Hempfield softball catapulted by confidence
The Hempfield softball team’s comeback victory Wednesday night over Elizabethtown was nothing short of amazing. The Black Knights rallied back from a four-run deficit in the seventh inning to rattle off five runs and snatch victory from the grasps of defeat. The situation of Tuesday’s game was something Coach Brian Lohr felt was necessary for his team to continue growing.
“I was waiting for a game like this,” he said.
When it seemed easy enough to pack it in and get out of the rain, Hempfield exploded in the top of the seventh inning to put up five runs. The game-winner came when Nikki Rhoads hit a line drive up the middle to score pinch-runner Zoey Shneck and Lichtenwalner. Hempfield then held off the Bears in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win
“Our girls never quit on each other. I could see it in their faces when they came in to start the seventh inning,” Lohr said. “I knew E-Town was in trouble just by virtue that we were going to hit the ball.”
After talking with Lohr and seeing the girls consistently motivate each other for the entirety of the game, it was obvious that the Hempfield squad is a close-knit bunch of girls whose bond goes way beyond softball.
“They love each other so much. They never give up on each other,” Lohr said.
Lohr went on to express how vital his team’s confidence is through an encounter he once had with U.S. Olympic softball coach Mike Candrea.
“I asked him a very innocent question about what is necessary for hitters. He said, ‘confidence, timing and mechanics.’ He said confidence is the toughest thing. You can work on mechanics. Timing: athletes can do that. But confidence. I knew these girls could do it.”
It was impressive to not only listen to Lohr explain his coaching philosophy but realize how much his team has bought into it.
“I try to keep it simple for them. Let’s try to win the first inning. Then win the second inning. We don’t think about next week or who we’re playing next or when we’re playing Warwick or what’s going to happen at sectionals. That’s out of our control. What’s in our control is right now.”
Sounds like a recipe for success.