2024 WPIAL Class 3A softball championship preview: Mohawk vs. South Park

By: Bill Hartlep
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 | 3:54 PM

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2024 WPIAL Class 3A softball championship

No. 4 Mohawk (17-5) vs. No. 3 South Park (19-1)

3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cal (Pa.)’s Lilley Field

How they got here: Mohawk beat No. 13 Waynesburg, 8-5, in the first round; No. 12 Freeport, 2-1, in the quarterfinals; and No. 1 Avonworth, 5-3, in the semifinals. South Park defeated No. 14 Deer Lakes, 1-0, in the first round; No. 6 Central Valley, 4-0, in the quarterfinals; and No. 2 Ligonier Valley, 3-0, in the semifinals.

WPIAL titles: Mohawk 0; South Park 1 (2003)

Coaches: Hank Pezzulo, Mohawk; R.J. Matetic, South Park

Players to watch: Addy Moskal, Mohawk; Sydney Sekely, South Park

Extra bases: Mohawk won the Section 2 title at 9-1. The Warriors average 7.6 runs per game. They have won four straight games after a three-game skid against Central Valley, Union and Neshannock. They knocked off two-time defending champ Avonworth, the top seed, in the semifinals behind Addy Moskal, Aricka Young and Gigi Cowher, who all knocked in runs. Moskal, a sophomore, is batting .510 with 13 RBIs. Young, a senior, is hitting .473 with 12 RBIs. Senior Maya McGreal is hitting .441 with 13 RBIs. Junior Alivia Hare is batting .423 with 15 RBIs. Sophomore Reagan Magno, who is batting .415 with 15 RBIs, is 8-3 in the circle with a 2.66 ERA and 64 strikeouts. … South Park won the Section 4 title at 10-0. The Eagles average 5.5 runs per game and allow just 0.6. They have posted 14 shutouts. Their lone loss was a 5-4 nonsection defeat against WPIAL Class A finalist Chartiers-Houston. Sekely has been dominant this season, and especially in the playoffs. She threw a perfect game with nine strikeouts in the win over Ligonier Valley. She is 16-1 this season with a 0.31 ERA and 232 strikeouts. She also is batting near .450. Kaitlyn Polk smacked two homers in the semifinal victory.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Mohawk, South Park