Decade’s best WPIAL finals: Softball No. 9

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | 8:59 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. 9 – The Bucs stop here

The 2012 Class A softball title game marked the third straight trip to the finals for Chartiers-Houston.

The defending champion Buccaneers were trying to repeat and win their fifth WPIAL championship in eight years.

Fourteen years earlier, Carmichaels won back-to-back Class AA district championships. The Mighty Mikes were making their first trip to Lilly Field and the WPIAL finals since winning the school’s second straight title in 1998.

Like Chartiers-Houston’s first WPIAL title in 2005, which came in a win over Leechburg, this championship contest went two innings beyond the limit before the Battlin’ Bucs came from behind to hoist gold again.

Click the final score below for a look back at the Buccaneers’ nine-inning thriller over the rival Mighty Mikes.

Chartiers-Houston 3, Carmichaels 2 in 9 innings

Decade’s best WPIAL softball finals:

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

Tags: Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston