WPIAL Class A softball final preview: West Greene vs. Union

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 | 10:31 PM

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WPIAL Class A softball championship

No. 1 West Greene (18-4) vs. No. 3 Union (12-5)

Noon Wednesday at Peterswood Park

Coaches: Billy Simms, West Greene; Doug Fisher, Union

Players to watch: Jade Renner, Jr., P, West Greene; Halaena Blakley, So., P, Union

WPIAL titles: West Greene 3 (2016, ‘17, ‘18); Union 0

How they got here: West Greene had a first-round bye; defeated No. 8 Bishop Canevin, 6-2; and defeated No. 5 Jefferson-Morgan, 15-0. Union had a first-round bye; defeated No. 6 Springdale, 11-1; and beat No. 2 Leechburg, 5-3.

Extra bases: West Greene is in the midst of a dynasty in Class A, coming off three straight WPIAL titles. The Pioneers returned eight starters, including pitcher Jade Renner (17-4, 1.58 ERA, 111 Ks). She has a 54-9 career record and is hitting .515 with 31 RBIs this season. Kaitlyn Rizor is hitting .562 with 21 extra base hits and 31 RBIs. The Pioneers also feature Carlow-bound twins McKenna (.574) and Madison Lampe (.507). … Union claimed the Section 1 title with a 10-0 record. The Scotties have won 11 of their past 12 games, the lone loss a 5-4 setback to Freedom. Sophomore Skylar Fisher paces the hitting attack with a .574 average and 30 RBIs. Blakley hits .479 with 19 RBIs and also is 8-3 with a 4.29 ERA and 77 strikeouts in the circle. The Scotties have belted 10 home runs.

PIAA tournament: The winner will play the District 5 runner-up in the PIAA first round. The losing team will play the District 6 champion. Both games will be Monday.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Union, West Greene