West Greene on special run
They try not to talk about it too much in Greene County, but everybody knew this day was coming.
Ever since tiny West Greene won the 2016 WPIAL Class 1A title, the Pioneers’ softball program had the makings of something special. Now, it’s a bona fide dynasty with no end in sight, and one more win can put West Greene in a class of its own.
For the third season in a row, the top-seeded Pioneers (14-3) will take on No. 2 Union (19-3) at California (Pa.) in the WPIAL Class 1A championship game on June 1. West Greene won the previous two meetings by scores of 11-0 and 17-2. And if the Pioneers can handle the Scotties again, they’ll go down in history as the first program ever to win six consecutive WPIAL softball titles.
“It’s very humbling,” said West Greene coach Bill Simms. “Six years ago if you would have told us we had a chance to win two, we would have been tickled to death, let alone going for six.”
After winning four titles in a row from 2016-19, the Pioneers had to put their dynasty on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the 2020 spring sports season. At the time, they didn’t even have the longest active title streak in the WPIAL, as Hempfield (201519) had just joined Sto-Rox (2000-04) as the only teams to win five in a row. But Hempfield had its streak snapped last year, while West Greene picked up right where it left off with another championship.
The Pioneers graduated some key pieces from last year’s team, but they brought back plenty of firepower in 2022, with senior shortstop Katie Lampe, junior catcher London Whipkey and senior pitcher Kiley Meek leading the way.
Entering the week, Whipkey has a team-high .474 batting average along with 7 doubles, 2 home runs and 21 RBIs. Lampe is right behind her with a .458 average to go with a home run and a teamleading 22 RBIs, and Meek is batting .360 with a homer and 20 RBIs. In the circle, Meek is 10-3 with a 3.06 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 68⅔ innings.
One new face who has emerged in a big way this season for West Greene is freshman Payton Gilbert, who saved one of her best performances for the Pioneers’ 5-2 win vs. Springdale on Tuesday in the WPIAL semifinals. Entering the game with a .412 batting average, Gilbert went 3 for 3 with a triple and a pair of RBIs to help lead West Greene back to the championship game.
“She went over .400 in the last game. She’s been climbing, climbing, climbing,” Simms said. “You can’t ask much more from a freshman in that spot. It’s only her second playoff game, and she’s risen to the occasion.”
Some may have wondered if the Pioneers’ dynasty was in jeopardy after West Greene started out 0-3 after a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the Ripken Experience Tournament. But the level of competition the team faced on the trip has paid off immensely for the Pioneers, with 14 consecutive wins
and counting since returning home.
Now, all they need is one more win to secure their spot in the history books — but it won’t be easy against a Union team that has not lost to a Class 1A foe yet this season.
“I’ll let the history stand for itself,” Simms said. “We’re honored to be in this position. We treat each one of these like it’s a totally new group. It’s a great opportunity for this group to go out and do it.”
Deer Lakes
Much like West Greene, Deer Lakes stumbled out of the gates early on in the season in March, but it didn’t take long for the Lancers to turn things around.
After an 0-2 start, Deer Lakes put together an 11game winning streak that included an 8-0 mark in section play and a stunning 6-1 nonsection win vs. Class 5A No. 1 seed and back- to- back WPIAL finalist Armstrong. The Lancers dropped backtoback games against Shaler and Knoch to end the season, but they’ve since returned to top form with a pair of one-run wins against Waynesburg and South Allegheny to reach the WPIAL Class 3A championship game.
“Honestly, they just seem to find a way to win,” said Deer Lakes coach Rick Cerra. “They have all season, to be honest. Every aspect of the game — they all pick each other up. I really can’t ask for anything more than what they’ve been doing.”
The Armstrong win is one that really turned heads around the WPIAL. The River Hawks boast one of the most potent offenses in the WPIAL, but Lancers sophomore pitcher Maddie Kee shut their lineup down — just as she has done to almost every opponent she has faced this season.
For the year, Kee is 10-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 100 strikeouts to 29 walks in 69 innings pitched. She is also batting .370 while leading the team with 7 doubles and 23 RBIs.
“She’s been lighting it up for us all year long,” Cerra said. “You look at her stats from last year compared to this year, it’s like a completely different kid. … She’s just a solid all-around ballplayer.”
Another big-time performer for Deer Lakes this year is senior center fielder Reese Hasley, who came up with the big hit to send the Lancers past South Allegheny
in Tuesday’s 5-4 WPIAL semifinal win. Although she didn’t have a home run all season coming into the game, her two-run blast in the fifth inning proved to be the difference.
Coming into the week, Hasley has a team-high .462 batting average along with 6 doubles, 12 runs and 15 RBIs.
“Whether it’s at the plate or in the field — if we need something to happen, I can always count on her to make something happen that will spark the team,” Cerra said.
Despite ending the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Post-Gazette’s Class 3A rankings, Deer Lakes received only a No. 3 seed for the WPIAL playoffs. But rather than complain about a perceived lack of respect or recognition, Cerra said the Lancers prefer to let their play do the talking — and they’ll get the chance to do exactly that vs. top-seeded Avonworth in the Class 3A title game at California (Pa.) on June 1.
“We feel that we’ll prove what we need to prove on the ballfield,” Cerra said. “Our attitude is, ‘We’ll show everybody on the field what we’re about.’”
Penn-Trafford
After pitching in the closer role as a freshman during Penn-Trafford’s run to the 2019 PIAA Class 5A championship, senior pitcher Mia Smith has been enjoying a spectacular season as the unquestioned ace of the Warriors’ staff.
In three starts so far this postseason, Smith is 3-0 with 3 complete games, 2 shutouts, 34 strikeouts and only 2 runs allowed. First, she tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out 11 in the Warriors’ 10-0 first-round win vs. Laurel Highlands, then Smith struck out 13 while allowing only three hits in Penn-Trafford’s 5-0 quarterfinal win against red-hot Shaler.
Facing another loaded lineup on Tuesday against Chartiers Valley with a trip to the WPIAL championship on the line, the Warriors fell into an early 2-0 hole after a first-inning home run by Marie Kinchington. But Smith silenced the Colts’ bats the rest of the way, striking out 10 while allowing 2 runs on 7 hits in Penn-Trafford’s 3-2 comeback win.
For the year, Smith is 18-2 with a 0.98 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .159 batting average against and 176 strikeouts.