Trib 10: 4 WPIAL baseball, softball teams end season with PIAA gold

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 | 7:54 PM

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The 2022 WPIAL baseball and softball season are in the books.

While the tone of each team’s story may range from a tale of woe to close but no cigar, some of the elite teams in the district are wrapping up a wild ride that yielded treasures of gold and silver at the end.

Two WPIAL teams are celebrating not one, but two championships as both the Avonworth and Neshannock softball teams swept district and state gold.

Two WPIAL baseball teams, Bethel Park and Montour, came up short of their goal of a district crown but bounced back with four wins in the PIAA postseason to claim a state championship.

A final tip of the cap to:

• Bethel Park baseball becomes the third WPIAL school to win back-to-back PIAA titles, following in the footsteps of Moon (2001-2002) and Riverside twice (2005-2006 and 2011-2012).

• Neshannock softball is the only district team to finish the season with a perfect record at 26-0. They were one of three Pennsylvania teams to do so, joining Pittston Area softball (5A) and Martinsburg Central baseball (3A).

• What a two-year run for Beaver softball with two WPIAL championships and a PIAA title. The Bobcats’ 42-game win streak ended with a loss to eventual champion Clearfield in the 4A semifinals.

Here are the final power rankings of the 2022 season. These rankings have zero classification boundaries.

Baseball Trib 10

1. Bethel Park Black Hawks (21-4)

2. Montour Spartans (21-6)

3. Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils (16-8)

4. West Allegheny Indians (20-5)

5. Serra Catholic Eagles (23-1)

6. West Mifflin Titans (20-4)

7. South Park Eagles (18-6)

8. Union Scotties (12-5)

9. Peters Township Indians (21-3)

10. North Allegheny Tigers (15-6)

Out: Upper St. Clair Panthers, Eden Christian Academy Warriors

Softball Trib 10

1. Neshannock Lancers (26-0)

2. Avonworth Antelopes (21-5)

3. Beaver Bobcats (21-1)

4. Armstrong River Hawks (23-5)

5. Seneca Valley Raiders (17-7)

6. Union Scotties (21-4)

7. Penn-Trafford Warriors (20-4)

8. Laurel Spartans (19-5)

9. Frazier Commodores (18-2)

10. Burrell Buccaneers (14-3)

Out: Elizabeth Forward Warriors, North Allegheny Tigers