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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell HS Softball Season Ends with Heartbreaking Extra Innings Loss

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Sports can be fantastic but it can also be heartbreaking and unfortunately, that’s how things ended tonight for Hopewell.

In the 1st round of the WPIAL Softball playoffs, Hopewell suffered a painful 10-9 extra-innings loss to Southmoreland.

Aside from the final score, it was a fantastic game that had so many emotional roller-coasters as part of it.

Hopewell scored 4 runs in the top of 4th inning to take a 4-2 lead and led 4-3 going to the 6th inning. The Lady Vikings then took a 5-3 but to their credit, every time Hopewell got some momentum, Southmoreland responded. For example, After Hopewell scored 4 in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead, Southmoreland responded with 2 runs. Then in the 6th inning, Hopewell scored a run to go up 2 runs and Southmoreland answered with a run of their own.

So the game went to the last inning and Hopewell needed 3 outs to advance to the 2nd round but Southmoreland was clutch and scored a run to tie the game at 5-5.

To their credit, Hopewell could’ve folded but didn’t. In that bottom of the 7th inning, Southmoreland had the winning run at 3rd base with 1 out but Alana Covalt struck out the next two batters to force extra innings.

Things got exciting in extra innings. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Southmoreland’s leadoff hitter walked and eventually tried to steal second base. However, Hopewell catcher Victoria Mann gunned her out trying to steal, killing that threat.

In the top of the 9th inning, Dakota Roche walked and advanced to 3rd with 2 outs but was stranded.

More drama in the bottom of the 9th inning, Southmoreland got runners to 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out. The next batter flew out to short center field, Marina Pinchotti caught the ball and the Southmoreland runner at 3rd tried to tag up, however, gunned it to Mann at home, who applied the tag for the double play.

In the top of the 10th inning, Hopewell looked to break things open by scoring 4 runs. After scoring a run on a fielders choice, Hopewell got runners to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Southmoreland then decided to intentionally walk Kara Barkovich to load the bases. Tallulah Showrank then showed them that was a bad decision as she hit a bases clearing double to put Hopewell up 9-5.

Unfortunately, as they did all game, the Southmoreland team answered with a 5 run bottom of the 10th inning to win an outstanding playoff game.

Southmoreland now advances to take on No. 2 seed Mohawk.

For Hopewell, it’s the end of the season and the end of 4 seniors careers- Victoria Mann, Kara Barkovich, Isabella Katkich and Tallula Showrank. Each of those hitters finished tonight with 2 hits and Mann and Barkovich collected an RBI.

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Hopewell HS Softball

HC Ronda Koblek and the Hopewell HS Softball Team Ready and Excited for 2025 WPIAL Playoffs

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The ‘Second Season’ starts tonight for head coach Ronda Koblek and the Hopewell Vikings varsity softball team.

Tonight, the Vikings will take on Southmoreland in the 1st round of the WPIAL Playoffs.

Hopewell finished the season with a record of 11-7, tied for their most wins in 10+ seasons and are heading into the playoffs on roll.

Coach Koblek’s team has won 5 in a row and 6 of their last 7 games. Included in that was their most impressive win of the season, a 6-1 road win over Ellwood City, which is the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

Hopewell was given a No. seed and will take on No. 10 seed Southmoreland. Regardless of the seed and the opponent, Coach Koblek is pleased with this season, the effort she received from her players and the future of the program.

“We’re definitely where we thought we would be,” Koblek told Vikings Sports Now. “We are in the toughest section in 3A. If you take a look at the placement of our section, the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds all come our section. Having teams like Ellwood, Avonworth and Mohawk is a challenge, and we have to battle extremely hard against strong competition all season long, but we have a very strong team.”

Courtesy Hopewell HS Softball

“We lost three very good seniors last year especially pitching and Chloe at shortstop and Ava at third base. So, we had some big shoes to fill. Coming into this season, Avonworth and Mohawk didn’t lose anyone, and we did. So, I’m proud of our girls and thought they’ve played extremely hard this season. The key for us is confidence. We need to just believe in ourselves and the skill that we have because we can beat anyone, and they know it. That’s what we’re always striving to build is the confidence in the girls to make sure they believe in themselves and how good they really are.”

The one game that really gave this team confidence was beating a perennial power like Ellwood City. Koblek is hoping that game along with the way they finished the season will allow them to go on a little run in the playoffs.

“Beating them (Ellwood City) proved to my girls that if we come with the right mindset that we can beat anybody,” said Koblek. “They’re definitely excited for their first playoff game against Southmoreland. We’ve watched them play on video and we know that we can beat them. I strongly believe that this team is playing their best softball and I’m very confident heading into this game against Southmoreland and hopefully the girls can bring the same mentality that they did against Ellwood.”

This 2025 WPIAL Playoffs will be the final run for the 4 seniors on Hopewell’s roster- Victoria Mann, Kara Barkovich, Isabella Katkich, Tallula Showrank and Koblek is glad that they’re getting this final chance to experience the postseason and hopes it’s a memorable one.

“One of the things that I realize with the four seniors that I have this year is how much they stepped up, not only playing wise with their skill but also with their leadership,” said Koblek. “They’re the ones that keep the team strong. There’s no drama on our team. The team gets along, they stick together, they have each other’s back, no talking behind each other’s backs. That’s what makes our team strong, and it builds a culture for Hopewell softball that makes girls wanna play. Not only is this team good but they’re having fun doing it. Those four seniors really kept this team together, which really made us good.”

“Our four seniors are going to be very hard to replace, one of them is a 4-year starter and the other three are 3-year starters. They’ll be hard shoes to fill, no doubt about that. But we have talent coming in the incoming freshman class and I think that they have the maturity needed to compete. It’s going to be about getting those freshmen set on the mentality that we’re trying to have on this team so that we can be bring the best talent forward. It can’t be about ‘I” it has to be about team and that will be the biggest challenge that I have every year when freshmen come in. They need to realize that this is a team and not just one individual person.”

In case you want to make a road trip to check this team out, tonight’s game will begin at 7 PM from Trinity High School.

Best of Luck!

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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell HS Softball Finishes Regular Season with Dominating Win Over Sewickley Academy

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Any team heading into the playoffs would like to do so on a roll and that’s certainly the case with the Hopewell HS Girls Softball team.

The Lady Vikings closed out their regular season this afternoon at home against Sewickley Academy and walked way with a 13-0 victory. With the win, Hopewell finishes the season on a 5-game winning streak and have won 6 of their last 7 games.

Because of the lopsided score, the game only went 5 innings and Hopewell only got 4 at-bats.

It was only hitting that on the last home game for Hopewell seniors that two of them had huge games.

Senior sluggers Victoria Mann and Kara Barkovic had huge game going a combined 5 for 7 with 2 HR and 7 RBI.

Sophomore Alana Covalt continued her hot hitting going 2-4, with 2 runs and 2 RBI.

On the mound, Covalt and Allison Ramaley combined to go 5 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 0 runs and 6 strikeouts.

Next up for Hopewell is a first round playoff matchup on Tuesday night against Southmoreland.

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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell Receives No. 10 Seed, Playoff Bracket Announced

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Tonight, the Hopewell Vikings HS softball team found out their 1st round opponent as the WPIAL released the playoff bracket for the 2025 Softball playoffs.

Hopewell head coach Ronda Koblek and her Viking players found out they were given the No. 10 seed and will take on No. 7 Southmoreland in the opening round.

That game will take place on Tuesday at 7 PM from Trinity High School.

If Hopewell is able to win that game, they would then take on No. 2 seed Mohawk.

The top four seeds were: No. 1 South Park, No. 2 Mohawk, No. 3 Ellwood City and No. 4 Avonworth.

Keep in mind, Hopewell just defeated No. 3 seed Ellwood City, 6-1. Before that, they lost to No. 2 Avonworth, 11-5 but went to the last inning leading, 5-4.

Vikings Sports Now wishes the softball program all the best in the upcoming playoffs!

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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell Softball Defeats Moon, 4th Straight Win

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Moon Township- The Hopewell High School Softball team is on a roll.

This afternoon, the Lady Vikings defeated the Moon Tigers, 10-2, which is their 4th consecutive win and 5 of their last 6.

With the win, Hopewell improves their overall record to 10-7.

Hopewell scored in the first three innings and jumped out to 7-0 lead and cruised to the win.

Junior Allison Ramaley got the start and pitched her best game of the season. Ramaley pitched a complete game, going 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 runs (0 earned runs), 0 walks and struck out 3. Allison threw 77 pitches, 52 of which were strikes.

