Softball postseason rundown: No. 11 Riverside turns tables, avenges pair of lopsided losses against No. 3 Laurel with stunning upset victory in Class 2A quarterfinals

During the sixth inning of Riverside’s remarkable upset victory against Laurel in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals, Panthers coach Geri Lynn Cummings gazed over at the scoreboard, then turned to one of her players, Ayla Sterner, and asked Sterner to pinch her.

“Ayla goes, ‘What?'” Cummings recalled. “And I said, ‘Just pinch me right now. I just need to make sure this is real.'”

You’ll have to forgive Cummings for her stunned disbelief — after all, every spectator in the stands likely experienced a similar feeling watching No. 11 Riverside’s 11-1, mercy-rule win against the Spartans unfold at Fox Chapel.

One of the most consistent and successful programs in the WPIAL over the past decade, No. 3 Laurel (15-5) came into the contest with wins in 12 of its past 13 games, and its only loss during that span was a 6-2 defeat against archrival Neshannock. The Spartans also shut the Panthers out in both meetings between the teams during the regular season, winning by scores of 9-0 on April 14 and 8-0 on April 30.

Simply put, nobody in their right mind would have picked Riverside to even keep things close on Monday — let alone for the Panthers (9-8) to completely turn the tables and lay a one-sided beatdown on Laurel for their second consecutive mercy-rule win of the postseason.

“I think the girls just rolled in today with confidence,” Cummings said. “It was almost like the last two games against Laurel didn’t matter, because we aren’t the same team. They have been practicing really loosely, playing really loosely, they’re having a good time, and I think that win [against Waynesburg] on Thursday really helped us for today.

“I told the girls, ‘Let’s just win an inning at a time.'”

No. 11 Riverside poses for a photo after defeating No. 3 Laurel with an 11-1 upset victory in the 2025 WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals at Fox Chapel High School. (Submitted photo)

Following a 14-4 upset win against No. 6 Waynesburg in the first round of the playoffs, Cummings sensed a different energy and confidence exuding from the team during practices last week. That gave her a feeling that things might be different against the Spartans the third time around — but even she couldn’t have forecasted Monday’s result in her wildest dreams.

“It’s pretty satisfying,” Cummings said. “In the last four years, we always had either Neshannock or Laurel as our second-round playoff game. And that’s who we get overshadowed by in our section. And it didn’t matter what we do or what seed we end up, it was always against one of those two teams.

“We knew we had Laurel again in the second round this time. It was like, ‘We can repeat history and make it to the second round and go home, or we can try to do something about it.'”

Cummings’ youngest daughter, freshman Ava Cummings, went 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Senior leadoff hitter Danielle Rosenberger went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored, senior catcher Charlie Bissell went 3 for 4 and sophomore first baseman Saeryn Hoover went 2 for 4 with an RBI and run scored.

As for her other daughter on the team, junior pitcher Joci Cummings allowed one run on seven hits to earn the win for Riverside. The outing marked Cummings’ second consecutive complete game after she split time with Sterner in the circle for much of the regular season.

“[Cummings and Sterner] are besties. I’ve coached them since they were little,” Cummings said. “I’m an ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ type of person. So I just went with that mojo again.”

A 1999 Riverside grad who won a WPIAL title with the Panthers as a standout player in 1996 and as an assistant coach in 2013, Cummings has since made it her mission to return her alma mater to its glory days. It has been a slow and steady climb toward the top of the mountain in Class 2A, but Monday’s win signified the biggest victory yet of her nine-year stint as head coach — and the games will only get bigger from here on out.

By defeating Laurel to keep its season alive, Riverside set up a semifinal showdown against defending WPIAL Class 1A champion Chartiers-Houston on Wednesday. And regardless of the outcome of that matchup, the Panthers are now guaranteed a spot in the PIAA tournament for the first time since Cummings took over as head coach in 2017.

