Westmoreland County softball notebook: Realignment to shake up sections

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | 9:01 AM

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There is plenty of softball left in 2022, but the WPIAL has set the table for next season with its realignment for the new two-year enrollment cycle.

The most significant movers and shakers locally are Yough and Ligonier Valley, who will be section opponents in Class 3A after changing classifications.

Yough will move down from 4A, and Ligonier Valley will bump up a class.

Section 3-3A also will include Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland and Derry.

Section 2-5A will be more inclusive to Westmoreland teams. It will house Penn-Trafford, Latrobe and Franklin Regional. Also, Greensburg Central Catholic will move up a class to 2A.

Big inning

Franklin Regional had a pretty good idea it was on its way to victory against Woodland Hills.

The tell-tale sign? A 16-run first inning.

The big-hitting Panthers won 18-2 in three innings as Toryn Fulton homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in five. Alex Patberg added four RBIs.

Latest rankings

Franklin Regional (9-1) leapt into the TribLive HSSN Class 5A rankings, taking over the No. 3 spot.

Other Westmoreland County teams in the rankings include No. 1 Hempfield (5-0) in 6A, No. 3 Yough (6-1) in 4A, No. 4 Southmoreland (4-1) in 3A, No. 2 Ligonier Valley (5-2) in 2A and No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic (5-2) in A.

Dual role

Greensburg Central Catholic junior catcher Isabella Marquez is having a busy spring. In addition to being one of her team’s top hitters and on-field leaders, she is splitting time between softball and track. Marquez competes in the hurdles, high jump, triple jump and pole vault.

Let’s try again

Among a slew of postponements from Monday and Tuesday was the matchup between Class 6A No. 1 Hempfield and No. 5 North Allegheny. The teams are set to meet at 4 p.m. May 3 at North Allegheny.

Cycle alert

Bailey Kuhns is better known for her exploits on the basketball court, but the Greensburg Central Catholic senior has some softball skill, too.

Kuhns, a Mercyhurst hoops commit, hit for the cycle when GCC thumped Mapletown, 15-0. She drove in four runs.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Penn-Trafford, Yough