Hillsdale softball's ‘Hammerin’ Hannah Levy

But as she grew and got stronger, she has developed into one of the more feared power hitters in the Peninsula Athletic League, firmly planted in the clean-up spot in the Knights’ batting order.

She showed off her power last season, finishing with six home runs, including three in one game against Carlmont.

But Tuesday, she joined a very short list of players who have hit a home run over the fence at the Hillsdale softball field, the last coming off the bat of Mika Chong during her freshman year in 2018.

That’s because the fence is not a softball fence, per se. It is actually the perimeter fence that separates the campus from the surrounding neighborhood. It is 240 feet down the left-field line and then angles out farther from there. It is not an average high school field, where fence distances are between 185 and 235 feet, with most usually around the 200-foot mark.

The estimated distance of Levy’s jack was more than 265 feet.

Usually, a home run at Hillsdale simply means the batter raced around the bases before the ball could be relayed back to the infield because of a lack of an actual softball field fence. Not many get to enjoy a home run trot — and neither did Levy.

“From home to second, I definitely ran fast. I kind of stopped when I got to second,” Levy said. “Honestly, I thought it bounced (over), so I was really confused. Then I heard people cheering and I saw the outfielders watch it go over the fence. … My coach at third bases was like, ‘C’mon (and finish rounding the bases).”

For Levy, it was a goal realized.

“It’s been a goal the last two years,” Levy said. “During practice, off the (pitching) machine, I’ve had them bounce once and go over. … Most every time I go up and hit, I want to hit a home run. Sometimes that’s not the best approach.”

The blast was something Levy’s private hitting coach Wes Chong thought was possible. Chong, who is Mika’s dad, is a longtime softball coach on the Peninsula, with coaching stops at Carlmont, Hillsdale and now, Aragon.

“That was one thing we’ve been working toward,” Chong said. “I knew she had the power to do it. It had to be the right pitch to get it over. … It was just a matter of time.”

Chong said he took a sighting scope out to Hillsdale’s field to check the distance. He measured 265 feet to the scoreboard and Levy’s ball landed to the left of that.

But Chong said Hillsdale head coach Clinch Fuentes told him the ball traveled a good 5 to 7 feet past the fence.

“That’s a big home run,” Chong said. “It’s definitely a feather in her cap.”

Almost lost in the story is the fact that the homer was a grand slam, turning a tight 7-5 Hillsdale lead into a comfortable 11-5 advantage in the top of the sixth inning.

“It was a 3-2 count. High and inside, which is like my best pitch to hit,” Levy said.

It also capped a day that saw Levy go 3 for 4, adding a two-run home run earlier in the game, and driving in seven of the Knights’ 11 runs. She now has three homers on the year.

The win moved the Knights to 3-2 in league play and into a three-way tie for third place in the Bay Division standings with Sequoia and Capuchino, all one game behind second-place Carlmont (4-1) and two behind first-place Aragon (5-0).

“I wanted to win that game super bad,” Levy said. “This is like a big thing for us if we want to go to CCS. This is a big game we have to win because it’s league.”