(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: FIRST CLASS: Hun School softball first baseman Aly Klemmer patrols the field in a recent game. Senior star Klemmer has excelled in the field and at the bat as Hun has produced a 5-3 start. In upcoming action, the Raiders play at Blair on April 21 and at Pennington on April 22 before hosting Mercersburg Academy on April 24.

Senior Star Klemmer Excelling at Bat, in Field as Hun Softball Chasing Title Breakthrough

Bill Alden

After suffering a rare loss to Princeton Day School last spring, Aly Klemmer and her teammates on the Hun School softball team were determined to prevent a repeat performance when the clubs renewed their rivalry last Wednesday.

“This couldn’t happen again, absolutely not,” said Klemmer. “We know we are a better team than we put out last year. We know we can produce and that was not producing.”

In the 2010 meeting, Hun produced early and often, jumping out to a 2-0 first inning lead on the way to a 7-0 triumph.

“We were content with getting ahead in the first inning and we carried that throughout the game,” said senior first baseman Klemmer.

“We have players that are so confident in themselves; I feel like when we get on a roll there is no stopping us. The percentage of us winning is so much higher when we get runs in the first inning.”

In Klemmer’s view, Hun’s play in the win over PDS exemplified the formula the Raiders have utilized in getting off to 5-3 start.

“We are just concentrating on winning and stringing hits together,” added Klemmer.

Batting in the No. 3 spot in the Hun order, Klemmer knows what she has to concentrate on to be valuable to the team.

“Three is my spot; I love batting third,” said Klemmer, who will be playing at Marist College next year. “It is always my job to move runners and Meg [catcher Meg Scanlon] is going to hit me in.”

Hun head coach Kathy Quirk likes the hitting she has been seeing from her team this spring.

“It is a little bit contagious I would say,” said Quirk, referring to her team’s offense. “It is not always the same person; it is spread out.”

In Quirk’s view, the team’s dramatic win against Blair earlier last week which saw the Raiders score four runs in the bottom of the sixth to overcome a 3-0 deficit was an eye-opener for her players.

“I think that day, they learned to believe in themselves,” asserted Quirk, reflecting on the 4-3 victory. “They saw that they can come back and they can hit the ball if they don’t try to kill it and let the bat do the work.”

The Raiders have also been getting good work from its one-two pitching combination of senior Blair Sirockman and Meghan Hayes.

“It is tough because they are both throwing extremely well and we have been rotating,” said Quirk who got a shutout from Hayes in the win over PDS and has seen both pitchers hurl no-hitters this spring.

“I talked to them about where I think we are going to split some time to see how they both adjust to coming in when one comes out in case I need that. They are aware of that. They have both been supportive of each other and they both have their own styles.”

The Hun seniors are distinctly aware that they have one last chance to win a state Prep A title.

“Most of the seniors have been here for four years and they know we have come up short a couple of times,” said Quirk, whose team routed the Shipley School 13-1 last Monday in moving to 5-3. “They want to go out on top and they are having fun.”

Quirk has had fun watching one of her key seniors, Klemmer, perform at the bat and in the field.

“Aly is doing a nice job; she is patient at the plate,” added Quirk, whose team plays at Blair on April 21 and at Pennington on April 22 before hosting Mercersburg Academy on April 24.

“Today she didn’t try to kill it, she slapped it and she went down to left field. She knew the pitching was slow and she wasn’t going to be able to pull it and she did what she had to do. She also does a great job for us at first base.”

Klemmer, for her part, is looking forward to doing a great job at Marist.

“I have been wanting to play college ball forever and it came about in the right way,” said Klemmer, who was named as a scholarship winner at this year’s Trenton Softball Hall of Fame banquet.

“It was all about timing; it was them seeing me at the right time. I just visited there Sunday and more than ever I want to be there.”

But over the next few weeks, the thing that Klemmer wants more than anything is a championship.

“We need to win states, a lot of the seniors have been here for four years and I have been here for two,” said Klemmer.

“We are itching to get to the state finals and win this time. Our offense is going to be impeccable and our defense is starting to really get it together now.”

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