Trib HSSN softball team of the week for May 16, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Saturday, May 17, 2025 | 12:10 AM

Trib HSSN softball team of the week – Blackhawk Cougars

Coach: Jim Riggio (ninth year)

Record: Blackhawk finished in a tie for second place with Beaver with a Section 3-4A record of 8-4, four games behind section winner Hampton and three games ahead of both North Catholic and Western Beaver. With two playoff wins under their belt, the Cougars are now 13-5 overall with four consecutive victories.

#Earned: Blackhawk finished the regular season in the final week with a win over Beaver to tie the Bobcats for second place and earn the Cougars the No. 5 seed in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. In a very rare first-round matchup between section foes, Blackhawk scored early and often in a five-inning victory over Western Beaver on Monday. Trailing 1-0, the Cougars scored four runs in the first inning, three more in the second and after the Golden Beavers plated three in the third, Blackhawk exploded for five runs in the fourth and ended it with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for the 14-4 win. In the quarterfinals, Blackhawk was set to collide with No. 4 seed West Mifflin when rained postponed their game Wednesday. The next day, pitching and defense ruled the day, plus the Cougars offense plated a run in the second inning, two more in the fifth and capped the scoring with a three spot in the sixth inning in a whitewash of the Titans, 6-0. The two wins put Blackhawk in the 4A semifinals Tuesday against top-seeded Elizabeth Forward (15-3) at North Allegheny at 4 p.m.

Standout performers: In the 10-run triumph over Western Beaver in the opening round, senior Mia Yenges and sophomore Eva Parris led the Cougars’ 14-hit attack with three hits each. Yenges had a double and drove in four while Parris had two doubles and a triple, scored three runs and drove in three. Juniors Kylie Prisuta and Addy Ramer and sophomore Brynn Hysong each delivered two hits with a combined six runs scored and five RBIs. Prisuta smacked a home run and was also the winning pitcher, allowing five hits and striking out six in her five-inning complete game. Three days later, Prisuta was the star in the circle and at the plate. She was 2 for 4 with a double, a triple and an RBI, plus she only allowed one hit and struck out 10 in earning the shutout win over the Titans. Ramer drove in two more runs with a double, Yenges had a run-scoring double and seniors Lila Grimm and Keira Rodu both had RBI singles.

Last year: Blackhawk muddled through the 2024 regular season, finishing in fourth place with a 6-6 record in Section 3-4A, one game behind third-place Montour, four behind runner-up Chartiers Valley and five games in back of section champion Hampton. Blackhawk was given the No. 11 seed for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, drawing defending champion Belle Vernon in the opening round. The battle of green and gold ended with a surprise win for the Cougars over the Leopards, 7-5. If one eyebrow was raised with that opening-round result, both were up high after Blackhawk stunned No. 3 Indiana in the quarterfinals, 5-3. The postseason magic though ran out of juice for the Cougars in the district semifinals as they were beaten for a third time in 2024 by Hampton and blanked for the second time by the Talbots, 10-0. The season ended with a final record of 10-9 in the 4A consolation when Blackhawk fell to Chartiers Valley, 6-4.

Remember when: The Blackhawk softball program is still searching for its first WPIAL championship. However, to win gold, you have to reach the district title game, which is another thing the Cougars are still looking to accomplish. Blackhawk has now reached the WPIAL 4A semifinals in back-to-back seasons. An unexpected run in the spring of 2024 got the Cougars to the final four before losing to Hampton. Now it’s no surprise they reached the semis this season, but awaiting them is a tall task in defending champ and top seed Elizabeth Forward. Ten seasons ago, Blackhawk captured the Section 1-3A title with an overall regular season record of 10-3. The Cougars were one game ahead of New Castle and three games better than Ambridge, Central Valley and Ellwood City. However, in the first round of the 2014 3A playoffs, Blackhawk was stunned by Mars in eight innings, 5-4.

2025 Trib HSSN Softball Teams of the Week:

Week 5 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors

Week 4 – West Allegheny Indians

Week 3 – Jeannette Jayhawks

Week 2 – Pine-Richland Rams

Week 1 – West Mifflin Titans

Tags: Blackhawk