Washington High senior Amanda Baughman gets a lot of attention thanks to her pitching, but her talent with a bat in her hands is also hard to ignore.

Baughman is a four-year starter who has led the Prexies to three consecutive section championships. She struck out 144 batters during the regular season while posting an impressive 17-2 pitching record.

Expected to earn all-section honors for a third consecutive year, Baughman pitched back-to-back WPIAL playoff shutouts. She blanked Mohawk, 1-0, in the first round May 17 at Fairhaven Park in Kennedy Township. She then handcuffed Burrell, 5-0, last Monday at California University's Lilly Field.

Against Burrell, Baughman scattered five hits and walked only one batter while striking out nine. She led Wash High to the WPIAL semifinals for the second time in three years. The Prexies (20-2) were slated to meet Riverside (19-1) last Thursday at West Allegheny for the right to play in the final at California this Thursday.

Although Baughman ranks as one of the top pitchers in WPIAL Class AA, she might be even better at the plate.

In the victory against Burrell, Baughman hit a 1-1 pitch well beyond the left-field fence for a three-run homer in the top of the first inning.

"I thought I hit it too high to go over. I thought it was going to drop short of the fence," said Baughman.

"[The home run] took away a lot of the pressure. It gave us the momentum to go out there and do what we do to keep them from getting any runs since we already had some.

"I feel more pressure batting than pitching. I feel more comfortable pitching. When I pitch, I just try to keep [the hitters] off-balance and hope my fielders will back me up."

Baughman has been the cleanup hitter for Wash High since she entered the program. She has batted better than .500 while driving in at least 30 runs for each of the past three seasons.

She hit seven home runs last year and has five this season, with three clearing fences, including a towering shot at Brownsville.

"She's been a cleanup hitter for four years," coach Bill Loar said. "And we've never moved her out of that spot. She brings tremendous power when she comes to the plate. We know she's going to hit the ball hard somewhere. She gets herself on base and then we try to take care of it after that with a courtesy runner for her."

While getting off to a great start at the plate, Baughman was not finished against Burrell. She hit a pair of line-drive singles to finish 3 for 4. She also drove in a fourth run in the seventh inning.

"She carried us for two [playoff] games," Loar said. "She's done it with her bat as well as with her pitching.

"She's kind of a crafty pitcher. We develop our defense around her. We encourage her to get the ball over the plate and let our defense do the work ... She had a good fastball working against Burrell and she mixed it up with a good changeup to keep them guessing.

"She stayed to the outside part of the plate and we tried to have her make their batters push the ball to our best defender, Jenna Phillips, over at second base."

Shortstop Jordan Jackson led Washington with four assists in throwing runners out at first base during the quarterfinal victory. Baughman's home run made it difficult for Burrell to catch the Prexies.

"When you go up, 3-0, like we did from that home run she hit, things calm down a little bit as far as the coaching [strategy] goes," Loar said. "That home run was a big boost for the team. With Amanda, it's just get the ball in her hands one way or the other. She's been a strong focal point for us offensively and defensively for four years."

Baughman, along with senior teammate Amber Pivik, the center fielder and leadoff hitter, are headed for Waynesburg College, where they plan to play softball.

Baughman said she hopes to do some pitching, but she was recruited as much for her bat as she was for her arm.

"I still get excited when I hit a home run, but I don't think 'home run' when I go up there. I just think about getting a base hit," said Baughman, who often plays third base for the travel teams she plays with each summer.