The Hopewell offense banged out 14 hits and were led by Tallulah Showrank and Victoria Mann with 3 hits apiece, while Marina Pinchotti, Alana Covalt and Ramaley each had 2. Isabella Katkich and Dakota Roche each had 1 hit.

Hopewell jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Mann doubled in Ramaley to give Hopewell a 1-0 lead. Then with 2 outs, Showrank tripled to right field scoring Katkich and Claire Sarkis. Next up, Roche kept things going with an RBI single scoring Showrank.

After Ramaley pitched a scoreless bottom of the first, Hopewell added another run in the second courtesy am RBI triple by Mann, which scored Ramaley. Hopewell led 5-0.

In the top of the 3rd inning, more clutch hitting as Covalt doubled in Showrank and Pinchotti, extending Hopewell’s lead to 7-0.

In the top of the 5th inning, with 2 on and 2 out, Ramaley singled bringing in Pinchotti and Covalt, Hopewell now led 9-1.

Ramaley cruised the rest of the way and Hopewell left Moon with a 10-2 win.

Hopewell closes out their regular season with a home game tomorrow against Sewickley Academy. First pitch from Hopewell High School is set for 4 PM.

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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell Softball Shuts Out Gateway, 10-0, 3rd Straight Win

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Don’t look now but the Hopewell Vikings HS Softball team is getting hot at the perfect time of the season.

This afternoon, Hopewell kept up their strong play with a 10-0 road win over Gateway. With the win, the Lady Vikings moved their overall record to 9-7 and have now won 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5 games.

Like was the case yesterday on the road against Ellwood City, Hopewell was strong in all 3 elements of the game- offense, pitching and defense.

For the second straight game, Hopewell didn’t commit an error in the field. On the mound, Allison Ramaley was able to blank the Gators, going 5 innings, allowing only 4 hits, 0 runs and striking out 7 batters. The trio of Ramaley, Victoria Mann and Tallulah Showrank paced the way for the Hopewell offense.

GAME RECAP:
Top of 1st inning: Hopewell set the tone for the game in their first at-bats as they were able to put up 4 early runs. After 2 outs, Mann was hit by a pitch, Isabella Katkich and Kara Barkovich walked to load the bases for Showrank, who was hit by a pitch to bring in Mann, Hopewell led 1-0. Next up, Dakota Roche was also hit to bring in Katkich. Hopewell led 2-0. Instead of getting hit, Marina Pinchotti did the hitting as she smacked a single to right field, which brought in Barkovich and Showrank. Hopewell led 4-0 after the 1st inning.

Bottom of 1st inning: Gateway got 2 runners on with 2 outs but Ramaley got out of the inning by getting a fly out to Teagan Scully in right field.

Bottom of the 2nd inning: Ramaley made quick work of the Gateway hitters as she struck out 2 batters and the final out on a groundout to Barkovich at third base. Hopewell 4-0.

Bottom of the 3rd inning: Another easy frame as Ramaley struck out the first two batters and after allowing a single, Allison got the final out on a line drive to Showrank in center field.z

Top of the 4th inning: 3 more runs from the Hopewell offense. The first 5 batters of the inning drew a walk, the final one was Barkovich, which brought in Ramaley. Hopewell led 5-0. Next up, Showrank doubled to center field, which brought in Mann and Katkich. Hopewell led 7-0.

Bottom of the 4th: Ramaley didn’t have to labor at any point in this game, having thrown 68 pitches in 5 innings. In this inning, Ramaley recorded two more strikeouts, along with a groundout from Katkich to Mann at first base.

Top of the 5th inning: With the bases loaded and 0 out, Ramaley smacked a 2-run double to center scoring Covalt and Kamryn Roche, Hopewell led 9-0. Next up, Mann doubled in Ramaley for the final run of the game, Hopewell led 10-0.

Bottom of the 5th inning: Leading by 10 runs in the 5th inning, Hopewell needed only 3 more outs for the win and got them. Ramaley struck out the first batter, the second out came via a pop up to Mann at first and the game ended on a groundout to Mann, who flipped to Ramaley.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 10 GATEWAY 0

WINNING IS FUN!!!

Hopewell closes out the 2025 regular season next week with 3 non-section games, the first of which is Monday at home against Riverside.

