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Alyssa Rager, a senior softball player at Trinity. is batting .591 with a team-leading 3 homers, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
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Trinity trying to separate itself from other Class 5A contenders after torrid start

Photo courtesy of Diane Hasson/Becky Rinehart

Trinity trying to separate itself from other Class 5A contenders after torrid start

In the gauntlet that is Class 5A softball, it’s not easy for teams to stand out from other contenders.

If Trinity keeps up this level of play, though, it won’t be long before the Hillers start to separate themselves from the pack.

Through the first eight games of the 2022 season, Trinity (7-1, 3-0) has been on an absolute tear. The Hillers have racked up double-digit runs in all seven of their victories so far, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 98-20. They went 4-1 in a season-opening trip in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., with their only defeat coming in a 7-3 loss vs. Jackson, Ohio, which features Purdue recruit Julia Gossett as its starting pitcher.

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Since returning home, Trinity has racked up three wins in a row — first, an 11-1 win vs. South Fayette on March 31, then a 16-3 win vs. Moon on April 4, followed by a pivotal 11-4 win vs. Chartiers Valley on Monday.

“It showed the kids were all excited. They’ve been working hard this year,” said Trinity coach Shawn Gray. “It’s fun. Obviously, they get into it. They’re really enjoying the season.”

Senior catcher Alyssa Rager and junior center fielder Amber Morgan are both returning all-section picks from last year’s team, which finished 8-5 overall and lost to eventual WPIAL champion North Hills in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs, 4-2. Both Rager and Morgan are picking up right where they left off as the No. 2 and 3 hitters in the Hillers’ lineup.

Rager bashed a pair of home runs against the Colts on Monday, and she’s now batting .591 with a team-leading 3 homers, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Morgan leads the team with a .640 batting average to go with a team-high 16 runs.

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“Morgan and Rager, they’re both mashing the ball right now,” Gray said.

Leadoff hitter Ryleigh Hoy has done a great job setting the table, batting .435 with a home run and 6 RBIs along with 14 runs scored. Junior Addison Agnew bats cleanup and freshman Hanna Suhoski is in the No. 5 spot, and both provide plenty of pop in the middle of the lineup. Junior second baseman Kristina Bozek, who also plays basketball for Trinity, is another sparkplug the Hillers can rely on to jump-start the offense if needed.

“Our team is hitting,” Gray said. “We had that kind of success last year, and maybe the year before. But they’re hitting consistently. They’re putting up numbers almost every inning, which is nice to see. We’re getting a lot of runners on, then we’re clearing the bases for ourselves.”

In the circle, junior Taylor Dunn has mystified opponents with an array of off-speed pitches, keeping hitters off balance to the tune of a 5-1 record with a 1.60 ERA, 32 strikeouts and 12 walks. Dunn got plenty of experience last year as a sophomore, but she is taking her game to a new level this season while adding more velocity to her pitches.

“She’s really gotten a lot stronger with maturity, believing in her pitches, trusting her pitches,” Gray said. “Obviously, that comes with age.”

All in all, Gray knows how hard it will be to even win a playoff game in Class 5A this year, let alone to make it all the way to the finals. All he and his players are focused on right now is winning their section and getting into the tournament, and from there, anything can happen.

“Playing along with your injuries and making sure you get that one lucky shot — when you’ve got a runner in scoring position, you’ve got to get that one timely hit. Those are the two things that matter most,” Gray said. “[Class 5A] is a loaded division, and you hope that you’re peaking at the right time.”

Frazier

Last year, Frazier made it all the way to the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals and finished 16-6 overall despite playing with a completely revamped roster full of varsity newcomers.

This year, the Commodores have all but one starter back from last year’s lineup and are now loaded with veteran players ready to help Frazier climb back to the top of the WPIAL — and maybe even the state.

As of right now, though, the Class 2A No. 5 Commodores (4-0, 3-0) are simply itching to get back on the field. Several rain delays kept Frazier from playing since April 4, but the Commodores returned to play with a 14-0 win Tuesday night at Beth-Center.

“You just try to do what you can in the gym and simulate some game-speed activities,” said Frazier coach Don Hartman. “You go live in the cage and do whatever you can to stay game ready, and hope for the next day to be available to play.”

Frazier opened the season with an impressive 9-3 victory against Thomas Jefferson, which figures to be in the playoff mix in Class 5A at the end of the season. The Commodores then racked up a pair of section victories against Washington (15-0 on March 31) and Charleroi (11-2 on April 4).

Senior shortstop Tori Washinski, a Glenville State recruit, is the No. 3 hitter and the only senior in Frazier’s lineup this year. Hartman’s daughter, Jensyn, is a junior catcher batting leadoff, and center fielder Maria Felsher bats second. Both Hartman and Felsher were all-section picks last season.

Also returning for the Commodores this year is sophomore pitcher Nicole Palmer, who earned all-section honors as a freshman. Junior Madison Bednar is also a versatile player capable of playing multiple spots in the infield, and she will likely slide into the No. 5 spot in the lineup once she fully recovers from a preseason injury.

“Madison can play anywhere, that’s the nice thing about her. And she’s a very unselfish player,” Hartman said. “She’s also my second pitcher and she plays a little outfield for me, too, so that tells you all you need to know about her.”

After winning a WPIAL title in 2017 and a state title in 2019, Hartman knows what it takes to go deep into the postseason — now, it’s just about getting his young players to believe and uphold the standard set by those who came before them.

“We’re excited about our team this year,” Hartman said. “We’re just going to play and see what can happen.”

Steve Rotstein: srotstein@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SteveRotstein.

First Published: April 13, 2022, 10:00 p.m.

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Alyssa Rager, a senior softball player at Trinity. is batting .591 with a team-leading 3 homers, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored.  (Photo courtesy of Diane Hasson/Becky Rinehart)
Photo courtesy of Diane Hasson/Becky Rinehart
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