Westmoreland PIAA softball capsules: Games for Monday, June 5, 2023

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, June 4, 2023 | 4:50 PM

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PIAA softball playoffs

Class 6A

First round

Mifflin County (12-8) at Hempfield (18-3)

11 a.m. Monday at Robert D. Kalp Field, Hempfield

District seeds: Mifflin County 6-1; Hempfield 7-1

Winner plays: Winner of 3-2 Central Dauphin (20-2)/1-3 Downington East (21-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Lauren Howard, Hempfield; Sophia McCurdy, Mifflin County

Extra bases: Four-time state champion Hempfield returned to the PIAA playoffs for the first time since 2019 with a 2-1 WPIAL championship win over defending champion Seneca Valley. Mia Bandieramonte launched a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to give Hempfield the lead for good. It was the Spartans’ eighth WPIAL title and second for coach Tina Madison, who won a WPIAL title as a player in 1998 and a PIAA title in 1999. Sophomore pitcher Riley Miller, looking more composed in big games, struck out 11 and allowed four hits in the WPIAL final. Miller is 16-3 with 162 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA in 117 innings. She did not bat in the WPIAL final. … Mifflin County won the District 6 title game and then a subregional game to get into the PIAA tournament. The Huskies edged past State College, 3-2, to win the district title as Jalee Bodtorf gave them the lead for good with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Arika Henry and Dakota Hershberger also had RBIs. In a 10-3 win over McDowell in the subregional, McCurdy went 3 for 4 with a home run and five RBIs, Hershberger also homered and Bodtorf tripled. Mifflin County also won the district title last year but lost to North Allegheny in the PIAA first round 6-4. The Huskies also were the top D6 team in 2021 when they fell to Canon-McMillan in the first round 7-4.

Class 4A

First round

Belle Vernon (18-4) vs. Trinity (17-6)

2 p.m. Monday at Robert D. Kalp Field, Hempfield

District seeds: Belle Vernon 7-1; Trinity 3-3

Winner plays: Winner of 10-1 Cathedral Prep (20-2)/7-3 Elizabeth Forward (18-1) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Alexa Daniels, Belle Vernon; Maddie Smith, Trinity

Extra bases: Belle Vernon overcame Montour in a three-plus-hour final to win its fifth WPIAL title 8-7. Maren Metikosh, a Central Connecticut State commit, went 3 for 3 with three runs, Lauren VanDivner 4 for 5 with a double, Mia Zubovic 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Daniels 2 for 3 with a triple. Talia Ross, who worked 6 2/3 innings in relief, struck out 10 and allowed three runs. Veteran coach Tom Rodriguez has 302 victories but has not won a PIAA title. The Leopards last made the state playoffs in 2018, losing to Mt. Pleasant, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. … Trinity qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time with a 2-1 win over Berks Catholic in the District 3 third-place game. The Shamrocks did not commit an error and struck out three times. Smith struck out nine and gave up one hit through five innings before giving up a late home run. Taylor Lawrence and Molley Maney had RBIs. Maney is hitting .557 with 34 hits and 35 runs. Molly Whitmyer has six home runs and 29 RBIs. Smith has 173 Ks in 124 innings. Coach Glenn Reinhardt is from the Pittsburgh area.

Class 3A

First round

Southmoreland (17-3) at Chestnut Ridge (16-3)

4:30 p.m. Monday at Chestnut Ridge High School, New Paris

District seeds: Southmoreland 7-2; Chestnut Ridge 5-1

Winner plays: Winner of 10-1 Jamestown (20-2)/7-4 Waynesburg (16-5) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Makayla Etling, Southmoreland; Britni Motter, Chestnut Ridge

Extra bases: Southmoreland wasn’t its crisp self in the field in the WPIAL final against Avonworth, giving up four errors to the Antelopes in a 5-1 loss. The Scotties had a promising start, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Etling, the catcher. They struck out 14 times and only managed three hits against Antelopes ace Alivia Lantzy. Southmoreland lost in the first round of the state bracket last year to Bald Eagle, 4-1. The Scotties did not qualify for states in 2021 or ’19 but reached the semifinals in ’18, falling to Philipsburg-Osceola, 15-4. There is only one senior on the roster. … Chestnut Ridge last made the PIAA postseason in 2019, falling to District 9 champion Clearfield, 4-3, in the first round. Chestnut Ridge qualified this season by winning the District 5-9 subregional title with a 5-3 triumph over Punxsutawney in Somerset. Motter earned a complete-game win with nine strikeouts while giving up five hits. Lexyn Corle had an RBI single, but the Lions executed small ball to produce more offense, and an error allowed two runs to score late. Chestnut Ridge has scored nine or more runs nine times.

Class 2A

First round

Greensburg Central Catholic (14-3) at Cranberry (13-7)

4 p.m. Monday at Cranberry High School, Seneca

District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-3; Cranberry 9-1

Winner plays: Winner of 5-1 Everett (22-0)/7-2 Laurel (16-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Emma Henry, Greensburg Central Catholic; Cassie Scarbrough, Cranberry

Extra bases: Greensburg Central Catholic is back where it was last year: fresh off a win in the WPIAL third-place game and a date with the District 9 champion, only this time in 2A. Last year, GCC lost at DuBois Central Catholic, 4-2, in a first-round matchup. GCC had 12 hits in a 7-6 win over OLSH in the WPIAL third-place game, with Macee McGill delivering four singles. Henry had two hits and an RBI. Other key hitters include Erica Rodriguez, Grace Kindel, Isabella Marquez and Makenzee Kenney. The Centurions made the 2A state quarterfinals in 2011. … Cranberry, about 120 miles north of Greensburg via the Turnpike and Interstate 79, last made the PIAA tournament in 2019 and reached the semifinals before falling to WPIAL runner-up and eventual champion Frazier. A 7-6 win over Curwensville in the District 9 championship allowed the Berries to return to the state bracket. Scarbrough ripped a two-run single to give Cranberry a 6-5 lead, then drove in the seventh run in the seventh. Reyna Watson added three hits and was the winning pitcher. She struck out six and gave up 10 hits.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Southmoreland