Westmoreland softball playoff capsules: Games of Wednesday-Thursday, May 23-24, 2018

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 | 4:15 PM

Semifinals

Class 6A

No. 1 Hempfield (18-3) vs. No. 5 Norwin (12-6)

4 p.m. Wednesday at Seton Hill

Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 Baldwin (11-4)/No. 3 Latrobe (11-3)

Coaches: Bob Kalp, Hempfield; Brian Mesich, Norwin

Players to watch: Laura Fox, Hempfield (Jr., CF); Alexandra Brentzel, Norwin (Jr., IF)

Extra bases: Hempfield escaped with a quarterfinal win Monday, 3-2, over Canon-McMillan as senior pitcher Maddie Uschock struck out 10 and allowed four hits. Sophomore Ashley Orischak homered to help put the three-time defending district champs in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive time. It was their 15th consecutive playoff win. … Norwin has not won two playoff games in a season in more than 20 years. Brentzel's run-scoring double in the top of the seventh proved to be the winner in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over No. 4 North Allegheny. Junior shortstop Hailee Culbertson made several outstanding defensive plays for the Knights to keep North Allegheny off the scoreboard. Hempfield swept the Knights in two Section 2 games this season: 7-5 and 7-1. The Spartans have beaten the Knights seven times in a row. Norwin's last win against their cross-county foe came in 2015. Mesich was the Big ⁵⁄₆ Conference Section 2 coach of the year.

No. 2 Baldwin (11-4) vs. No. 3 Latrobe (11-3)

2 p.m. Wednesday at Upper St. Clair

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Hempfield (18-3)/No. 5 Norwin (12-6)

Coaches: Vince Sortino, Baldwin; Rick Kozusko, Latrobe

Players to watch: Taylor Dadig, Baldwin (Sr., SS); Kiley Myers, Latrobe (Jr., P)

Extra bases: This will be the third consecutive semifinal meeting between Baldwin and Latrobe. The teams split the other two meetings, but both went on to lose in the title game to Hempfield. Baldwin won 6-3 in 2016. Latrobe won 12-5 last season. Dadig is a George Mason recruit. Dependable and durable senior catcher Carly Santillo is a Pitt-Johnstown recruit. Sortino was the Section 1 coach of the year. … Latrobe moved into the semis for the third consecutive time with a 10-0 win over No. 11 Peters Township in six innings Monday at Seton Hill. Myers, a Marist recruit, pitched a no-hitter, struck out 10 and went 3 for 4 with a solo homer and two RBIs. IUP recruit Karley Kovatch and Cal (Pa.) recruit Makayla Munchinski drove in two runs each.

Class 4A

Semifinals

No. 1 Mt. Pleasant (16-0) vs. No. 4 Belle Vernon (19-3)

4 p.m. Wednesday at Baldwin

Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 Yough (16-3)/No. 6 Elizabeth Forward (18-3)

Coaches: Lauren Armanious, Mt. Pleasant; Tom Rodriguez, Belle Vernon

Players to watch: Chloe Poulich, Mt. Pleasant (Sr., 3B); Bailey Parshall, Belle Vernon, (Sr., P)

Extra bases: After cruising to a 10-0 win over Knoch in five innings in the quarterfinals, Mt. Pleasant will seek revenge against Belle Vernon. The Vikings fell to the Leopards, 1-0, in last year's semifinals but rebounded to win the PIAA championship. They topped the Leopards, 5-4, in the state quarterfinals. The Vikings won the WPIAL title in 2016. In the quarters, pitcher Carolyn Alincic, a Dominican recruit, struck out nine and scattered two hits, and Meadow Uncapher, a Seton Hill recruit, homered. … Parshall, a Penn State recruit, dominated with a 16-strikeout no-hitter to pace defending WPIAL champ Belle Vernon to a 3-0 win over Ambridge in the quarterfinals. Parshall has 261 strikeouts this season and 934 for her career. Jordan French had an RBI double in the victory. The Leopards are 9-1 over their last 10 games, with their lone loss coming against Yough, 2-0, on April 8.

No. 2 Yough (16-3) vs. No 6 Elizabeth Forward (18-3)

2 p.m. Wednesday at Seton Hill

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Mt. Pleasant (16-0)/No. 4 Belle Vernon (19-3)

Coaches: Dutch Harvey, Yough; Harry Rutherford, Elizabeth Forward

Players to watch: Kierra Waywood, Yough (Jr., P); Kaylee Ludwick, Elizabeth Forward, (Sr., C)

Extra bases: Waywood struck out five in a complete-game performance, outdueling Indiana ace Lauren Bertig in a 3-0 win in the quarterfinals. Waywood knocked in a run with a single, and Sammy McGee had a two-run double. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. They swept Elizabeth Forward, 7-2 and 10-0, in Section 2 play. Yough lost to Belle Vernon, 4-2, in the WPIAL finals last year. They won the PIAA title two years ago and last won a WPIAL title in 2011. … Ludwick and Jordan Pinneri doubled for Elizabeth Forward in a 4-1 upset of third-seeded Beaver. The Warriors lost to Mt. Pleasant in last year's semifinals and never have won a WPIAL title. Kailey Larcinese, a freshman, pitched a four-inning no-hitter in Elizabeth Forward's 15-0 first-round victory over New Castle. She had a 15-3 record during the regular season.

Class 3A

Semifinals

No. 2 Freeport (13-0) vs. No. 3 Southmoreland (8-7)

2 p.m. Wednesday at West Mifflin

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 South Park (15-1)/No. 4 Avonworth (13-6)

Coaches: Sam Ross, Freeport; Todd Bunner, Southmoreland

Key players: Ally DeJidas, Freeport (Jr., OF); Bethany Bunner, Southmoreland (Sr., OF)

Extra bases: Section 1-3A champion Freeport is making its first WPIAL semifinal appearance in 25 years after beating Waynesburg, 10-4, in the quarterfinals. The Yellowjackets lost in the quarterfinals each of the last two years. They slugged four home runs against Waynesburg, with Claire Crytzer, Jenna Hildebrand, DeJidas and Ashleigh Schmidt going deep. That's par for the course for the Freeport offense, which has 19 homers in 13 games and is averaging more than 10 runs. DeJidas is hitting over .600 with six homers and 24 RBIs. Sophomore Tori Radvan and Schmidt share the pitching responsibilities. Radvan pitched a complete game against Waynesburg. … Megan Shetterly's walk-off double gave Southmoreland a 6-5 victory over Steel Valley in the quarterfinals, putting the Scotties in the semifinals for the third time in four years. The Scotties needed to rally from a three-run deficit entering the bottom of the seventh. Charity Henderson homered. The win snapped a four-game losing streak. The Scotties bowed out against Ellwood City in the semifinals last season before losing to Steel Valley in the third-place game. The Scotties tied Waynesburg for second place in Section 3-3A and scored double figures in runs in six games.

Class A

Semifinals

No. 2 Monessen (14-3) vs. No. 3 Leechburg (13-4)

2 p.m. Wednesday at Peters Township

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 West Greene (17-4)/No. 4 Union (16-2)

Coaches: Bo Teets, Monessen; Debbie Young, Leechburg

Players to watch: Dana Vatakis, Monessen (Sr., P); Morgan Pierce, Leechburg (Sr., P)

Extra bases: Fresh off a dominating quarterfinal win over Riverview, Monessen will try to get back to the WPIAL championship game for the second consecutive season. The Greyhounds lost to West Greene in last year's title game. Vatakis was superb in the win over Riverview, as the Robert Morris recruit pitched a no-hitter and struck out 20. Destiny Habeck went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. Outside of an early loss to its Section 2-A co-champion West Greene, Monessen is unbeaten against Class A opponents. The Greyhounds' other two defeats came against Chartiers-Houston and Belle Vernon, semifinalists in Class 2A and 4A, respectively. Monessen is seeking its first WPIAL title. … Leechburg is appearing in the semifinals for the second consecutive season, losing in this round to West Greene last season. The Blue Devils, making their 32nd consecutive WPIAL playoff appearance, hold the WPIAL record in that category. The program is seeking its first finals appearance since 2008 and its first title since 1995. Pierce is a four-year starter and struck out 10 in Leechburg's 8-4 quarterfinal win over Sewickley Academy. Daesha Knight had three hits for the Blue Devils in that contest. Leechburg has scored at least eight runs in all of its victories this season.

District 6

Semifinals

No. 4 Ligonier Valley (16-4) at No. 1 Philipsburg-Osceola (19-1)

4 p.m. Thursday at Philipsburg-Osceola

Winner plays: Winner of Central Mountain (13-5)/Bald Eagle Area (10-3)

Coaches: Mark Zimmerman, Ligonier Valley; Jim Gonder, Philipsburg-Osceola

Players to watch: Jane Garver, Ligonier Valley (So., P); Kam Harris, Philipsburg-Osceola (Sr., P)

Extra bases: Back-to-back Heritage Conference champion Ligonier Valley is led by a pair of standout pitchers: Garver and senior Lexi Petrof, an Akron recruit who also plays second base. The Rams reached the semis with a 4-3 home win over Penn Cambria on Monday. Garver struck out 13. … Philipsburg-Osceola nearly lost to No. 8 Tyrone in the quarterfinals but used a final-inning rally to eke out a 7-6 win. Harris and sophomore Kylie Adams have seen time in the pitching circle for the Mounties, who went 20-4 last season and reached the PIAA semifinals before losing to South Park. Junior Maddie Lucas doubled, tripled, homered and drove in seven runs in a recent win for the Mounties.

— Bill Beckner Jr. and Jerin Steele

Tags: Baldwin, Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Hempfield Area, Leechburg, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Norwin, Southmoreland, Yough