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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell HS Softball Defeats Ellwood City for Most Impressive Win of Season

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell Vikings HS softball team finished up section play with arguably their most impressive win of the season.

The Lady Vikings went on the road and defeated Ellwood City, 6-1, with a balanced performance both offensively and defensively.

Hopewell didn’t commit an error in the field, got strong pitching from sophomore Alana Covalt and production from the middle of their order, in particular Victoria Mann and Isabella Katkich.

Courtesy Hopewell Softball

Hopewell’s record now stands at 8-7 overall and 5-5 in Class 3A/Section 2. That record has them finishing in 4th place, behind Mohawk (9-1), Avonworth (6-3) and Ellwood City (6-3). That 4th place finish has cliched a spot in the playoffs for Hopewell.

GAME RECAP-
Bottom of the 2nd: Ellwood City scored a run in the bottom of the first inning and after that, Covalt completely shut them down and blanked them the rest of the way. With runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs, Covalt got out of this jam with ending the inning on a ground ball to Kara Barkovich at third base. Ellwood City 1-0.

Bottom of the 3rd: Covalt struck out the first two batters and the third out on a fly ball to Marina Pinchotti in left field.

Top of the 4th: Hopewell looked to get on the board as Katkich doubled and Barkovich walked with 1 out. However, credit Ellwood City for getting out of this situation and remained in front 1-0.

Bottom of the 4th: Because her team still trailed, Covalt needed to stay strong, and she did just that with another strong inning.  The inning started with a groundout to Katkich at shortstop. Following a walk, Covalt ended the inning with consecutive strikeouts.

Top of the 5th: The Lady Vikings finally got on the board by putting up a crooked number. Pinchotti started the inning by reaching on an error and advanced to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by Teagan Scully. Next up, Covalt laid down a bunt single, which brought in Pinchotti. The game was now tied at 1. The big hit of the inning and the game then took place with 2 outs as Mann blasted a home run to center field, scoring Covalt. Hopewell led 3-1. Next up, Katkich did the same thing as she smacked a solo HR to center. Hopewell led 4-1.

Bottom of the 5th: That 3 run lead was more than enough for Covalt. In this frame, good Vikings defense ended a potential threat. With a runner on first and no outs, Covalt fielded a ground ball and threw out the runner at first to Dakota Roche, who then fired a strike to Barkovich at third getting the runner attempting to advance on the groundout.

Top of the 6th: Hopewell added 2 more runs to pad their lead. Covalt doubled to center with 1 out. Following a walk to Mann, Katkich delivered again, this time with a double down the third base line, which scored Covalt. Hopewell led 5-1. Hopewell would add another run on a passed ball to take a 6-1 lead.

Bottom of the 6th: Ellwood City got a 1-out double but that runner was stranded as Covalt struck out the next two batters. Hopewell led 6-1.

Bottom of the 7th: Ellwood City had one more chance to tie the game but that didn’t happen. Covalt struck out the first batter of the inning, followed by a pop up to Allison Ramaley at second base. Following a 2-out single, the game ended on a line out to Ramaley at second.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 6 ELLWOOD CITY 1

WINNING IS FUN!!!

Statistics:
*Covalt pitched the best game of her young career going 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 run, 3 walks and struck out 9.

*Katkich: 3 for 4, 1 run, 2 RBI, 2 doubles and a HR.

*Mann: 1-3, 2 RBI, Walk, Homerun

*Covalt: 2 for 4, 2 runs, 1 RBI

Hopewell will be back in action this afternoon as they travel to Gateway. Then next week, they close out the regular season with 3 non-section games against Riverside, Moon and Sewickley Academy.

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Hopewell HS Softball

Mann and Barkovich Pace Hopewell HS Softball Over Quaker Valley

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Before you know it, the 2025 WPIAL Softball regular season will be finished and teams that qualify will be preparing for the playoffs.

The Hopewell Vikings are hoping to be one of these teams in the playoff field.

Hopewell currently finds themselves in fourth place in the Section 2 (Class 3A) and remain there following a 10-2 win over Quaker Valley. With the win, the Lady Vikings got their overall record back to 7-7 and 4-5 in section.

Offensively, Hopewell clubbed out 15 hits, including two homeruns: Kara Barkovich and Tallulah Showrank. Congrats ladies.

