Warriors softball advances to semis

Courtesy of a pair of narrow wins last week, Penn-Trafford softball became the first Westmoreland County team to punch its ticket to the WPIAL semifinals. The top-seeded Warriors opened the Class 5A bracket with a 5-3 victory against Moon Area at West Mifflin High School, and two days later at the same venue, PT outlasted Chartiers Valley 14-11. Guiliana “G” Youngo lead the way against the No. 9 Colts, as she went 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, and a pair of singles, producing six RBIs and three runs, and she also made a diving catch with the bases loaded to end the contest. The Warriors notched 11 hits in the victory, as Bella Rubbe went 2-for-3 with an RBI a walk, while Kylie Anthony went 1-2 with one run batted in and a pair of walks. Against the No. 16 seed Tigers, the Warriors fell behind early but tallied four runs in the second inning. Moon answered back quickly, cutting it to 4-3, but PT responded with a single run in the fourth and held on. Rilie Moors led the offense going 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Penn-Trafford. Lorryn Sepe drove in two runs while Bella Rubbe and Liz Welsh each recorded two hits. Allyson Paulone got the win in the circle allowing three runs, one earned, in seven innings. The Warriors (19-2) will face fourth seed North Hills in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Fox Chapel Area High School.

Quintet of Westmoreland athletes win track and field gold

Norwin senior Ryan Schiller, Penn-Trafford senior Logan Kerstetter, senior Jarett Garn of Mount Pleasant, Greensburg Central Catholic junior Jerry Davis, and senior Sophia Mazzoni of Derry Area all captured gold medals at the WPIAL Track and Field Championships at Slippery Rock University last Wednesday. In Class 3A boys competition, Schiller took first in the 110-meter hurdles, as he finished at 14.30, while Kerstetter claimed gold in the javelin, as his throw measured 188-01.00. In Class 2A, Garn won the 200 with a time of 22.55, and Davis timed 48.32 to prevail in the 400. On the girls side in Class 3A, Mazzoni stood atop the podium in the javelin with a throw of 156-00.00. Mazzoni won her third title in the event, while Kerstetter and Davis repeated as champions.

FR’s Armstrong retires

After 23 seasons leading Franklin Regional softball, Jim Armstrong retired following the Panthers’ playoff loss last week. During his time at the helm of the program, Armstrong compiled a record of 273-135-3. Armstrong steered his squad to a WPIAL Class AAA Championship in 2009, when the Panthers edged Trinity 2-0 for the only title in program history. This year, the Panthers finished 13-7, concluding with a 4-0 loss against Fox Chapel Area in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs last Monday. Prior to becoming the head coach, Armstrong was an assistant with FR for four seasons.

PT volleyball outlasts Greater Latrobe

An all-Westmoreland County boys volleyball clash required a decisive fifth set, as Penn-Trafford upset Greater Latrobe 3-2 in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals last Thursday. The No. 6 Warriors prevailed 21-25, 28-26, 25-18, 18-25, and 16-14 against the third-seeded and host Wildcats (16-2). As a result, PT (12-6) advances to the semifinals against No. 2 Seneca Valley at Fox Chapel Area High School on Tuesday at 6 p.m. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Warriors swept No. 11 Peters Township as Caiden McDonald posted eight kills, while the Wildcats ousted No. 14 North Hills in straight sets.

Griffins baseball wins Atlantic Regional

Facing a pair of elimination games on Saturday, Seton Hill University won twice against host Millersville University to capture the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. The Griffins opened the regional with a 14-2 victory against California University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, but fell to the Marauders 8-2 on Friday. However, the Griffins rallied to claim 7-4 and 8-2 triumphs to punch their ticket to the NCAA Atlantic Super Regional. In the first win on Saturday, the Griffins scored three times in the third inning, and four times in the fifth frame. Jon McCullough earned the victory on the hill by going 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs, issuing three walks with five strikeouts. Offensively, Jack Whalen went 3-for-5, while Owen Henne went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a home run. In the decisive matchup, Julian Minaya earned the victory by working six scoreless frames, permitting just two hits and issuing three walks, striking out one. Henne and Colin Ahr posted two-hit efforts, while Matt Frazetta collected a pair of RBIs. The Griffins (40-16) will travel to play at East Stroudsburg for the best-of-three series, beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday.