Agape Freedom Sports LLC

WRITTEN BY: JERIC YURKANIN

Some people are born to be pitchers.

You can see it early. There is just something different about them. Some players work all year long to sharpen their mechanics, build confidence, and grow in the circle — and that work matters. But every once in a while, a pitcher comes along who just seems built for it from the very beginning.

That is Hannah Chipego.

She began throwing a softball at just 4 years old, almost like it was always meant to be. Like the circle was where she belonged. And now, years later, her name has become one that coaches all across Northeastern Pennsylvania know very well.

Because when Hannah Chipego is in the circle, game plans change.

Approaches change. Mindsets change. Pressure rises.

And when you pair her dominance with a Lake-Lehman defense that has been rock solid behind her, you get something that feels almost unfair for opposing lineups.

For the past four games, that Lake-Lehman defense has not cracked. Not once. Play after play, inning after inning, they have backed their ace and delivered with the kind of poise, toughness, and sharpness that every great pitcher needs behind her.

Together, Hannah Chipego and the Lake-Lehman Black Knights defense have done something that feels nearly impossible.

They have thrown four straight no-hitters.

Let that sink in.

Four straight games without allowing a hit.

And somehow, that is only part of the story.

Chipego has already thrown five no-hitters this season alone. Through all of that dominance, she and the Lake-Lehman defense have allowed just six hits all year and posted five shutouts. That is not just impressive. That is rare air.

That is the kind of dominance people talk about for years.

As I researched late into the night trying to find the Pennsylvania high school softball record for consecutive no-hitters, the number I kept finding was three — though it also appeared that the PIAA does not officially keep track of that record. Nationally, the only mark I was able to find was 10 straight no-hitters by Samantha “Sammy” Albanese of Castilleja High School in Palo Alto, California.

The only Pennsylvania career mark I could find was Tricia Fabian Alderson from Western Pennsylvania, who had 13 career no-hitters in the late 1980s. As of 2006, that was listed as the PIAA record. And a 3 straight no hitter game.

Now think about this.

Hannah Chipego is already sitting at 17 no-hitters over the past four years.

And she still has more than half of this season left — plus the postseason.

James Madison is getting a good one.

But this Lake-Lehman team?

They are just getting started.

Top 1st — Lake-Lehman Batting

And from the opening inning, the Black Knights came out like a team on a mission.

Kaitlyn Brudnicki walked. Brislyn Reilly followed with a walk of her own. Then Hannah Chipego stepped in and singled on a bunt to third baseman Barber. The throw allowed Chipego to race all the way to third, while Brudnicki and Reilly both came around to score.

Lake-Lehman 2, Wyoming Valley West 0

The pressure kept building.

Julia Sholtis walked. Ella Andrews walked. Then Gracie James singled on a hard ground ball to left fielder McGee, bringing Chipego and Sholtis home, while Andrews advanced to second.

Lake-Lehman 4, Wyoming Valley West 0

Hayley Wallace then grounded into a fielder’s choice to third baseman Barber, with Andrews out advancing to third for the first out of the inning. But Lake-Lehman kept applying pressure. Addi Butler was hit by a pitch. Jordan Shorts was hit by a pitch. James scored. Wallace moved to third. Butler advanced to second.

Lake-Lehman 5, Wyoming Valley West 0

Brudnicki walked again with McGlynn pitching. Wallace scored. Butler moved to third. Shorts advanced to second.

Lake-Lehman 6, Wyoming Valley West 0

Reilly walked. Butler scored. Shorts advanced to third. Brudnicki moved to second.

Lake-Lehman 7, Wyoming Valley West 0

Chipego then flew out to left fielder A. McGee, with Shorts remaining at third, Brudnicki at second, and Reilly at first to end the inning.

But the message had already been sent.

Bottom 1st — Wyoming Valley West Batting

Then it was Hannah Chipego’s turn to take over.

Ella Frazier struck out.

Isabella Sobieski struck out.

Avery Duden struck out looking.

Three up. Three down. Three strikeouts.

And just like that, Chipego had set the tone in the circle.

Top 2nd — Lake-Lehman Batting

The second inning felt like more of the same.

Ella Andrews walked. Gracie James singled on a fly ball to center fielder Matello, with Andrews moving to second.

