Mike Vukovcan After much preparation, head coach Bill Boggs and the Hopewell Junior High School softball team took the field for their first competition of the 2025 season.
The Lady Vikings took on South Fayette in a double header and it was a long, successful afternoon as they won Game One and tied Game Two.
The story line for the opening game was the resiliency shown by Hopewell as they trailed by 6 runs but battled back for a 15-9 victory. Nice job Ladies!
HOPEWELL VS. SOUTH FAYETTE (GAME ONE):
VIKINGS BOX SCORE (GAME ONE):
Izzy Mutkus- Double, 2 runs, 3 RBIs
Sam Holsinger- Double, 3 runs, 2 walks, 2 RBIs
Lillian Otto- 2 runs, 2 walks
Brooke Otto- Triple, 2 RBIs
Alyssa Gray- 1 Hit, 1 RBI
Sienna Zon- 2 hits, 1 Run, 2 RBI
Lily Cain- 2 runs, 2 walks
Gianna Rossi- 2 runs, 2 walks
VIKINGS WINNING RECAP:
-Brooke Otto got Hopewell on the board first in the top of the first inning with an RBI triple. Otto did a nice job of battling in the at-bats as the triple came on the 7th pitch of the at-bat.
-South Fayette score 8 runs in the bottom of the first inning but Coach Cobbs team responded in their next time at the plate. Responding would be an understatement as Hopewell went on to score 12 runs to take a 14-8 lead. The big hit came from the bat of Holsinger, who cleared the bases with a 3-run double.
-The final run for Hopewell came courtesy Sienna Zon, who placed an RBI single down the right-field line.
-Hopewell did a great job running the bases as they racked up 9 stolen bases, led by Mutkus, Zon and Holsinger, who collected multiple stolen bases.
-Abby Babinsack came on to close the game and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing just 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
HOPEWELL VS. SOUTH FAYETTE (GAME TWO):Â
Like was the case in the opening game, the storyline for game two was Hopewell’s mindset to continue to battle despite trailing by a large number in the scoreboard.
Things looked bleak for Hopewell as they trailed 16-5 in the 5th inning, but this team didn’t quit and believed in themselves. As a result, the Lady Vikings scored 11 runs in the Top of the 5th inning to tie the game. Because of darkness, that’s the way things ended.
Although it’s registered as a tie, it no doubt feels like a win for Hopewell considering the mountain they climbed to come back.
When you score 16 runs in a game, there’s going to be plenty of big producers in the box score.
VIKINGS BOX SCORE (GAME TWO):
Izzy Matkus- 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 Doubles, 3 RBIs
Sam Holsinger- 2 hits, 1 run, 1 Walk
Brooke Otto- 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 RBIs
Lillian Otto- 2 runs, Double, 1 RBI
Abby Babinsack- 1 run, Double, 1 RBI, 2 Walks
Lilly Enders- 3 hits, 2 runs, Double, 2 RBIs
Alyssa Phillips- 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 Walk
Bella Cipolla- 2 runs, 1 Walks
Gianna Rossi- 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 Walks
VIKINGS ‘WINNING’ RECAP:
-While Hopewell collected 15 hits, give them credit for also having a good eye at the plate, as they drew eight walks.
-In the 11-run 5th inning, Rossi drove in a run with an RBI groundout, Mutkus had an RBI double, Lillian Otto came up with an 2-run RBI double, Babinsack delivered an RBI double, Enders did the same with an RBI double, Rossi got her second RBI of the inning as she collected an RBI walk and Mutkus capped things off with a 3-run double.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
After a day off today, Hopewell closes the week with two games- at home Thursday vs. West Allegheny and at home Friday vs. Moon.
If you’d like to come out to watch and support this team, games start at 4 PM.
