Several area softball teams open section play

A half dozen Westmoreland County softball teams began section play last week, with all but one of those teams securing a victory. In Class 5A Section 1, Kiski Area notched a lopsided 21-0 victory against Woodland Hills last Tuesday. Hannah Simpson worked three perfect innings with six strikeouts for the Cavaliers, while Ashlee Bair provided a pair of extra-base hits. In the same section, Franklin Regional dropped its section opener to Armstrong 18-13, but rebounded with a 12-2 triumph against Plum on Thursday. Against the River Hawks, Madison Nguyen, Sydney Jackson, and Ciara Camacho all homered. Additionally, the three aforementioned players and Kamryn Marcus all blasted home runs against the Mustangs. In Class 4A Section 2, Yough and Belle Vernon Area each commenced section play with a victory on Thursday. The Cougars edged Elizabeth Forward 9-8, while the Leopards rolled past Laurel Highlands 15-2. Kaylin Ritenour and Makayla Spoonhoward each cleared the fences for Yough in the victory. For Belle Vernon Area, Olivia Kolowitz homered and provided five RBIs, while Ashley Joll and Maren Metikosh each contributed two extra-base hits. On Thursday in Class 2A Section 2, Ligonier Valley began the section slate with a 10-0 triumph against Apollo-Ridge, while Jeannette was overmatched by Serra Catholic 16-1. Maddie Griffin tossed a no-hitter with eight strikeouts for the Rams, while Lyla Barr homered.

Ewer, Mumpower honored with volleyball awards

A pair of Westmoreland County boys volleyball standouts were recognized in the initial regular-season Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association rankings. Last week, Hempfield Area senior outside/middle hitter Chaz Ewer and Norwin senior setter Luke Mumpower were among the Class 3A players of the week. Both of their teams also appeared on the team rankings, as the Spartans were ranked fourth in the classification, while the Knights were listed fifth. Penn-Trafford and Greater Latrobe also cracked the rankings, at sixth and 10th, respectively. Meanwhile in 2A, Derry Area dropped out of the rankings after initially appearing in the No. 9 spot on the preseason list.

Westmoreland players excel in PIHL All-Star games

The PIHL concluded its 2021-22 season with a quartet of All-Star games on Sunday at the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville. Westmoreland County schools were well represented in Class AA, A, and Division 2, with nearly 30 participants between the classifications. Each game split rosters into blue and gold teams. In Class AA, Hempfield Area’s Aiden Dunlap and Ryan Crombie of Penn-Trafford each scored a goal, while Greater Latrobe’s Fletcher Harvey and Josh Coffee, Franklin Regional’s Luke Beatty, and Hempfield Area’s Damian Busch all contributed assists. All three goalies on the victorious blue team hailed from Westmoreland County schools, as Penn-Trafford’s Jackson Kerrigan stopped all 12 shots he faced, Nolan Shilling of Franklin Regional saved 17 of the 18 shots, and Greater Latrobe’s Vinny Amatucci notched 18 saves on 22 shots. In Class A, Greensburg Salem’s Owen Tutich netted a pair of goals for the gold team in its defeat, while Alex Thomas of Norwin added an assist. Between the pipes, Owen Burmeister made 10 saves on 13 shots representing the Knights. Lastly, in the Division 2 tilt, Burrell’s Joe Scolaro netted a goal for team gold, while fellow Buccaneer Caden Canfield produced two assists for the victorious team blue.

KA’s Smith coaches team to W in Cager Classic

The 25th annual Cager Classic All-Star Basketball games were held on Saturday at Highlands High School, and the rosters included several notable Westmoreland County players. With the rosters comprised of nearly 20 schools in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Kiski Area, Burrell, and Valley were all represented. In the boys game, Kiski Area head coach Corey Smith guided the East team to a 101-96 overtime win. The team included a pair of Cavaliers – James Pearson and Joe Lukas – as well as Donovan Callahan and Brandon Coury of Burrell, and Valley’s Ben Aftanas. Smith is also an alum of the Cager Classic, as he played in 2002. The girls game required two overtimes, as the West prevailed 91-85. County players on the East included Karley Keller and Riley Hanan of Kiski Area and Hope Clark of Burrell, while Kiski Area’s Nick Dizon was the head coach for the squad. Keller contributed 10 points.

UPG women’s bball coach Oddis resigns

After one successful season guiding the University of Pitt-Greensburg women’s basketball program, Kelsey Oddis has stepped down as head coach. Oddis resigned in conjunction with accepting a full-time position in the admissions office at UPG. Oddis propelled the Bobcats to a record of 20-6 this past season, including 13-3 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) play. In the conference tournament, UPG defeated Penn State Altoona and Penn State Behrend to reach the title game, in which the Bobcats fell to La Roche 72-59. Prior to her coaching stint, Oddis was a standout player at UPG from 2014-17.

Seton Hill softball earns first Top 25 ranking

For the first time in program history, Seton Hill University softball was ranked in the Top 25 last week. On Tuesday, the Griffins checked in at 24 on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25. Seton Hill, which had received votes in each of the three previous weeks, entered the rankings with a record of 20-3 overall. Since that time, the Griffins swept a doubleheader against the University of Pitt-Johnstown, but lost both games of a doubleheader at California University of Pennsylvania to open PSAC West play, and split a nonconference twin bill at Shepherd on Sunday.