2016 WPIAL Softball Championship Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, June 2, 2016 | 9:21 PM

The WPIAL softball championships have a trio of new faces this year.

The championships will be played Friday at California University of Pa.’s Lilly Field and three of the eight participants have never been so close to WPIAL gold medals. Mount Pleasant, West Allegheny and West Greene are all making their first appearances in a championship game.

Meanwhile, Hempfield, Baldwin, Ellwood City, South Park and Chartiers-Houston have all won at least one championship before.

The games were rained out Thursday and rescheduled for Friday. Here is a look at each championship:

CLASS AAAA:

The game: Baldwin (13-3) vs. Hempfield (20-2), 2:30 p.m.

Pitchers: Baldwin’s Ana Hale (13-3) vs. Hempfield’s Morgan Ryan (18-2).

What’s going on: If Baldwin is to win its first championship in 15 years, it will have to knock off the defending WPIAL champion. .. Many seem to have Hempfield as the favorite – and why not? The Spartans have a first-class pitcher in Ryan, a Notre Dame recruit, and also have a .405 team batting average. Madie Stoner leads with a .567 average, and she also has four home runs and 29 RBIs. Ryan also can be a force at the plate. She is hitting .355 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. … Baldwin has won seven in a row under coach Vince Sortino, who also is the school’s athletic director and the head of the WPIAL softball committee. … Defense will be key in this one as Baldwin tries to hold down a Hempfield team that has scored in double digits seven times this year.

Remember when? Baldwin and Hempfield have met in two previous championships and Baldwin won both. In 1986, Baldwin won, 8-1, behind the four-hitter of Michelle Gerdes. In 2001, Baldwin won 3-0. That year, Hempfield’s Tina Skelly struck out 12 and Baldwin’s Becky Mezyk only three. But Mezyk limited Hempfield to three hits and also had two hits herself.

CLASS AAA:

The game: Mount Pleasant (12-5) vs. West Allegheny (19-1), 12:15 p.m.

Pitchers: Mount Pleasant’s Meadow Uncapher (12-4) vs. Ashley Seamon (14-0).

What’s going on: One of these two will be a first-time champ as neither has ever played for a title. … Mount Pleasant lost four of its final seven games, but the Vikings have come alive in the playoffs, scoring 19 runs in three games. Uncapher is only a sophomore, but plays like a seasoned veteran. Besides pitching, she has a .408 average. Third baseman Chloe Poulich is one to watch with a .534 average, 10 home runs and 25 RBIs. She also is only a sophomore. Overall, Mount Pleasant starts five sophomores. … But West Allegheny also is loaded with top sophomores as the Indians start five 10^th graders. Seamon is one of the sophomores and she is undefeated as a pitcher while also patting .385. Lexi Cogis is batting .462. MacKenzie Partyka has four home runs and 23 RBIs.

Remember when? Mount Pleasant coach Lauren Shaheen knows a thing or two about successful pitching. She was a star pitcher at Hempfield before graduating in 2006. She finished her career with 41 wins and 577 strikeouts.

CLASS AA:

The game: Ellwood City (19-0) vs. South Park (14-3), 4:45 p.m.

Pitchers: Ellwood City’s Skyla Greco (19-0) vs. South Park’s Justine Dean (12-3).

What’s going on: Ellwood City is the only undefeated team among the finalists. … Ellwood City’s offense has been strong at times in the playoffs, scoring 11 and 10 runs. But the Wolverines had only two runs against Burgettstown. Greco has won all of Ellwood City’s games. She has a 1.03 ERA and 151 strikeouts. Ellwood City’s offense is led by freshman Ariana Garroway (.531), senior Allie McKelvey (.491) and senior Mallory Swogger (.482). … South Park’s offense also has showed pop, scoring 31 runs in the playoffs. The Eagles apparently like the long ball. Breanna Nugent has six home runs while Katlyn Pavlick and Katie Isenberg have seven each. Both teams have won one championship in school history.

Remember when? Both South Park and Ellwood City won championships in the 2000s. South Park defeated Center, 1-0, in eight innings in the 2003 final. Ellwood City won Class AAA in 2008 when it defeated Belle Vernon, 5-4.

CLASS A:

The game: Chartiers-Houston (14-7) vs. West Greene (22-1), 10 a.m.

Pitchers: Chartiers-Houston’s Kaitlyn Dittrich (14-6) vs. West Greene’s Madison Renner (15-1).

What’s going on: Judging from the regular season, West Greene is a prohibitive favorite. West Greene beat Char-Houston by scores of 12-2 and 11-1. … Although Renner has gotten the majority of pitching work during the season, teammate Bailey Bennington also is 7-0 and has pitched two innings in the WPIAL playoffs. Renner’s ERA is 1.65 and she has 99 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings. McKenna Lampe (.629 average), Bennington (.578) and Renner (.566) have been tremendous hitters this season. … Char-Houston must play good defense and hope to stay close through the first few innings Macie Kesnick leads the Bucs with a .452 average.

Remember when? Chartiers-Houston coach Tricia Alderson won two WPIAL titles as a pitcher for the Bucs and she has won five as the team’s coach.

Tags: Baldwin, Chartiers-Houston, Ellwood City, Hempfield, West Allegheny, West Greene