In a tremendous four-year career that already includes a handful of vintage performances, Chartiers-Houston senior Meadow Ferri may have outdone herself on Thursday afternoon.
With Ferri and the Buccaneers locked in an epic pitchers’ duel against District 10 champion Seneca (21-2) and its sophomore standout Sophia Primavere, all signs pointed toward the team that scored first coming out on top. Sure enough, that’s exactly how the game played out, as Ferri took matters into her own hands with a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning before polishing off her complete-game shutout for a narrow 1-0 victory at Slippery Rock University.
An all-state selection and Kent State recruit, Ferri struck out 12 while allowing just two hits and one walk, adding yet another masterful postseason outing to her ledger for Chartiers-Houston (22-2).
“I think the kids are in a good, relaxed mindset,” said longtime Buccaneers coach Tricia Alderson. “We were expecting to maybe score a few more runs, but Meadow pitched a gem and did a great job sitting them down.”
This time last year while competing in Class 1A, Ferri also pitched a two-hit shutout while punching out 13 to send Chartiers-Houston to the state semifinals. Now, the Buccaneers again find themselves just one win away from a trip to the PIAA championship game — only this time, they’re doing it in Class 2A.
As for the team standing between them and their first state finals appearance in 15 years? One of the greatest dynasties the WPIAL has ever seen — the mighty Neshannock Lancers, who handily won the first meeting between the teams in last week’s WPIAL Class 2A championship game, 7-1.
“I would love for the girls to have the opportunity to play in the state finals,” said Alderson, who has coached in two state championship games and pitched in one. “Moving up in classification, and we’re right back where we were last year. … We were really close last year. You never know what’s going to happen.”
While Ferri played the hero for Chartiers-Houston on Thursday, it was her battery mate, all-state senior catcher Ella Richey, who sent the Buccaneers to the quarterfinal round with a game-winning grand slam in the top of the seventh inning in their 5-2 first-round win against District 9 champion Cranberry on Monday. The season-saving swing was the biggest of Richey’s stellar career, and it also marked her 43rd career home run — confirmed by John Sacco of the Observer-Reporter to be a PIAA record.
The reigning Pennsylvania Class 1A Player of the Year, Richey didn’t homer on Thursday, but she still went 1 for 3 in the leadoff spot while scoring the game’s only run on Ferri’s clutch go-ahead single.
“Our program has been fortunate to have a lot of great pitchers and catchers and players over the years,” Alderson said. “[Ferri and Richey] are just next up in that line, and they’re carrying on the tradition of the program, which is very important to them and to us.”
A former star pitcher at Chartiers-Houston in the 1980s who is now in her 22nd year at the helm at her alma mater, Alderson knows all about the tension, nerves and drama that come along with each state playoff game. After all, she has now coached in 36 games in the PIAA tournament during her career — more than the vast majority of schools in the state have played in their entire existence — and that doesn’t even include the eight PIAA playoff games she pitched in herself.
Still, even Alderson hasn’t been a part of back-to-back games quite like the pair of nail-baiting wins the Buccaneers just pulled off this week — and she knows they will likely need a little bit more of that late-game magic in order to take down the defending champs on Monday.
“It’s nice to have another opportunity, and hopefully we will play a better game and see where it takes us,” Alderson said. “We’re just trying to play loose and play better than we did against them the last time. That’s all we can do, no matter what the result is. … We truly are trying to enjoy every second with this team, because they are such a great group, and we don’t want this season to end. We don’t want to give them up just yet.”
Other Class 2A
• Four-time defending WPIAL champion Neshannock withstood a spirited upset attempt from District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge (16-7) on its way to a 5-3 victory at Norwin. Standout senior catcher Gabby Quinn hit a pivotal home run to help the Lancers (24-0) pad their lead in the fifth inning, while Gianna DeSalvo followed with an RBI single to provide another key insurance run as Neshannock extended its WPIAL-record winning streak to 50 games in a row.
Class 6A
• Playing in its third consecutive one-run game dating back to its WPIAL championship victory against Seneca Valley, Hempfield held off a late comeback attempt by District 3 runner-up Chambersburg (19-6) for a 4-3 triumph at Iron Horse Sports Complex in Windber. The Spartans (23-1) received a trio of multi-hit games from Ohio recruit Allie Cervola, Virginia recruit Lauren Howard and Kent State recruit Riley Miller, who also pitched a complete game with six strikeouts to earn the win. One of the top juniors in the area, Howard doubled twice while surpassing 100 career hits for Hempfield.
Class 5A
• After senior shortstop Kylie Anthony tied the score for WPIAL runner-up Penn-Trafford with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, Annabell Carvajal delivered a walk-off single to lift the Warriors to a dramatic 6-5 comeback win against District 3 champion Red Land (20-4) at Iron Horse Sports Complex in Windber. Anthony went 4 for 4 with three RBIs for Penn-Trafford (22-3), while Carvajal finished 2 for 2 and Cam Ponko went 2 for 3 with an RBI in the win.
• Heralded senior catcher Ava Henke and unsung freshman Maylee Rider each homered for WPIAL third-place finisher West Allegheny, helping the Indians take down District 3 fourth-place finisher Twin Valley (21-6) with a 5-2 victory at Everett Elementary School. The teams were knotted in a 2-2 tie after five innings before West Allegheny went ahead with two runs in the top of the sixth and one more in the seventh. Senior Autumn Bielecki allowed two runs on eight hits in a complete-game win for the Indians (18-5).
Class 1A
• In a rematch of a first-round showdown from last year’s PIAA tournament, WPIAL champion Union avenged its season-ending defeat from last spring against reigning PIAA champion DuBois Central Catholic (12-11), cruising to a commanding 8-0 victory over the District 9 champs at Slippery Rock University. Olivia Benedict doubled and drove in three runs while star senior Mia Preuhs pitched her fifth consecutive playoff shutout for the Scotties (20-2), who are now one win away from their second state championship appearance in the past three seasons.
Scoreboard
Class 6A quarterfinals
Hempfield 4, Chambersburg 3
Class 5A quarterfinals
Penn-Trafford 6, Red Land 5
West Allegheny 5, Twin Valley 2
Class 4A quarterfinals
Fort LeBouef 6, Hampton 3
Kennard-Dale 6, Blackhawk 2
Class 2A quarterfinals
Chartiers-Houston 1, Seneca 0
Neshannock 5, Chestnut Ridge 3
Class 1A quarterfinals
Union 8, DuBois Central Catholic 0
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
