Park Hill’s softball team has caught fire over the past two weeks, winning 10 straight games heading into the final stretch of conference competition and earning a spot at No. 7 in the Class 5 Missouri High School Softball Coaches Association midseason rankings.
The streak, which started on Sept. 14 with a 2-1 victory over Liberty, has been led by senior pitcher Mandia Bock. After splitting time in the circle last year with Brooklyn Bertoncino, who graduated, Bock knows she gets the ball every time her team needs her.
Senior pitcher Mandia Bock Bock has thrown 161 strikeouts as of Sept. 28, with the Trojans posting a 14-1 record in games Bock starts in the pitcher’s circle.
“I do miss Brooklyn, and it’s nice to have the break,” Bock said. “But I also love being in those big moments. So it’s fun.”
Park Hill head coach Jeremy Benninghoff notices a difference when Bock is in the circle. And, for the most part, the results back it up, as Park Hill is 14-1 in games Bock starts.
“We have a different energy when she’s pitching,” Benninghoff said. “We know that we can be very good with her, so that just kind of gets everybody going offensively too.”
Benninghoff wasn’t sure his team would be frontrunners for the conference title at this point in the season, but he knew with Bock on the mound his team always had a chance. As long as Bock performs well, the Trojans generally perform well.
Bock passed 400 career strikeouts earlier in the season, and already throwing 150 strikeouts this season, she’s well on her way to 500 career strikeouts before the season’s conclusion.
“I practice and I pitch a lot to people, so that helps too,” Bock said. “Also, just knowing my teammates have my back. Even if I do that, it gives me the confidence to go strike people out.”
A strikeout pitcher of Bock’s caliber relieves some stress from the rest of the team. They know what to expect, and Bock has met those expectations throughout the season.
“It makes everyone’s job a little bit easier because she’s going in there every night throwing strikes,” Park Hill head coach Jeremy Benninghoff said. “She gets a lot of strikeouts, so that helps out a lot too because there’s less balls in play.”
Freshman standout Devyn Zoellner makes a play at first base against Park Hill South on Sept. 28.
In addition to Bock’s performances, Park Hill has also seen new players arise. A new group that gives the Trojans hope after this season.
“It’s been pretty great,” Bock said. “We’ve had some young girls coming in, but they’ve stepped up a lot.”
Among those new players is first baseman Devyn Zoellner, who leads the Trojans with 24 runs batted in. The freshman opened her high school career on a 15-game hitting streak before going 0-for-1 against Boonville on Sept. 19. She remains hitting .450 on the season with 27 hits.
A couple of the Trojans’ most recent marquee wins came on back-to-back nights against Lee’s Summit North and Platte County.
The Trojans defeated Lee’s Summit North 2-0 on Sept. 21 behind Bocks one-hitter. The senior had 17 strikeouts in seven innings, allowing one hit and a walk.
A leadoff triple to start the game from freshman shortstop Mahlia Sheets scored on the next play when she scored on an error. The Trojans scored a second run in the fourth inning when Zoellner hit a leadoff double and later scored on an error.
Park Hill’s win over Platte County on Sept. 22 required a pair of extra innings before the Trojans arose victorious 3-2 in nine innings.
Bock came up big again, highlighted by a walkoff RBI in the ninth inning. After recording another 17 strikeouts, Bock came up with one out and drove in the game-winning run to score Jovie Young from third base on a ground ball to shortstop.
Park Hill’s winning streak hit 10 games on Sept. 28 with an 11-0 run-rule victory in five innings over Park Hill South, completing the season sweep of their rivals for a third straight season.
“When you have Mandia Bock in the circle and she sets the tone early like that,” Benninghoff said. “Game in and game out throwing strikes. Good things are going to happen for us, and we have just enough offense to get it done most days.”
A two-run first inning and nine-run third inning provided plenty of run support for Bock, who struck out 10 batters and worked around some runners in scoring position while going 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. The trio of junior left fielder Nora Dougherty, Zoellner and junior right fielder Kaiya Maske all had multi-RBI games, with Dougherty hitting an inside-the-park home run to left field.
Junior left fielder Nora Dougherty rounds third during her inside-the-park home run against Park Hill South on Sept. 28.
Off to an 8-0 start in conference play, Park Hill hopes to clinch a third consecutive conference title. But having fallen in the district finals the previous two years, the Trojans still have aspirations of overcoming the district hurdle.
“Mandia’s going to have to continue to pitch really, really well, and we have faith that she’s going to do that,” Benninghoff said. “Our kids just need to bring the energy every single day and know that each game’s important, it doesn’t matter who it is. Find a way to scratch as many runs as you can for Mandia, and play good defense behind her.”