Southmoreland up to the challenge
Southmoreland is off to a perfect start through five games, but Scotties coach Todd Bunner knows there’s always room for improvement.
“To be honest, I don’t care about the undefeated record,” Bunner said. “We’ve played a couple decent teams, but we haven’t played competition like we’re going to play against South Allegheny and Mount Pleasant yet.”
Southmoreland has handled its first five opponents by a combined score of 40-18, but none of those games have come against teams ranked inside the Post-Gazette’s preseason top five in any classification, and only one of those games — a 6-4 win against McGuffey — has come in section play.
The Class 3A No. 2 Scotties were all set to face their biggest test of the young season on Monday vs. No. 4 South Allegheny, but rain postponed the game until later in the week. The Gladiators, who carried a 3-2 record into the week, gave No. 1 Mount Pleasant all it could handle in a 10-8 defeat on Friday.
Most view the Vikings as the clear front-runner in Class 3A this season, but Southmoreland is only three years removed from winning a WPIAL title — and the Scotties still have their starting pitcher from that 2018 title game in senior Jess Matheny.
Matheny is 3-0 with 20 strikeouts on the year so far, and the Robert Morris recruit is also a key cog in Southmoreland’s lineup. Through five games, she’s batting .357 with 4 RBIs and 6 runs scored. When not in the circle, Matheny plays center field for the Scotties, and she’s expected to be an outfielder in college.
“She does not get enough of the recognition she deserves, but I really don’t think she cares about that,” Bunner said. “I think she flies under the radar, but that’s OK.”
Along with Matheny, Southmoreland has one other player who started on that 2018 championship team in third baseman Emily Eutsey. The senior is batting .500 with 5 runs and 6 RBIs going into the week.
Matheny and Eutsey provide a solid core and steady leadership to the team, but the Scotties’ true strength lies in their depth. Sophomore Brynn Chernesky is batting .571 with a home run and 6 RBIs, but has yet to crack the top five in the order. Meanwhile, freshman shortstop Amarah McCutcheon is
Softball notebook
playing like a breakout star, hitting .500 with a home run, 6 RBIs and 9 runs scored.
Freshman Maddie Brown has done an admirable job as the No. 2 starter, posting a 2-0 record with 15 strikeouts in her first two starts at the varsity level.
“The freshman class is pretty much unbelievable,” Bunner said. “Out of those 10 freshmen, eight of them are seeing a lot of time, and six of them are starting. I kind of knew what was coming, because I watch the middle school games.”
Southmoreland is getting it done with its pitching and hitting, and everyone from the freshmen to the seniors are making an impact. Still, playing in arguably the toughest section in Class 3A, Bunner expects plenty of ups and downs along the way — and he believes the Scotties will be ready to face the toughest competition come playoff time.
“When you’re in the season, I don’t care if we lose,” Bunner said. “Whenever you get into the playoffs, that’s where your competition is, so you might as well get used to it during the season.”
Yough
The Class 4A No. 3 Cougars (4-1) have faced a handful of the top teams in the WPIAL already, and they’re only five games into the 2021 season.
After a 3-0 start, Yough dropped its first game of the season vs. Class 4A No. 1 Elizabeth Forward on April 7, 1-0. The Cougars then bounced back with an impressive 5-2 win vs. Class 5A No. 1 PennTrafford.
Things won’t get any easier for Yough on Thursday, as the Cougars welcome Class 3A No. 1 Mount Pleasant (6-1) to town in one of the most anticipated non-section matchups of the season.
Armstrong
The River Hawks may not have been getting a lot of hype going into the season, but it’s about time for the rest of the WPIAL to take notice.
Armstrong (5-1) thumped Woodland Hills, 16-0, on April 7, then followed that up with a 12-1 win vs. Kiski Area on April 9. Through six games, the River Hawks are averaging 12 runs a game and outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 72-21.
Freshman Emma Paul emerged as a breakout star on the basketball court for Armstrong in the winter, and she has made an easy transition to the softball field, already belting three home runs for the River Hawks this season.