Mike Burke
CUMBERLAND — Allegany sophomore righthander Hayley Stankan was nearly untouchable on Monday afternoon, although she was most certainly unhittable, thoroughly dominating an intact defending state-championship team by pitching a no-hit 2-0 shutout against the Fort Hill Sentinels on a blustery day at Flynn Field.
Stankan, with her busy all-arms and all-legs motion and delivery, did not allow Fort Hill to hit a ball out of the infield. She struck out 14, walked just one, with only one other baserunner reaching for the Sentinels — Noria Lewis, who reached on a fourth-inning infield error. For even better measure, Stankan knocked in the only two runs of the game with a third-inning infield groundout and a fifth-inning single to score Katie Alkire twice.
The victory lifts the Campers to 4-0 overall and in the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference, and 1-0 in the City. In four games, the Campers have outscored their opponents, 30 to 0.
Fort Hill is 1-1 overall, in the AMAC and in the City.
Stankan was in control from the outset, using 112 pitches on Monday, with 70 going for strikes, keeping Fort Hill off-balance with her change of speed and location. The only baserunners she allowed were Lindsey Fisher on a walk in the third and Lewis, who reached on the error in the fourth.
“She threw very, very well,” said Allegany head coach Rick Twigg. “She’s thrown well all year.
“Hayley worked very hard this winter. She throws about 60 miles per hour, has a fastball, and her change-up’s very effective. Her drop worked for her today, and she has good control so that makes it very easy to call pitches.
“Today we hit well enough. We capitalized on mistakes, and that’s the name of the game.”
Stankan, who seemed more excited by the victory than the no-hitter, said, “Yes,” she has thrown a no-hitter before. When asked when her last one was, she laughed and said, “I don’t know.”
“It feels great,” she said. “It’s unbelievable. All the hard work paid off today.”
While she was rarely challenged in the early going, she seemed even stronger through the final three innings, needing just 11 pitches in the fifth, 10 in the sixth, and 13 in the seventh.
“Yeah, my adrenaline kept me going through those innings,” Stankan said. “We played great. Everybody did their job. We worked together and won.”
The Campers got on the board in the third when Alkire reached on an error by the shortstop. Taran Rosenberger then got the sacrifice down, but a throwing error by pitcher Shari Beavers allowed Alkire to go to third and Rosenberger to second. On a 3-2 count, Stankan grounded out sharply to second base to get the run home. Beavers then stranded Rosenberger at third with a strikeout and a groundout.
In the fifth, Alkire belted a one-out triple that just got over the centerfielder’s head. After Beavers recorded her second strikeout of the inning, Stankan laced a single to score Alkire to give Allegany an insurance run it wouldn’t come close to needing.
In the bottom of the seventh, Beavers worked Stankan to a 3-2 count to lead off the inning, but Stankan got her swinging for the third time. On a 1-0 pitch, Stankan retired Lewis on a grounder to shortstop Jenna Mathews, and then completed the gem by striking out Cierra Miller swinging on three pitches.
Against Beavers, Lewis and Miller, the heart of the Fort Hill order, Stankan recorded nine outs in nine trips, and five strikeouts. Every Fort Hill batter went down on strikes at least once.
Beavers herself pitched a gem as well, allowing Allegany just one earned run, two hits, no walks, and striking out 11. She had nothing but high praise for her opponent.
“She did really, really well,” Beavers said of Stankan. “She moved the ball very well, particularly when you consider how young she is. She doesn’t overpower you with speed, but she has great movement and that’s really effective.”
Was Beavers surprised by Stankan’s stuff?
“I didn’t expect it the first two times up,” she said, “but the third time I just couldn’t catch up.”
“Oh, she threw a heck of a game,” said Fort Hill coach Mike Bittner. “We just couldn’t hit her. Allegany played a heck of a game. I’m glad it’s early (in the season). We’ll get there, but give Allegany all the credit today.”
Allegany will host Frankfort on Thursday. Fort Hill visits Bishop Walsh on Wednesday.
Mike Burke is sports editor of the Cumberland Times-News. Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.
