WPIAL semifinal softball playoff game recaps from Tuesday, May 24th:

Penn-Trafford 3 Chartiers Valley 2 (Class 5A)

Down 2-0 early, No. 2 Penn-Trafford rallied to defeat No. 11 Chartiers Valley 3-2 in a WPIAL 5A semifinal game at West Mifflin. The Warriors will play in the WPIAL title game for the first time in school history. Marie Kinchington clubbed a first-inning home run off of P-T hurler Mia Smith to give the Colts a 2-0 lead. Mack Kennan split the lead in half as she delivered a RBI single in the bottom of the first frame to make it 2-1. That score stayed that way until the fifth inning as Penn-Trafford pinch-hitter Alexa Forsythe doubled and another pinch-hitter, Lorryn Sepe, drove her in to tie the game. P-T scored the game-winning run later in the inning as Cam Ponko hit a ground ball to second but Kinchington, the Colts first baseman, couldn't handle the throw and it was 3-2. Smith worked her way out of some jams and finished with 10 strikeouts including one to end the contest. The Warriors (18-2) will face top-seeded Armstrong (19-4) in the championship next Thursday, June 3rd, at Cal U's Lilley Field. The River Hawks topped North Hills 6-4 on Tuesday.

Avonworth 3 Southmoreland 0 (Class 3A)

No. 1 Avonworth broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning and went on to defeat No. 5 Southmoreland 3-0 in a WPIAL 3A softball semifinal at Boyce-Mayview Park. The contest entered the bottom of the fifth inning with no score but Alivia Lantzy changed that as she cracked a two-run triple to right-center field to put the Antelopes ahead 2-0. Leah Kuban's solo homer in the sixth inning added insurance for Avonworth (16-5). The closest the Scotties came to plating a run was in the top of the sixth as Amarah McCutcheon delivered a one-out single but was stranded at second base. Lantzy was the winning pitcher, allowing just three hits. Southmoreland (13-4) will play South Allegheny in the consolation game for the right to play in the PIAA playoffs. The Antelopes meet Deer Lakes in the WPIAL 3A championship on Wednesday, June 1st.

Union 9 Greensburg Central Catholic 2 (Class 1A)

No. 2 Union scored runs in nearly every inning, building up a lead and never looking back in a 9-2 victory over No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic in a WPIAL 1A semifinal contest at Mars. It's the third straight season the Scotties will play for WPIAL gold. Union scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added two more in the third, a tally in the fourth and fifth innings then closed out the scoring with a pair of runs in the sixth. GCC's Abigail Dei delivered a two-run single to bring in Emma Henry and Grace Kindel in the seventh inning for the Centurions lone runs of the game. Kindel and Dei both finished with two hits for Greensburg Central Catholic (12-6) which will square off with Springdale in the PIAA consolation game on Thursday. Mia Preuhs had three hits, including a triple, double and two RBIs to lead Union (19-3) which will play West Greene in the WPIAL final.

WPIAL quarterfinal softball playoff game recaps from Thursday, May 19th:

Avonworth 5, Mount Pleasant Area 2 (Class 3A)

Top-seeded Avonworth used a dominant performance from Alivia Lantzy to knock off Mount Pleasant Area 5-2 in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals on Thursday at Plum High School. Lantzy posted 16 strikeouts in the circle and contributed a home run to help Avonworth avenge a pair of postseason losses to the Vikings in 2021. The eighth-seeded Vikings (10-10), the defending WPIAL and PIAA champs, faced an early deficit, as Lantzy smacked a solo blast and the Antelopes (15-5) added a second run against hurler Sophia Smithnosky in the first inning. Katie Hutter singled and later scored to trim the Vikings’ deficit to 2-1 in the fourth, but the Antelopes responded with three runs in the bottom of the stanza. Krista Brunson added a late home run for the Vikings. Avonworth will face Southmoreland in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Southmoreland 14, Ellwood City 4 - 6 innings (Class 3A)

Southmoreland used a nine-run fourth inning to roll past Ellwood City 14-4 in six innings in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals at North Allegheny High School on Thursday. The No. 5 Scotties (13-3) pounding 14 hits, overcoming an early deficit to the fourth-seeded Wolverines (11-4). Amarah McCutcheon contributed a home run and an RBI single, Brynn Charnesky and Gabrielle Grabiak each produced three RBIs, and Maddy Cyphert earned the victory in the circle for the Scotties. Southmoreland will battle top-seeded Avonworth in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Greensburg Central Catholic 9, Leechburg 8 - 8 innings (Class 1A)

