Westmoreland WPIAL softball playoff capsules: Games for Tuesday, May 13, 2025

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, May 12, 2025 | 3:34 PM

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WPIAL softball playoffs

Class 3A

First round

5-Mt. Pleasant (11-5) vs. 12-Keystone Oaks (8-8)

5 p.m. Tuesday at Waynesburg University

Winner plays: 4-Avonworth (14-4) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Gia Stanek, Mt. Pleasant; Kennadi Smith, Keystone Oaks

Extra bases: Mt. Pleasant, led by first-year coach Paul Reho, won the Section 1 title by two games over Southmoreland. Reho thought his team should have been seeded higher. The Vikings have won four straight, including a win over 5A Franklin Regional, and are 12-2 since April 2. Stanek and Dani Trainer have formed a 1-2 punch in the pitching circle, while both routinely provide offense. Carly Surma, Kendra Brunson and Talia Reho also are key contributors. Mt. Pleasant lost to Central Valley last year in the first round. … Keystone Oaks ended up fourth in Section 3 behind South Park, McGuffey and Charleroi. The team has scored 96 runs and allowed 93. Smith is hitting .550 with 13 RBIs. The Golden Eagles have only one home run. The Golden Eagles lost in the first round last year to Ligonier Valley.

7-Southmoreland (9-6) vs. 10-Hopewell (10-7)

7 p.m. Tuesday at Trinity

Winner plays: 2-Mohawk (13-5) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Makayla Etling, Southmoreland; Victoria Mann, Hopewell

Extra bases: Southmoreland is looking for continuity after an up-and-down season where it didn’t win more than three in a row. The Scotties have been outscored, 142-135. They lost to Derry, 21-5, and Ligonier Valley, 16-1. They finished second in Section 1 behind Mt. Pleasant, the No. 5 seed. Etling is one of the top hitters in the class, and Makayla Brown, Riley Puckey, Zoey Murphy and Taylor Doppelheuer also have provided offense. The Scotties lost to Freeport in the first round last year, 6-3. … Hopewell has won four straight. Mohawk, Avonworth and Ellwood City finished ahead of the Vikings in Section 2. Mohawk is the No. 2 seed, and Avonworth is No. 4. Mann is hitting .643 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. Alana Covalt, who pitches for the Vikings, has a .397 average with 19 runs scored.

11-Ligonier Valley (5-10) vs. McGuffey (10-5)

5 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin

Winner plays: 3-Ellwood City (10-8) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Abby Springer, Ligonier Valley; Nicole Klages, McGuffey

Extra bases: Ligonier Valley, a playoff regular since joining the WPIAL in 2020, tied Deer Lakes for third place in Section 1. The Rams are allowing 7.5 runs per game. In section, they scored 73 and gave up 73. They split a late-season doubleheader with Yough to clinch a playoff spot. After losing to Southmoreland, 14-2, they bounced back to beat the Scotties, 16-1. Veteran coach Mark Zimmerman is in his 26th season guiding the program. The Rams made the semifinals last year and lost to South Park, 3-0. … McGuffey was the runner-up in Section 3 in back of undefeated South Park (18-0). The Highlanders average 8.3 runs and have won five of their last six. Klages is hitting .478, Miley Main .455 and Sidney Dobrzynski .409. The Highlanders lost to Yough in the first round last year, 2-1.

Class A

First round

8-Jeannette (11-4) vs. 9-Avella (5-10)

6 p.m. Tuesday at Pleasant Valley Elementary School, McMurray

Winner plays: 1-Union (16-2) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Grace Stein, Jeannette; Emily Buel, Avella

Extra bases: Jeannette is back in the playoffs after winning a co-section championship with Serra Catholic at 11-1. The Jayhawks, led by ace pitcher Grace Stein, have outscored their opponents 129-42. They are 10-1 since April 9 and take a five-game winning streak into the postseason, during which they have scored 74 runs and allowed three. Stein has more than 500 career strikeouts. Last year, Jeannette advanced to the quarterfinals and lost to No. 3 Chartiers-Houston, 16-0, in four innings. … Avella finished fourth in Section 2 with a 4-6 mark. The Eagles started 1-8 but rallied late to get into the postseason. They are giving up 11.9 runs per game. Buel, a freshman, is hitting .447 with 15 RBIs. Avery Rado has a .436 average with 14 runs and 12 RBIs.

12-Greensburg Central Catholic (6-6) vs. 5-Jefferson-Morgan (8-6)

3 p.m. Tuesday at Waynesburg University

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Sewickley Academy (10-4)/13-Monessen (6-8) in quarterfinals

Players to watch: Abigail Dei, Greensburg Central Catholic; Emilee Bazzoli, Jefferson-Morgan

Extra bases: Greensburg Central Catholic was the last team into the WPIAL playoffs. It had to sweep a doubleheader from St. Joseph, which it did handily to qualify. Because of a shortage of players, GCC played only a 12-game section schedule. The roster has dwindled to 11 at times. The Centurions are averaging 8.1 runs. Chelsey Frock is in her second year coaching the team. Erica Rodriguez and Julianna Saxion are other players to watch. … Jefferson-Morgan finished third (5-5) in Section 2 behind Carmichaels and West Greene. The Rockets have outscored teams 111-52. They have scored 10 or more runs five times. They started the season 5-1. Bazzoli is a sophomore pitcher.

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

Tags: Avella, Greensburg C.C., Hopewell, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Keystone Oaks, Ligonier Valley, McGuffey, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland