Decade’s best WPIAL finals: Softball No. 8

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, May 21, 2020 | 9:12 PM

From classification expansion to field renovations forcing a change in the venue for the district championships, there was a lot going on with the WPIAL softball championships this past decade.

From Lilly Field at Cal (Pa.) to Seton Hill to a mishmash of title games played here and there or anywhere there was turf in a battle against Mother Nature, there have been plenty of memorable moments at the WPIAL softball finals.

Wash, rinse and repeat was the theme in district softball these past 10 years as nine schools were able to successfully defend their WPIAL championships this past decade, including a three-peat by West Allegheny, a four-peat by West Greene and one for the thumb with five straight championships for Hempfield.

So, while the third decade of the 21st century got off to a slow start with the 2020 season wiped away, here is a look back at the last 10 years with a countdown of the Top 10 WPIAL softball championship games.

No. 8 – Bailey enough for BVA title

There were several moments in the 2018 WPIAL Class 4A championship game that it did not look good for Belle Vernon, a team searching for its second straight 4A crown, its third championship in four years and its fourth district title overall.

The game’s final inning was worth the price of admission for the crowd that flocked to Seton Hill for the rubber game of this season-long battle of section rivals.

Coming into the seventh inning, Belle Vernon trailed Elizabeth Forward 4-2, but after scoring a run to pull to within one, the Leopards completed the rally with a big two-out hit.

However, the Warriors loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning before Penn State recruit Bailey Parshall got out of the jam to secure more gold for the green and gold.

Click the final score below for Alec Italiano’s look back at the Leopards thriller over the Warriors.

Belle Vernon 5, Elizabeth Forward 4

Decade’s best WPIAL softball finals:

No. 9 – 2012 Class A: Chartiers-Houston over Carmichaels

No. 10 – 2015 Class A: Jefferson-Morgan over Chartiers-Houston

Tags: Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward