North Allegheny splits doubleheader with Hempfield in regular season finale
North Allegheny showed its resilience and offensive depth ahead of the WPISL playoffs, splitting a doubleheader with Hempfield on Tuesday. After dropping the opener 10-4, the Tigers bounced back with a 12-9 victory in the nightcap, combining for 30 hits across the two games as they prepare for postseason play this weekend.
In Game 1, Hempfield built an early advantage with four first-inning runs and added two more in the third to take a 6-1 lead. North Allegheny continued to battle throughout the game, getting on the board when Jordan Phillips delivered an RBI single in the third inning. Frida Gourlay added an RBI hit in the fourth, helping the Tigers trim the deficit to 6-2. Hempfield responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead, but North Allegheny never stopped competing. In the seventh inning, Lily Daugherty ripped a two-run triple to score Amara Daugherty and Zoey Bornt, accounting for the final 10-4 margin.
Despite the loss, the Tigers collected 14 hits in the opener. Lily Daugherty drove in two runs, while Amara Daugherty, Olivia Smith, Abby Steiner, Gourlay, and Lily Daugherty each recorded two hits.
The nightcap told a different story.
Hempfield once again struck first, scoring three runs in the opening inning. North Allegheny immediately answered. Ava Combs delivered an RBI single and Megan Sweeney added a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 3-2 by the end of the first inning.
The turning point came in the third. With two runners aboard, Combs launched a three-run home run to center field, giving North Allegheny its first lead of the game at 5-3. Later in the inning, an RBI double by Olivia Smith helped the Tigers extend the advantage.
After Hempfield narrowed the score to 6-5 in the fourth, North Allegheny responded with its biggest inning of the day. Lily Daugherty drove in a run with a single, Amara Daugherty scored on an error, Combs added a sacrifice fly, and RBI singles from Sweeney and Abby Steiner capped a five-run rally that pushed the Tigers’ lead to 11-5.
North Allegheny added a key insurance run in the sixth when Viola Laswell delivered a sacrifice fly that scored Jordan Phillips and extended the lead to 12-6.
Hempfield mounted one final rally in the seventh, scoring three runs and bringing the tying run to the plate. With pressure mounting, the Tigers’ defense answered. Jordan Phillips recorded a force out at third for the second out of the inning before Lily Daugherty and Phillips teamed up on another force play to end the game and secure the 12-9 victory.
Combs finished the game with five RBIs, while Amara Daugherty added three hits. Laswell, Sweeney and Jordan Phillips each contributed multiple-hit performances as North Allegheny totaled 16 hits in the win.
With the regular season now complete, the Tigers head into the WPISL playoffs carrying momentum from a strong offensive showing against one of the area’s top programs. North Allegheny combined for 30 hits in the doubleheader and will look to carry that confidence into its pursuit of a WPISL championship this weekend.
