Starting with a bang

GREENVILLE - Minster started and ended with a bang in Wednesday's Division IV regional semifinal.

Taylor Homan hit a first-inning home run, Jenna Poeppelman and Kaitlyn Wolf later connected on back-to-back Jacks in the seventh and top-ranked Minster swung its way to a 15-6 victory over Felicity-Franklin at Greenville's Stebbins Field.

"We were seeing it well off of both pitchers," Minster coach Robb Hemmelgarn said.

No doubt about it.

Eight players had hits for Minster in the contest. Six of them finished with multiple hits, including Laney Hemmelgarn (5 for 5, one RBI), Emily Stubbs (3 for 5), Poeppelman (3 for 5, three RBIs), Homan (3 for 4, two RBIs), Lindsey Albers (2 for 5, one RBI) and Mara Schmiesing (2 for 5). With her solo home run in the seventh, Wolf became the eighth Minster player to go deep this season. The seven, eight and nine hitters - Stubbs, Laney Hemmelgarn and Schmiesing - produced half of Minster's hits.

"We tell them all the time that anybody in this lineup, I don't care if you're batting one or if you're batting nine or somewhere in-between, you've got the potential to be the hero that day," coach Hemmelgarn said. "They've really been taking it on on their own in the bottom of the lineup. It's almost like having a top of the lineup at the bottom. They're relishing in that role."

Minster (27-1) will return to Greenville Saturday for a noon showdown with fourth-ranked Mechanicsburg in the regional final. Mechanicsburg (17-3) knocked off National Trail (17-8) 10-3 in Wednesday's late game.

With two outs in the first inning, Homan tattooed her ninth home run of the season over the fence in right center.

In Felicity-Franklin's (20-5) first at-bat, Regan Lowe tied the score at 1-apiece with a solo shot of her own.

The Wildcats totaled nine hits and scored 11 runs over the second and third. Felicity-Franklin had four errors through three innings, too.

Stubbs had a stand-up double for Minster in the second. Laney Hemmelgarn then hit an RBI single just inside the right field line to make it 2-1. The bases were loaded later after Schmiesing reached on an error and Karly Richard was walked by Bailee Caudill, who was pulled in favor of Lowe with Homan coming up. Homan's hard-hit ball to left was dropped by Addie Woodmire, allowing three runs to come home. An RBI single by Poeppelman made the score 6-1.

In the third, Stubbs and Hemmelgarn started another big inning for Minster with back-to-back singles. Stubbs went home after the ball got by Madison Milton on a bang-bang play at third. Following a bunt single by Schmiesing, Danielle Barhorst delivered a two-run hit. Barhorst went on to steal second and scored on a single by Homan. Richard, who walked an at-bat prior, came home on an error - Franklin's fourth of the game. Albers' RBI single upped Minster's advantage to 12-1.

"We delivered that first punch in the first inning and continued to build on that in the second and third," coach Hemmelgarn said.

But Caudill returned to hold the Wildcats scoreless for the next three innings. And Felicity-Franklin's offense put some runs on the board.

Lowe blasted her second homer in the third, a three-run shot to right. After Poeppelman allowed two singles and hit a batter in the fifth, Cassidy Louderback knocked in two runs with a single, halving the deficit to 12-6.

"I don't know what happened after that," coach Hemmelgarn said. "Maybe it was a little bit of scoreboard watching. But we kind of relaxed a little bit, and they took advantage of it. (Lowe's) a great hitter. She put two of them out. They were two different spots, two different types of pitches. We obviously didn't throw it to her the next time."

The Cardinals missed opportunities to make it closer, however. They stranded runners at the corners in the fifth and had a bases-loaded threat cut down in the sixth after two great defensive plays by Richard at second.

Then came the knockout blow from Minster.

Homan roped a double up the middle and off the center fielder's leg before she could get a glove down to start the seventh. Poeppelman and Wolf followed with their homers.

"We knew this team would have some punch to them," coach Hemmelgarn said. "I just told them that we had to be the one to respond to that, and we did today. We kept our composure and did what we had to do."

Poeppelman allowed nine hits while striking out two and walking five over seven innings, improving to 22-0 on the season.

The Wildcats have now outscored tournament opponents 57-11. On Saturday, Minster will look to lock up its first trip to state since 2014.

"We're going to get everyone's best shot from here on out. We know it," coach Hemmelgarn said. "This game made us better."