Spartans, Vikings advance to softball championships

Westmoreland County will again be well-represented at the WPIAL Softball Championships, as Hempfield Area and Mount Pleasant Area punched their tickets to Lilley Field at California University of Pennsylvania. The Spartans (20-1), the reigning Class 6A Champions, will have a chance to defend their title, as they cruised past fourth-seeded Canon-McMillan 13-0 in five innings in the semifinals on Tuesday at West Mifflin Area High School. Julia Varhola and Jayelyn Luft combined to toss an abbreviated no-hitter, as Varhola worked four innings, walking one while racking up five strikeouts, while Luft retired the Big Macs in order in the fifth. Varhola also starred at the plate, going 3-for-3 with five RBIs, while Lauren Howard also went 3-for-3 with five runs batted in, also drawing a walk, and Luft produced three hits. Thus, the Spartans will face a title game rematch against No. 2 Seneca Valley on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The Vikings (15-4), meanwhile, had a much different path to the Class 3A Championship game, as they edged Keystone Oaks 3-2 in eight innings in the semis on Wednesday at Norwin High School. Chloe Borelli provided a walk-off double to score Carly Surma for the No. 3 Vikings. Borelli also had an RBI triple in the first, scoring Sadie Poole, while Jenna Whipkey was hit by pitch and scored on the error, also in the opening frame. Dani Trainer earned the victory in the circle, allowing a pair of runs on eight hits, with no walks and six punchouts against the No. 7 Golden Eagles. Consequently, the Vikings will battle top-seeded South Park on Thursday at 2:15 p.m.

FR’s Kociela captures state gold

While several Westmoreland stars captured medals at the PIAA Track and Field Championships over the weekend, only one stood atop the podium, as Franklin Regional’s Jamie Kociela won gold in the girls Class 3A high jump. Kociela, a junior, cleared 5-foot, 6-inches on Saturday at Shippensburg University. Alaysia Bell, a Kiski Area sophomore, claimed silver in the girls Class 3A triple jump one day earlier, achieving a distance of 38-7. Hempfield Area Jonathan Stetchock also took silver, finishing as runner-up in the boys Class 3A 1,600 with a time of 4:09.15. Moreover, senior Jerry Davis of Greensburg Central Catholic placed second in the boys Class 2A 400, while Southmoreland senior Megan Mehall captured silver in the girls Class 2A 800. Third-place finishers included Franklin Regional junior Sean Cartwright (boys Class 3A 110 hurdles), senior Chesnee Smith of Hempfield Area (girls Class 3A 800), and Belle Vernon Area’s senior Ryan Kent (boys 3A discus).

Trojans quartet leads volleyball all-section list

The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its boys all-section teams, and a myriad of Westmoreland County players made the list, including four from Derry Area. The honorees in Class 3A Section 2 included Penn-Trafford’s right side Matthew Eguaoje, setter Billy Spena, and outside hitter Ethan McDonald; setter Landon Kalp and outside hitter Braden Crowe from Hempfield Area; Norwin outside hitters Wyatt Painter and Christian Reiter; Greater Latrobe’s outside hitter Gabe Watson; and middle hitter Jason Buczynski of Franklin Regional. Meanwhile in Class 2A Section 1, the Trojans quartet consisted of setter Landon Campbell, outside hitter Caden Marsh, right side Jaiden Beeman, and libero John Kerin.

Griffins McGuire named All-American

Seton Hill University baseball star Brady McGuire added another accolade to his resume last week, as he was honored as an All-American. McGuire, a sophomore, was tabbed as a Third-Team All-American at third base by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. McGuire, who was selected as the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and First-Team All-PSAC, played in 45 games, hitting .443 with 54 RBIs, 48 runs, six homers, and 29 stolen bases. He helped the Griffins go 42-12 on the season, including 26-2 in the PSAC West.