Warwick’s cleanup hitter knocked in four runs to lift the Warriors to a 5-3 victory at Hempfield on a Monday afternoon in May 2015, clinching the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One softball title.
Fast start
Warwick jumped ahead in the first inning when its slugger smacked a two-run homer. In the third, she doubled to drive in two more runs, then scored herself to put Warwick up 5-0.
Warwick’s left-handed ace held Hempfield scoreless through most of the game.
A nervous seventh
Hempfield pushed three runs across in the seventh inning, helped by three Warwick errors, but the Warriors held on to secure the win and the title.
Warwick won all but one game that regular season and advanced to the playoffs with a Section One championship in hand.
Playoff picture
A doubleheader of tiebreaker games was scheduled for that Wednesday at Warwick. The game Warwick watched most closely was the 4:30 p.m. matchup between Pequea Valley and Annville-Cleona to settle second place in Section Four, since the Warriors would face the winner that Saturday at 2 p.m. at Garrett Field in Willow Street.
The winner of that game would play again at 7:30 p.m. the following Monday at Garrett Field, and the L-L League championship game was set for Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m.
As it turned out, Warwick drew Pequea Valley and won 10-0 behind a two-hitter and a 10-run third inning, setting up a semifinal against Lampeter-Strasburg.
Coach Mark Hough’s approach
Under head coach Mark Hough, Warwick built its success on pitching, defense and timely hitting. Hough consistently emphasized fundamentals, from executing sacrifice bunts to making routine plays in the field, and his players credited the team’s chemistry for keeping hits “contagious” during big innings.
Photos
Photographer Ken Kaylor captured the clinching game for LititzDailyNews.com, including the first-inning homer, the team greeting its slugger at the plate and the left-hander on the mound. Two galleries of his photos were published with the original story.
Why section titles matter
Section titles earn teams favorable seeding in the league tournament and help build momentum for the District Three playoffs. For a Warwick program with a strong tradition, the 2015 crown was another banner to hang and a springboard to a deep postseason run.
Why section titles matter
In Lancaster-Lebanon League play, a section championship is the first major goal of every season. Teams spend months of practices and league games chasing it, and the title carries weight well beyond a banner in the gym. Section standings help determine seeding for the league playoffs, and strong league finishes feed into district qualification.
Winning a section also tends to reflect consistency more than a single big night. Over a full league schedule, a team has to handle road games, injuries, illness and opponents who have scouted it closely. Champions usually combine depth with a few players who can take over in close games.
The road ahead
For coaches, a section title is both a reward and a starting point. The postseason brings tougher opponents from other sections and, later, from across District Three, the PIAA district that covers south-central Pennsylvania. Teams that win their section often say the experience of playing meaningful games late in the season helps them handle the pressure of the playoffs.
Community support
Warwick teams draw steady crowds from Lititz and the surrounding townships, and a championship run brings out students, families and alumni. For many in the community, following the Warriors is part of the rhythm of the school year.
Congratulations to the Warriors on a well-earned championship.
This article was originally published in May 2015.