Following a gut-wrenching, 11-inning loss to Shaler in the WPIAL Class 5A championship, Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little made sure to remind his heartbroken players that they still had an even bigger prize for which to compete.
Now, after a spirited run through the PIAA tournament, Little’s resurgent Warriors will get that opportunity Friday to play in the biggest game of them all.
In a clash of two WPIAL foes on Monday at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Peters Township, Penn-Trafford surged to an early lead against West Allegheny and cruised the rest of the way for an 8-2 victory in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals. The Warriors now will move on to play for the PIAA Class 5A title for the first time since 2019, when they defeated Lampeter-Strasburg, 5-3, for their first and only state championship.
“It feels great, man. It feels great for the girls,” Little said. “It’s nice to go back. Now that I’m thinking about it, yeah, there are going to be some flashbacks, going back to Beard Field and being familiar with it. But these girls are not. So we have to prepare them for it.
“They have been working at it. They wanted it. They talk about it all the time, and now they realized it.”
Fresh off her four-hit performance that included a game-tying home run in the seventh inning in a 6-5 PIAA quarterfinal win last week against District 3 champion Red Land, senior shortstop Kylie Anthony put together another fantastic day at the plate for Penn-Trafford. Anthony finished 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, and fellow standout seniors Cam Ponko and Lorryn Sepe each drove in two runs for the Warriors (23-3).
“Today, Kylie didn’t hit the ball as hard, but she still got on three times,” Little said. “It was a group effort.”
Rilie Moors, Bella Rube and Giuliana Youngo each tallied two hits to help power Penn-Trafford’s offense, and pinch-hitter Annabell Carvajal provided another spark with a triple off the bench that turned into a “little-league” home run after an error.
On the other side, Savanna Benish went 3 for 3 with a home run for the Indians (18-6), but Warriors sophomore Allyson Paulone did a tremendous job of shutting down the rest of West Allegheny’s powerful lineup, pitching a complete game while allowing 2 runs on 7 hits to earn the win.
“Man, [Paulone] is unshakable,” Little said. “She gave up a home run, then came back and got the rest out. Even in a game when you’re up, 8-2, that can shake a pitcher. The kid has unflappable poise.”
With its spot in the PIAA championship now secured, Penn-Trafford will try to do the same thing it did under Little in 2019 — bring home a state title without winning the WPIAL crown. That time, the Warriors didn’t even make it to the WPIAL championship, falling in the WPIAL semifinals before surging through the state bracket.
All year long, Little has alluded to a handful of similarities between this year’s team and that 2019 bunch. And even though he is quick to point out that every team is different, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see history repeat itself for Penn-Trafford later this week.
“This senior group is just wonderful,” Little said. “This team, as freshmen, there were still some contributors then. They were in the WPIAL finals [in 2022] and lost. They were in the state semifinals [in 2022] and lost. They were in another WPIAL final [this year], and they lost. They have been in a lot of big games and lost. Now they’re going somewhere they have never been.
“They have never been to a state championship game, and they’re there. Let’s not lose.”
Class 2A
In a rematch of the WPIAL Class 2A title game played just 11 days earlier, four-time defending WPIAL champion and reigning PIAA champion Neshannock clinched its third trip to the state final in the past four seasons with a 12-1 mercy-rule victory against Chartiers-Houston (22-3) at North Allegheny. Arguably the greatest softball dynasty the WPIAL has ever seen, the Lancers surged for nine runs in the bottom of the first to put the game out of reach before it even started.
No. 8 hitter Gianna DeSalvo delivered another big game at the plate for Neshannock to continue her breakout postseason, finishing 2 for 3 with a double, a triple, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Meanwhile, speedy outfielders Miley Anderson and Jaidon Nogay each caused havoc at the top of the order for the unbeaten Lancers (25-0), as both Kent State recruits finished 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
The 2024 Pennsylvania Pitcher of the Year, two-way star Addy Frye went 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 doubles and 3 RBIs while pitching a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a five-inning complete-game win. The Providence recruit now is 80-1 overall for her career, and Neshannock now has an overall record of 99-1 over the past four seasons — including a WPIAL-record 51-game winning streak that the Lancers will carry into the PIAA championship Thursday morning at Penn State University.
Class 1A
For the second time in three years, Union will be playing for a state title after taking down District 10 champion Cambridge Springs (17-3) with an 8-0 win Monday at Slippery Rock University. For Scotties senior Mia Preuhs, it marked the sixth consecutive postseason shutout for Union’s ace pitcher, who has yet to give up a run in the WPIAL or state playoffs this spring.
Already the school’s career leader in strikeouts and home runs, Preuhs tossed a no-hitter in the Scotties’ 3-0 win in the WPIAL championship against Carmichaels — and she has maintained her unprecedented pace throughout the PIAA tournament for Union (22-2). Preuhs punched out 13 while allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks in another complete-game victory.
Leadoff hitter Olivia Williams went 3 for 3 with a walk and 3 runs scored for the Scotties, while Irelyn Fisher finished 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and Olivia Benedict went 2 for 3 and drove in 2 runs. Union now will await the winner of a PIAA semifinal Tuesday between District 4 champion Northeast Bradford (14-7) and District 6 champion Claysburg Kimmel (27-0) in Friday’s state title game.
Class 6A
WPIAL champion Hempfield (23-1) had its PIAA semifinal showdown against District 11 runner-up Nazareth (21-6) postponed until Tuesday due to inclement weather. The game will be played at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Norlo Park Softball Complex in Fayetteville, Franklin County.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