Trailing in the bottom of the eighth inning, Greensburg Central Catholic scored a pair of runs, including a walkoff double by Isabella Marquez that scored Macee Magill for the winning run in a 9-8 triumph against Leechburg in the WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinals at North Allegheny on Thursday. The No. 3 Centurions (12-5) also overcome a four-run deficit to the sixth-seeded Blue Devils (9-6) earlier in the contest. GCC opened the scoring with three runs in the first inning, as Emma Henry provided an RBI single and Grace Kindel added a two-RBI hit. The Blue Devils scored six times in the second inning, however, punctuated by a grand slam by Anna Cibik. Greensburg Central Catholic chipped away, however, and eventually pulled even at 7-7 on an RBI double from Makenzee Kenney, who also earned the win in relief of Henry. The Centurions will face No. 2 Union in the semifinals on Tuesday.

WPIAL first round softball playoff game recaps from Tuesday, May 17th:

Penn-Trafford 10 Plum 0 (Class 5A)

Kylee Piconi hit a solo home run and finished with three hits in helping No. 2 Penn-Trafford to a 10-0, five-inning victory against No. 15 Plum in a WPIAL Class 5A first round contest at Norwin. Piconi's long ball in the third inning put the Warriors in front 1-0. P-T broke the game open in the fourth inning by tallying six runs, highlighted by a two-run triple from Madison Rapp. Caitlyn Schlegel lead off the inning with a triple. The Warriors closed out the scoring with three runs in the fifth inning to enact the 10-run rule. In addition to Piconi, who also scored three runs, Rapp finished with two hits and four RBIs. Alexa Forsythe stroked a solo home run to lead off the fifth. Mia Smith earned the win in the circle, yielding just two hits in five scoreless innings while striking out 11 batters. Penn-Trafford (16-2) will battle No. 10 Shaler in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Titans (16-3) downed Franklin Regional 14-6 in the first round on Tuesday.

Greater Latrobe 10 West Allegheny 9 - 8 innings (Class 5A)

Greater Latrobe pulled off an upset, fueled by a grand slam by Josie Straigis in the top of the 8th inning, as the No. 12 Wildcats outlasted fifth-seeded West Allegheny 10-9 in extra frames in the WPIAL 5A first round at North Allegheny High School. Greater Latrobe (10-4) also received a monster performance from Jenna Tallman, who was 3-3 with a home run and a pair of doubles. Emily Nolan provided a homer for the Indians (12-5). Greater Latrobe will face defending WPIAL champion North Hills in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Indians (15-3) topped Upper St. Clair 7-3 in the first round.

Thomas Jefferson 3 Kiski Area 2 (Class 5A)

Kiski Area’s season ended with a 3-2 loss to Thomas Jefferson in the WPIAL Class 5A first round at Plum High School. Kaylee Musco provided both runs driven in for the Cavaliers (12-7), while Kendall Pielin earned the victory in the circle for the Jaguars (11-7), notching 10 strikeouts. Top-seeded Armstrong awaits Thomas Jefferson in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Southmoreland 5 Derry Area 4 (Class 3A)

Southmoreland freshman Makayla Etling provided a walk-off single to plate Tyson Martin in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Scotties a 5-4 victory against Derry Area in the WPIAL Class 3A first round at Norwin High School. Martin and Brynn Charnesky each contributed a pair of hits for fifth-seeded Southmoreland. Sophia Doherty provided a three-run double for the No. 12 Trojans (3-11) in the fourth inning, in which Derry Area scored all of its runs. Southmoreland (12-3) pulled even in the fifth on an RBI single by Charnesky. Maddie Brown earned the win in the circle, allowing just two hits. The Scotties will meet No. 4 Ellwood City in the quarterfinals round on Thursday.

Mount Pleasant 16 North Catholic 2 (Class 3A)

Defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Mount Pleasant opened the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs by walloping North Catholic 16-2 at Fox Chapel. Katie Hutter collected three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs for the eighth-seeded Vikings. Her teammate, Sophia Smithnosky, went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs. Abby Swank and Addison Reese each drove in a pair of runs. Sophia Wiesner hit a two-run homer for the No. 9 Trojans (6-7). Mount Pleasant (10-9) advances to play No. 1 Avonworth (14-5) which received a bye in the first round.