Westmoreland high school softball notebook: Trio stays perfect

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 | 8:30 PM

Three Westmoreland teams remained among the undefeated in the WPIAL through Tuesday’s action.

Hempfield improved to 4-0 with a home win over Seneca Valley and stayed atop Section 1-6A at 2-0. Penn-Trafford had a 7-0 mark and was 3-0 and tied with Thomas Jefferson for the top spot in Section 2-5A.

Burrell was 2-0 overall and sat at 1-0 in Section 1-4A.

Penn-Trafford outscored its last three opponents 33-2. Senior pitcher Mia Smith no-hit Connellsville in a 10-0 win that lasted five innings.

In total, 14 teams had not lost yet heading into Wednesday’s action.

A number of WPIAL teams are behind the pace of last season because of rain, wet fields and cold conditions. In fact, 16 teams had played only one game before Tuesday.

Pied Piper

Ligonier Valley sophomore Cheyenne Piper has had quite a week. She made headlines Wednesday when she tossed a perfect game in a 7-0 victory over Punxsutawney — her first varsity start. The 21-up, 21-down performance saw her strike out 15 and walk nobody.

She was replacing senior star Maddie Griffin, who was resting an injury. Griffin threw five perfect games last season.

The next game, Piper showed what she can do with a bat, hitting two home runs and driving in three as the Rams blanked Steel Valley, 15-0, in three innings.

Ups and downs

There was some movement in the Trib HSSN rankings this week.

Four local teams maintained their spots in the top five ratings in their classification, and four others moved up or dropped.

Hempfield stayed No. 1 in Class 6A, whereas Southmoreland (3A), Ligonier Valley (2A) and Greensburg Central Catholic (A) stayed at No. 3.

Norwin dropped from No. 3 to 5 in 6A, Penn-Trafford moved up a spot to No. 2 in 5A, Yough went from No. 4 to 3 in 4A and Mt. Pleasant was bounced out of the top five in 3A.

Blair County

Emma Blair, the Trib Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year, was known for producing double-doubles on the court.

The junior at Latrobe also can put up doubles and home runs in softball.

Blair hit two home runs and drove in five in a 15-3 win over Albert Gallatin in six innings.

Rack ’em up

Franklin Regional (8-1) has played more games than any WPIAL softball team.

The Panthers, who opened with four games in Florida, also lead the league in wins.

Cervola commits

Hempfield junior Emma Cervola announced she will continue her playing career at Waynesburg.

Cervola also plays travel softball for Ohio Thunder Elite 18U Premier.

Word of mouth

“Oh, no, there was no sense of urgency.” — Ligonier Valley coach Mark Zimmerman on his team’s 1-2 start after reaching the PIAA Class 2A championship last season.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford