Faith Persing, Montgomery’s 5-foot-2 junior pitcher, has put up some of the best statistics in all of Pennsylvania high school softball season.
Old Forge got a look at how she does it during Monday’s Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A first-round game.
Persing fired a one-hitter and went 3-for-3 while leading District 4 champion Montgomery to a 7-0 victory that ended the season for District 2 champion Old Forge.
Along with throwing seven on-hitters this season, Monday’s game was the third one-hitter for Persing. Only one of the no-hitters went the full seven innings, with another going six, one going five and four of them occurring when Montgomery defeated teams in three innings on the 15-run rule.
Persing struck out 16 and walked 3.
It was the fourth straight game in which Persing did not allow an earned run. She has held opponents to 1 unearned run on 3 hits while striking out 58 and walking 5 in 26 innings during that time.
On the season, Persing is 17-1 with a save and an 0.60 earned run average. She has struck out 222 and walked just 13 in 105 innings.
Persing also did damage at the plate with a homer, a double and two runs scored. She has 7 homers, 24 RBI and a .484 batting average for the season.
Montgomery scored in five of its six at-bats, getting two runs in the first and fifth along with one each in the third, fourth and sixth.
The Lady Devils finished 16-7. They had won seven of their last eight, with only a 1-0 loss to Hanover Area, on the way to the state playoff appearance.
