it into right center field for a double.
“It was right down the middle of the plate,” Smink said. “I needed a different approach. I hadn’t had a good approach all day so I was like I need a different approach.”
Smink advanced to third base as Brie Wilmot reached on an error. A strikeout by the next batter kept her 60 feet from home but Sophia Orth followed by sending a fly ball out to center to give Smink a chance to provide the breakthrough.
“I was just a bit under it reaching for it so hard,” Orth said. “But I trusted AB cause AB’s got that speed she can get home. She’s got the grit – I know she could do it.”
Smink raced in and dove headfirst as Trojans catcher Sam Paetow turned and went for the tag. And when the dust settled, Smink was ruled safe – a call that left Chambersburg exasperated and North Penn holding a 1-0 lead.
“Hey, I hear she was out by pictures and stuff but you know that’s the name of the game,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said. “I feel bad for them but that’s the way it goes.”
Julia Shearer sealed the Knights’ second trip to the state final in three seasons as she finished her two-hit shutout by putting the Trojans down in order in the bottom of the eighth as North Penn came away from Millersville University’s Seaber Stadium with a 1-0 extra-inning victory.
“Two years ago was one of the most fun times of all our high school careers,” Shearer said. “I guess the moment was so intense that getting that final out, I was bursting with joy. There’s not much else to explain, it’s a great feeling, it’s such a fun experience at State College and I can’t wait to go back.”
Shearer struck out 15 in throwing her 21st shutout of the season. The Knights (27-0) were held to one run for only the second time in 2023 but still found a way to advance to face District 7 champ Hempfield Area – a 6-1 winner over District 3 champ Cumberland Valley Monday – in the state title game 4 p.m. Thursday at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park.
“Just an unbelievable game and Julia was just not going to be denied,” Torresani said. “Not going to be denied, she was unbelievable but the defense behind her was great, Sophia made plays. Just an unbelievable game, we didn’t hit but you know what games like this, I mean if you paid money – well they paid money it was a good dime let’s put it that way.”
North Penn won the Class 6A state title in its last trip to the state final in 2021. Last season, the Knights fell to eventual champ Spring-Ford 2-0 in the semifinals.
“It is awesome,” Smink said. “It is the best feeling in the world. It meant so much cause tomorrow we have graduation and then we get to go to Penn State, that’s awesome. It’s what everyone wants.”
North Penn put runners on base in each of the last six innings and had at least one hit in the last five frames yet could not crack through against right-hander Kylee Miller until one out in the eighth. Orth could not get down a bunt but ended up connecting for a sacrifice fly to center.
“I knew she was going to go outside on me,” Orth said. “I knew I had to be disciplined in where she was throwing it outside on me and not to go with ones that are all the way on the edge and get the ones that are just perfect. And get it out in play.”
Maddy Hannanran, running for Wilmot, advanced to second on Orth’s sac fly but was left there after a groundout.
Shearer, however, needed just the one run. After getting the first out in the bottom of the eighth on a groundout to third baseman Orth the senior left-hander struck out the next two batters – the second her 346st of the season – to send the Knights to the final.
“As the game goes on and it’s tighter and tighter it gets more and more intense on our side so as the game went on our attention was laser focused,” Shearer said. “We were all playing for each other, we were hyping each other up every single at-bat and I feel like it feels even better winning a game in, what, eight innings then it does mercy-ruling a game cause you actually earned it, you worked for it.”
Shearer, the two-time Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year, did not give up a walk and allowed three baserunners on two hits and a hit by pitch.
“I was mixing it up big time,” Shearer said. I could throw curveball at any moment, changeup 3-2, I could throw a riseball to any hitter. I think every single batter I threw different pitches each time. So keeping them off balance was key.
“Really, they didn’t know what was coming. I don’t think they knew what I had coming in so that worked to our advantage today.”
Miller took the loss in a complete-game effort for Chambersburg (22-4), which was looking to reach its first PIAA final since 2004. She gave up an unearned run on six hits, walked three, hit one batter and struck out seven.
“She was a good pitcher, she had some spin, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before,” said Shearer of Miller. “But I feel like the (strike) zone played a huge part in our performance today but now we know how to handle ourselves going forward.”
Shearer retired the first eight Chambersburg batters until Carly Benedict ripped a two-out double to left center in the fourth. Brea Paetow reached on an infield and with the ball on ground near first Benedict tried to score from third but was thrown out to end the inning.
The Trojans did not have another runner on base until Benedict was hit by a pitch with one out in the sixth. A groundout to third advanced her to second before Shearer collected a strikeout to keep things scoreless.
In the top of the third, Bella Nunn drew a leadoff walk, Casey Sokol followed by getting hit by a pitch while a one-out Shearer walk loaded the bases. However, the Knights came up empty after a strikeout and a groundout to first.
“I thought when we had those chances and we didn’t score I said ‘Please don’t lose this game because I’ll be up for days wondering,’’ Torresani said. “But you know what, Annabelle came through and like I said these kids won’t be denied.”
Gianna Cimino – who finished 2-for-4 – posted North Penn’s first hit by dropping a single into right center field with one out in the fourth. An Orth single put two runners on but the next batter lined to first for an unassisted double play.
The Knights had two runners on again in the top of the seventh. Nunn began the inning with a single – just beating the throw in from right – then went to second on a Jaclyn Diaz one-out sacrifice bunt. With a base open, Chambersburg intentionally walked Shearer – the decision paying off as the following batter flew out to left.
