WPIAL Class 5A softball championship preview: North Hills vs. Armstrong

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 | 2:18 PM

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Softball

Class 5A

7-Armstrong (15-4) vs. 8-North Hills (15-5)

4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.)

Road to the finals

• Armstrong — The River Hawks came out strong in the first round, scoring 16 runs in a 16-3 rout of No. 10 South Fayette. They continued to roll in the quarterfinals with an 11-0 shutout of No. 15 Indiana behind a grand slam from leadoff hitter Emma Smerick and a two-run shot from Jenna Clontz. Things tightened up for Armstrong in the semifinals against No. 14 Fox Chapel as it came down to the bottom of the seventh. Smerick reached on an infield single and later scored the game-winner on a throwing error to complete a 2-1 victory.

• North Hills — The Indians doubled up No. 9 Trinity, 4-2, in the first round behind three RBIs from Abby Scheller. They then knocked off No. 1 Penn-Trafford, 6-1, as pitcher Sophia Roncone struck out 13. Kassidy Wittig had a two-run double in North Hills’ big four-run third inning. The Indians rode another solid pitching performance from Roncone — four hits allowed and eight strikeouts — in a 3-0 semifinal win over No. 5 Chartiers Valley. Maria Chutko doubled and drove in two runs for the Indians.

Secret to their success

• Armstrong — The River Hawks have a deep hitting lineup, and they put up at least nine runs in a game 11 times in the regular season before posting 27 runs in their first two playoff games. Cameryn Sprankle has complemented the offense with three solid pitching performances in the playoffs. She threw a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts against Indiana and followed that by holding a potent Fox Chapel lineup to five hits while striking out seven. Armstrong hit eight home runs in the first two playoff contests combined, but also played small ball with four bunt base hits, including two in the bottom of the seventh, against the Foxes.

• North Hills — The Indians, who just missed the Class 6A playoffs in 2019, were a sleeper pick at the start of the Class 5A tournament, and they got on a roll after losing three of five to close the regular season. North Hills finished second to No. 3 Shaler in the Section 3 standings and split with the Titans, winning 11-3 and falling 9-8. Roncone, a junior, has been an asset for the Indians all season. She allowed just two hits while striking out nine in the first-round win over Trinity. North Hills learned from a 5-2 regular-season loss to Penn-Trafford and turned the tables on the Warriors in the quarterfinals.

Championship factoids

• Armstrong — Not only is this the first WPIAL softball championship game for the River Hawks, they had not even won a playoff game prior to their wins over South Fayette, Indiana and Fox Chapel this spring. Even predecessors Kittanning and Ford City did not appear in a WPIAL softball championship contest.

• North Hills — It’s been a while, but the Indians are no strangers to WPIAL softball gold. Forty-five years ago, North Hills won what was only the fourth WPIAL softball postseason tournament in 1976. The Indians then won WPIAL championships in 1980, 1981, 1983 and their most recent one, a 4-3 win over Hempfield to win the 2000 district title.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Armstrong, North Hills