Hames tosses no-hitter as Seneca Valley beats Canon-Mac, 8-0
JACKSON TWP — Having just punched out Canon-McMillan’s Kiersten Williams to put an exclamation point on a Friday no-hitter, a stone-faced Lexie Hames turned around, picked up her rosin bag, and headed to the dugout.
The Seneca Valley junior standout didn’t pump her fist, raise her arms, or even crack a smile.
“It was just getting back to business,” Hames said following the Raiders’ 8-0 WPIAL Section 1-6A home win. “The Hempfield game — 15-2 — that’s tough. I was resting that game. ... It was getting back in the full swing of things and just going from there.”
Hames struck out 15 on the day and would’ve turned in a perfect outing if not for walking her first challenger on four pitches. Along with her team, she had to sit through a lightning delay that pushed the contest back about an hour.
“I couldn’t get on the field, so I was kind of just rushing to get back in there,” Hames said. “That batter was just like, ‘Uh, I’m a little off.’ Then the next batter, I settled in.”
At the dish for the Raiders (17-1, 14-1), Hames belted a two-run blast in the bottom of the third inning, opening her team’s scoring. She’d recently dealt with discomfort in her shoulder area.
“I had four different knots tugging all different areas,” Hames said. “I was super tight. I had no range of motion in my arm at all. It started (during our game) against North Allegheny. That game I pitched, then I pitched Pine-Richland and Norwin. Those games, I was also going through that.
“Eventually, I had to take a rest to get it loosened up.”
That repose included Seneca Valley’s decisive road loss on Wednesday.
“I think when that happened, we look at that as a learning experience,” Coach Hames said. “Things were exposed for our team that we needed to work on that really hadn’t been exposed this whole season. ... (We) came back stronger today.”
Rylee Kratochvil led off the home third with an infield single. Abby Kalkowski took her place after grounding into a fielder’s choice, then Hames bashed her two-out homer over the fence in right center field.
To open the bottom fifth, Kratochvil reached third on a throwing error and came across on a wild pitch. Kara Pasquale had a one-out double and Bella Gross drove her in with a double of her own.
Neve Miller got things going during the Raiders’ next turn with a double off the fence. She’d score on Liv Herrem’s one-out single and Herrem and Kratochvil on Pasquale’s two-RBI single. Pasquale made it to third after that base knock as the Big Macs (6-9, 6-9) kicked the ball around in the outfield. She’d make it home on an errant offering.
In the circle, Hames fired 88 pitches. She piled up more swings-and-misses (30) than she had balls (25) as she consecutively re-directed 21 Canon-McMillan batters to their bench.
“Definitely back,” the younger Hames said. “Definitely better.”
In saying that, she confirmed what her mother had said briefly before.
“I think she knew resting her was the best (for her),” Coach Hames said. “She doesn’t like not to be on the mound, so it was really hard for her. ... Being able to come in today knowing that she was 100% really made a difference.”
As part of Senior Day, Kylie Staudt, Pasquale, Kalowski, and Kratochvil were substituted with fanfare prior to the final out.
“I started coaching them in Seneca Valley North when they were seven and eight,” Coach Hames said. “This is a special group for me. They are just a wonderful group of girls. ... They just contribute good leadership. (They’re) good role models for our girls and their athleticism is phenomenal.”
Canon-McMillan 000 000 0 — 0 0 4
Seneca Valley 002 024 x — 8 10 0
W: Lexie Hames 7IP (15K, 1BB). L: Lyla Mowery 5.1IP (0K, 0BB).
Canon-McMillan (6-9, 6-9): No hits, Olivia Ford BB
Seneca Valley (17-1, 14-1): Abby Kalkowski 1B R, Kara Pasquale 2B 1B 2RBI 2R, Lexie Hames HR 2RBI R, Bella Gross 2B RBI, Neve Miller 2B R, Kylie Staudt 1B, Liv Herrem 1B RBI R, Rylee Kratochvil 2-1B 2R
Monday: Seneca Valley at Butler