“It’s crazy, but it’s really cool,” Cummings said. “Jamie [Zona] and I, my assistant — we played together in the 90s — we won WPIALs, made it to states. We were runners-up in the state. So we have history with it, but it’s been a long time. And the team, I don’t think they comprehend it. Maybe some of the older girls, but this is just really, really neat.

“It’s full circle, for sure.”

Bentworth’s Sydney Gonglik, pictured during the 2024 WPIAL Class 2A championship game against Neshannock, helped the Bearcats advance to the WPIAL semifinals for the second year in a row with a 3-1 win against Shenango. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Other Class 2A quarterfinals

• Fueled by another complete-game gem courtesy of star sophomore Sydney Gonglik, No. 12 Bentworth advanced to the semifinal round for the second year in a row with a 3-1 win against No. 13 Shenango (11-10) at North Allegheny. After allowing a leadoff home run by Emma Herb on the first pitch of the game, Gonglik silenced the Wildcats’ bats the rest of the way, striking out 11 and walking none while allowing just three hits. Gonglik also went 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI, and Zoie McDonald went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs to help power the Bearcats (10-9) to victory.

• Addy Frye struck out 14 while adding two hits and two RBIs for three-time defending WPIAL champion Neshannock, which extended its winning streak to 46 consecutive games with a 14-2 rout over No. 8 Apollo-Ridge (14-5) at North Allegheny. Miley Anderson tripled twice and drove in three runs for the No. 1 Lancers (20-0), while Jaidon Nogay doubled and tripled and freshman Brenna Frengel also tallied three RBIs in the win.

South Park’s Sydney Sekely fired her 13th shutout of the season on Monday to send the Eagles to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals with a 10-0 mercy-rule victory against Deer Lakes. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 3A quarterfinals

• Defending WPIAL champion Mohawk kept its quest for back-to-back titles on track with an action-packed 8-6 victory against No. 7 Southmoreland at Montour. Winning pitcher Reagan Magno punched out 11 for the No. 2 Warriors (15-5), while Kaitlyn Hare went 2 for 3 with a double and a home run and Lydia Cole also homered in the win. Zoey Murphy and Riley Puckey both went yard in the season-ending loss for the Scotties (10-8).

• Amber McQuiston pitched a two-hit shutout while striking out seven and walking none, leading No. 3 Ellwood City to an 8-0 win against No. 6 McGuffey (11-6) at Montour. Leadoff hitter Lena Lucarelli went 3 for 4 with four RBIs for the Wolverines (11-8), and five other players had multi-hit games for Ellwood City — Caitlin Kreitzer, Kaylee Palombi, Rylee Prestopine, Sara Schwarz and McQuiston.

• Superb ace pitcher Sydney Sekely tossed five shutout innings while striking out 12 and allowing only three hits, propelling No. 1 South Park to a 10-0 mercy-rule victory against No. 8 Deer Lakes (8-14) at Fox Chapel. Sekely added a pair of hits and an RBI, and Kylie Mettrick went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and three runs scored for the unbeaten Eagles (19-0).

Union’s Mia Preuhs tallied 14 strikeouts without allowing a hit in five shutout innings of work during a 10-0 win against Jeannette in the WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinals on Monday, May 19, 2025, at North Allegheny High School. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 1A quarterfinals

• Standout senior Mia Preuhs hurled five innings of no-hit ball while fanning 14 batters for No. 1 Union, leading the Scotties to a 10-0 win against No. 8 Jeannette (13-5) at North Allegheny. Olivia Benedict doubled and drove in three runs in the win, while Olivia Williams went 2 for 3 with a triple and a home run and Irelyn Fisher also went deep for Union (17-2).

• Bailey Barnyak fired a complete-game shutout to help No. 2 Carmichaels (15-0) keep its perfect record intact, striking out 12 while allowing just three hits in a 9-0 win against No. 7 Serra Catholic (13-6) at North Strabane Field.