HAWLEY — Wallenpaupack Area’s Gabby Hieber was nothing short of dazzling on the softball diamond last year.
The ace of the Paupack pitching staff terrorized opposition batters throughout the Lackawanna League season and deep into the District 2 playoffs.
By the time it was all over, Hieber had earned just about every honor available including a berth on the all-state team.
Now, just nine months later, the fireballing righty appears to be picking up right where she left off. Hieber opened up her senior season this past weekend by firing a perfect game against archrival Honesdale.
“Gabby and our catcher Lily Mancino were on the same page from the first pitch,” said coach Chris Doty. “Gabby really had command of her pitches.”
For her part, Hieber is more focused on the big picture rather than her early season masterpiece.
“I was just trying to hit my spots,” she said matter-of-factly. “I wanted Honesdale to put the ball in play because I trust my defense. I like to work out of innings quickly and get ahead in counts.”
Pitching Dominance
Hieber dominated this one right from the start, overpowering a young Hornet line-up with her devastating arsenal.
She retired all 12 batters she faced across four innings and needed just 44 pitches to do it. And with Paupack’s high octane offense hitting on all cylinders, Hieber had plenty of runs to work with.
“My change-up and rise ball were working well,” she said. “When I’m in the circle, I’m always trying to focus on movement and getting strikeouts whenever I can.”
Hieber racked up seven Ks on this day en route to a 16-0 victory. She also enjoyed a stellar day at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs.
Grace Lake paced the Paupack attack. The junior outfielder ripped three hits in as many at-bats including a homer. Lake scored three runs and drove in three more.
Adriana Milutonovic also delivered key basehits. The junior third baseman went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, three runs scored and a pair of doubles.