Wallace grounded into a fielder’s choice to third baseman Barber, with Andrews out advancing to third for the first out. James moved to second.

Then Addi Butler delivered a big swing, doubling on a fly ball to center fielder Matello. James scored. Wallace scored.

Lake-Lehman 9, Wyoming Valley West 0

Jordan Shorts was out at first on a dropped third strike, with Butler staying at second for the second out.

Brudnicki walked.

Then Lake-Lehman turned even more aggressive on the bases.

Butler stole third. Brudnicki stole second. Reilly walked. Chipego singled on a line drive to center fielder Matello, scoring Butler, while Brudnicki advanced to third and Reilly moved to second.

Lake-Lehman 10, Wyoming Valley West 0

Sholtis walked. Brudnicki scored. Reilly moved to third. Chipego advanced to second.

Lake-Lehman 11, Wyoming Valley West 0

Then came more chaos on the bases.

Reilly scored on a steal of home. Chipego stole third. Sholtis stole second. On ball two, Chipego scored on a steal of home. Andrews walked. James lined out to end the inning.

Lake-Lehman 13, Wyoming Valley West 0

Bottom 2nd — Wyoming Valley West Batting

And once again, Chipego made quick work of the inning.

Reese McGlynn struck out.

Skylar Barber struck out.

Alexis Matello struck out.

Another inning. Another three strikeouts. Another reminder that nothing was coming easy against Lake-Lehman’s ace.

Top 3rd — Lake-Lehman Batting

By the third inning, Lake-Lehman was still attacking.

Wallace singled on a hard ground ball to third baseman Barber. Butler was hit by a pitch, with Wallace moving to second. Shorts singled on a hard ground ball to shortstop Frazier, sending Wallace to third and Butler to second.

Then Brudnicki came through with a double on a fly ball to left fielder McGee. Wallace scored. Butler scored. Shorts advanced to third.

“At the plate today, I knew I was looking to hit anything close. In games like today, it can be hard to stay in your zone and not just swing out of your shoes. I knew as a batter I just had to stay relaxed and, once I saw my pitch, stay level through the ball,” said Lake-Lehman’s Kaitlyn Brudnicki.

Lake-Lehman 15, Wyoming Valley West 0

Reilly followed with a single on a pop fly to shortstop Frazier. Shorts scored. Brudnicki advanced to third.

Lake-Lehman 16, Wyoming Valley West 0

Chipego walked, with Brudnicki staying at third and Reilly at second. Sholtis grounded out, shortstop Frazier to first baseman Duden, for the first out. Brudnicki scored. Reilly moved to third. Chipego advanced to second.

Lake-Lehman 17, Wyoming Valley West 0

Toll walked, with Reilly remaining at third and Chipego at second. Then came more movement on the bases. Reilly scored on a steal of home. Chipego stole third. Toll stole second. Chipego scored on a steal of home. Toll was then caught stealing third, catcher Sobieski to third baseman Barber, for the second out. James walked.

“At the plate, discipline is very important not only for me but for the rest of the team as well. As I mentioned before, in games like today, it can be very easy to get unfocused in the box and start swinging at pitches out of the zone. I think in today’s game we realized how important walks are, and I think we did a good job staying patient and trusting our approach. We recognized how valuable walks are, and getting runners on base puts a lot of pressure on the defense and creates scoring opportunities,” said Kaitlyn Brudnicki.

Lake-Lehman 19, Wyoming Valley West 0

Jordan Shorts struck out looking for the third out.

Bottom 3rd — Wyoming Valley West Batting

All that was left was for Hannah Chipego to finish what she started.

McGee grounded out, third baseman Sholtis to first baseman Shorts.

Lopez struck out swinging.

Yurko struck out swinging.

Game over.

Final — Lake-Lehman 19, Wyoming Valley West 0

Another perfect game by Hannah Chipego of Lake-Lehman.

“In the circle, I go in confident, relying on my mechanics and trusting my defense, knowing they have my back. Mentally and physically, I prepared all offseason for our senior season. I trust my team, my coaches, and my ability. To stay strong and conditioned, I am trained by Jesse Williams at Honest Movement. He has helped me with my strength, recovery, and mobility. He is the best. I’m fortunate to have the whole crew at Next Level in Kingston supporting me and helping me in any way they can. I try to get pitching and hitting reps in as much as I can in the offseason while making sure I’m giving my body the recovery it needs. In season, I stick to a strict plan given to me by my coach,” said Lake-Lehman pitcher Hannah Chipego.

She added: “To me, a pitcher is only as successful as her team. My team gives me the confidence to be an aggressive pitcher because I know they have my back. My team is very loud for me on the field, which gets me in the zone and keeps me pumped up. It allows me to work hard for them as they are working hard for me.”

She continued: “Another big part is trusting my coach and working with her on pitch calling and placing the ball.”

On this day, her defense was ready as always — but for much of the afternoon, they mostly stood and watched Hannah do what she does best.

Eight strikeouts.

Just one ball put in play — a groundout.

No hits. No runs. No walks. No mistakes.

“Hannah doesn’t just show up on game day; she puts in the quiet hours working on her pitching and her conditioning so she can physically handle this kind of workload. But she would be the first one to tell you that a no-hitter is a team statistic. You don’t string together four of them in a row without a rock-solid defense backing you up. Our infield and outfield have been absolute walls out there, tracking down fly balls and making clean, smart plays on the dirt. They take as much pride in those zeros on the scoreboard as she does, and that collective defensive effort is what makes a streak like this possible for us as a team,” Lake-Lehman head coach Nicole Chipego said.

She faced just nine batters and needed only 37 pitches — 27 of them strikes — to completely take control of the game from the first inning to the final out.

Total command. Total dominance.

And while Chipego owned the circle, the Lake-Lehman offense made sure there would be no doubt.

“Playing alongside a player like Hannah is something I hope every player gets to experience in whatever sport they are playing. She has a deep passion for softball, and for her, it’s about much more than just stats. A lot of people don’t see the work she puts in behind the scenes. She’s constantly practicing on her own and pushing herself to improve. During team practices, she takes the time to help and better her teammates, which says a lot about her character. The way she carries herself, both on and off the field, sets a strong example for everyone around her. Having a teammate with that kind of grit, determination, and positive attitude raises the standard for the whole team. Our team gels very well together, and many look up to her as a role model. Seeing how much effort she puts into the game motivates all of us to give our best and to back her up on the mound,” said Kaitlyn Brudnicki.

From the first inning on, the Black Knights applied constant pressure, finishing with 19 runs on 9 hits while drawing an incredible 15 walks. Every at-bat felt like a battle. Every inning felt like momentum building.

Kaitlyn Brudnicki set the tone at the top, going 1-for-1 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBIs, and 3 walks, constantly finding her way on base and creating opportunities. Hannah Chipego helped herself at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs, impacting the game on both sides.

Gracie James delivered key hits throughout, going 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs, while Addi Butler added a big double, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBIs of her own.

And then there was the speed.

The pressure on the bases never stopped.

“What impressed me the most was our focus. It’s easy in a high-scoring game to lose your edge or get sloppy, but the girls stayed locked in from the first pitch to the last out. The offense gave us a massive cushion, which allowed our pitching and defense to play loose and attack the zone. Everybody did their job today, and as a coach, that top-to-bottom execution is exactly what you want to see,” Lake-Lehman head coach Nicole Chipego said.

She added: “Plate discipline is a massive part of our offensive identity. We preach ‘passing the bat’ and forcing the pitcher to work. Taking 15 walks means we are seeing the ball well, refusing to chase pitches out of the zone, and trusting the teammate behind us to get the job done. When this lineup stays that disciplined, we are incredibly dangerous because we’re constantly putting traffic on the basepaths and putting the pressure entirely on the opposing defense.”

She continued: “It’s the foundation of our softball program. You can’t survive deep into the season or in high-stakes games if you’re giving away free bases or extra outs. When your pitcher is hitting her spots and trusting her stuff, and the defense is playing error-free softball behind her, it builds a wall of confidence. Knowing her defense has her back allows Hannah to pitch aggressively, and that combination is going to be crucial for us as we face tougher opponents.”

Brislyn Reilly swiped 4 bases. Hannah Chipego added 4 more. Brudnicki stole 3. Runners were moving, reading, attacking — forcing mistakes and turning small moments into big ones.

It was not just a win.

It was a statement.

Complete control at the plate.

Complete control on the bases.

Complete control in the circle.

And when you put it all together, you get what fans witnessed on this day — not just another victory, but another chapter in a historic run.

What a game.

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