Courtesy Hopewell HS Softball

Seniors Victoria Mann and Barkovich led the way at the plate going a combined 8-for-8, with 5 RBI. Mann was 5-for-5, with 2 runs and 2 RBIs, while Barkovich went 3-for-3 (single, double and homerun), 2 walks, 2 runs and 3 RBI. That’s quite an afternoon for those two ladies.

Showrank went 2-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored, Allison Ramaley also collected 2 hits and an RBI, while leadoff hitter Alana Covalt set the pace of the offense getting on base 3 times (2 hits and a walk), scoring 2 runs and collecting an RBI.

Speaking of Covalt, she was one of three pitchers used by Hopewell head coach Ronda Koblek.

Covalt got the start and pitched a perfect 2 innings, not allowing a hit, run or walk, while striking out two. Barkovich pitched the third inning, allowing 2 runs, 0 walks and striking out 3. Ramaley closed out the game, not allowing a run and striking out 4 batters.

After a day off today, Hopewell plays their final section game of the season on Wednesday at Ellwood City and then will have a non-section game on Thursday at Gateway.

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Hopewell HS Softball

On Senior Day, Hopewell HS Softball Defeats Quaker Valley, 11-4

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

It was only fitting that on Senior Day, all four of Hopewell’s seniors played a big role in the Vikings 11-4 victory over Quaker Valley.

Isabella Katkich, Tallula Showrank, Victoria Mann and Kara Barkovich were honored before the game and then once the game started, turned into outstandings performances to lead Hopewell’s offense.

The victory improved Hopewell’s record to 5-4 and to 2-2 in section play.

Hopewell’s 4 seniors went a combined 5 for 12, with 6 runs, 6 RBI and 4 Walks.

The Lady Vikings jumped out a 7-2 lead after 4 innings, which gave their pitchers the cushion they needed

On the mound, Alana Covalt got the start and pitched the first 4 innings. The sophomore right-hander allowed just 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks and struck out 4 batters. Junior Allison Ramaley pitched the last 3 innings, allowed only 1 hit, 2 runs (0 earned runs), 1 walk and struck out 4.

Hopewell’s Allison Ramaley

Taking a look at some big plays in the today’s game, with Hopewell leading 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning, Covalt made it 3-1 with a 2-out RBI single which scored Teagan Scully.

Hopewell went to the bottom of the fourth inning leading 3-2 and added 4 more runs, all of which came with 2 outs. The first two runs scored on a single to left by Katkich. Then after Barkovich walked, Mann singled to left, which scored both Katkich and Barkovich. Hopewell led 7-2 after four innings.

In the top of the 5th, after her offense put up four runs, Ramaley did her job as she retired Quaker Valley 1-2-3, courtesy a pop-up to Katkich at shortstop, a ground ball to Covalt at second and ending the inning with a strikeout.

After Quaker Valley scored 2 unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning, the Lady Vikings responded in the bottom of the frame with 4 more runs.

With 2 on and 0 out, Showrank produced 2-run single, which scored Barkovich and Mann to make it 9-4. Next up, Ramaley hit a line drive triple to right field, which scored Showrank.

Ramaley went to the final inning with a seven-run lead and made short work of Quaker Valley as Ramaley fielded the first out on a pop up back to the mound. After that, Allison struck out the second QV hitter and the game ended on a ground out to Katkich at shortstop.

Vikings Win!

No rest for Hopewell as they take on Ellwood City tomorrow at home in a very important section game. First pitch is set for 4 PM.

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Hopewell HS Softball

Hopewell HS Softball Pound Beaver Falls, 18-6

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The Hopewell HS Softball team bounced back from a tough outing against Avonworth with a 18-6 pounding of Beaver Falls.

The Vikings offense was just too much for the Tigers to deal with as they produced 18 runs and 10 hits in just 4 innings.

Leading the way offensively for the Lady Vikings were Alana Covalt with 3 hits, 3 runs and 2 RBIs, Isabella Karachi with a 3-run HR and 2 walks, Kara Barkovich was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI, Victoria Mann with 2 hits and 2 RBI, Tallulah Showrank with a double, 2 walks and 2 RBIs, Allison Ramaley with 2 RBI and Dakota Roche with 3 runs.

Covalt pitched the final two innings allowing 1 hit, 0 earned runs, walking one and striking out 4 batters.

The win improves Hopewell’s overall record to 4-3 and they’ll return to action on Friday at Mohawk.

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