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Sunday, June 4, 2023 | 4:50 p.m.
Chaz Shovel | Tribune-Review
Maren Metikosh (left) and her Belle Vernon teammates will open the PIAA playoffs against Trinity on Monday.
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; hemp field 7-1
The 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 look: 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 Bandieramnonte hit 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 the second for coach Tina Madison, who won a WPIAL title as a player in 1998 and a PIAA title in 1999. Second-year pitcher Riley Miller, looking more composed in big games, struck out to 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 didn’t bat in the WPIAL final. … Mifflin County won the District 6 title game and then a subregional game to enter the PIAA tournament. The Huskies outscored State College, 3-2, to win the district title when 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 hit a triple. Mifflin County also won the district title last year, but lost to North Allegheny in the PIAA first round 6-4. The Huskies were also the best 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: Bella Vernon 7-1; Trinity 3-3
Winner theater plays: Winner of 10-1 Cathedral Prep (20-2)/7-3 Elizabeth Forward (18-1) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, place TBD)
players to look: Alexa Daniels, Belle Vernon; Maddie Smith, Trinity
Additional bases: Belle Vernon defeated Montour in a final over three hours to win her fifth WPIAL title 8-7. Maren Metikosh, committed at Central Connecticut State, went 3 for 3 with three runs, Lauren VanDivner for 5 for 4 with a double, Mia Zubovic for 4 for 2 with two RBIs and Daniels for 3 for 2 with a triple. Talia Ross, who pitched 6 2/3 innings in relief, struck out 10 and allowed three runs. Veteran trainer Tom Rodriguez has 302 wins but hasn’t 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 victory over Berks Catholic in the District 3 third-place game. The Shamrocks committed no errors and struck out three times. Smith struck out nine and allowed one hit in 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 strikeouts 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
The 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; Britney Motter, Chestnut Ridge
Extra bases: Southmoreland wasn’t nearly as sharp on the pitch in the WPIAL final against Avonworth, giving up four errors to the Antelopes in a 5-1 loss. The Scotties got off to a promising start, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Etling, the catcher. They struck out 14 times and managed just three hits against Antelopes ace Alivia Lantzy. Southmoreland lost in the first round of the state group last year to Bald Eagle, 4-1. The Scots failed to qualify for the states in 2021 or ’19, but made it to the semifinals in ’18, falling to Philipsburg-Osceola, 15-4. There is only one senior on the list. … Chestnut Ridge last made the PIAA playoffs in 2019, falling to District 9 champion Clearfield, 4-3, in the first round. Chestnut Ridge qualified this season by winning the District sub-regional title 5-9 with a 5-3 win over Punxsutawney in Somerset. Motter earned a complete game victory with nine strikeouts and allowed five hits. Lexyn Corle had an RBI single, but the Lions hit a small ball to produce more offense, and an error allowed them to score two runs late. Chestnut Ridge has scored nine or more runs nine times.
Class 2A
First round
Greensburg Central Catholic (14-3) at Cranberry (13-7)
Mondays at 4 pm at Cranberry High School, Seneca
District Seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-3; Blueberry 9-1
The winner plays: Winner of 5-1 Everett (22-0)/7-2 Laurel (16-3) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)
Players to watch: Emma Henry, a Central Catholic from Greensburg; Cassie Scarbrough, Blueberry
Extra bases: Greensburg Central Catholic is back where it was last year: fresh off a WPIAL third-place game win and a date with champion District 9, 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 victory over OLSH in the WPIAL third-place game, with Macee McGill giving up four singles. Henry had two hits and one RBI. Other key hitters include Erica Rodríguez, Grace Kindel, Isabella Márquez and Makenzee Kenney. The Centurions reached the 2A State Quarterfinals in 2011. …Cranberry, about 120 miles north of Greensburg via the Turnpike and Interstate 79, last participated in the PIAA tournament in 2019 and reached the semifinals before falling to WPIAL runner-up and eventual champion Frazier. A 7-6 victory over Curwensville in the District 9 championship allowed the Berries to return to the state bracket. Scarbrough ripped off 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 allowed 10 hits.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Bill can be reached via email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
Tags: belle vernonGreensburg CC, Hempfield, Southmoreland
