Coach hopes history repeats itself for Penn-Trafford softball team

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 5:18 PM

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When the Penn-Trafford softball team won its only PIAA Class 5A title, it had not won the WPIAL title.

The Warriors lost to Connellsville in the WPIAL semifinals and then had to defeat Franklin Regional in the third-place game to qualify for the 2019 state tournament, which they did, 6-2.

But in the PIAA playoffs, the Warriors got hot. They defeated Central Mountain (13-5), WPIAL champion West Allegheny (6-2), Donegal (5-4) and Lampeter-Strasburg (5-3) in the championship game.

The history coach Denny Little does not want to repeat is 2022: The Warriors lost to Armstrong in the WPIAL title game and then lost to the River Hawks in the state semifinals.

“We want to get to Penn State,” Little said. “Assistant coach Boomer (Ron Prady) told the team the only thing better than winning a WPIAL title is winning a state championship.”

Penn-Trafford must find a way to shake off Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Shaler in an 11-inning marathon in the WPIAL Class 5A championship. It was a game the Warriors could have were it not for a throwing error that led to the Titans’ first run in the second inning and a lack of offensive production.

Penn-Trafford sophomore pitcher Allyson Paulone outdueled Shaler junior fireballer Bria Bosiljevac.

After Shaler’s Emily Spears reached on the error, Paulone retired 13 batters in a row before allowing a double to Jayla Antomachi in the top of the sixth inning.

She limited the power-hitting Titans to four hits, two coming in the 11th inning when Shaler scored the winning run during the international rule. She induced 19 ground outs and soft contact.

Bosiljevac struck out 17. Both pitchers benefited from a generous strike zone at times.

Bosiljevac allowed four hits, including a home run by Cam Ponko, in the first inning. Bella Rubbe nearly went back-to-back following Ponko’s drive, but her shot to center field hit the top of the fence and bounced back into play for a double.

“Allyson was phenomenal, and the defense was stellar except for one play when we were attempting to turn a double play,” Little said. “When you play against a power thrower, you must cut down on your swing. We were over-swinging at times. The bottom line is we have got to produce more runs.”

Little said not being able to execute a bunt was costly.

Now the veteran coach must find a way to bounce back.

The Warriors open PIAA play against a familiar foe: District 6 champion Central Mountain. The Warriors lost to Central Mountain, 10-0, last season.

The game is scheduled for Monday.

“If we want to repeat the 2019 playoffs, we need to pick up the pieces and move on,” Little said. “We’d like to meet them again.”

Ponko played on the 2022 team. She said the Warriors must play with confidence.

“There is a lot of us on the team that are staying strong,” Ponko said. “We must stay strong mentally because we know we put forth our best effort. Many of us do not have an issue.

“We are not shrugging this loss off. Everybody’s definitely going to take this as a lesson learned. It’s going to hurt a bit, but, starting today, we must get back to work because the road to Penn State begins on Monday.”

Central Mountain (15-1) defeated DuBois, 3-1, to win the Districts 6/9 title.

Central Mountain used small ball to defeat DuBois.

PIAA Class 5A Playoffs

(7-2) Penn-Trafford (20-3) at (6/9-1) Central Mountain (15-1)

When: 4 p.m., Monday

Where: Central Mountain High School, Mill Hall

Players to watch: Penn-Trafford: sr. Cam Ponko, 3B; sr. Rilie Moors, 2B; Central Mountain: sr. Cora Myers, 1B; sr. Katelyn Bowman, C.

Winner plays: The winner of the Red Land/North Hills game on June 5.

What to know: Central Mountain has won four consecutive district titles. … The Wildcats used their bunt game to defeat DuBois. … Pitcher Joslyn Shultz allowed six hits, one run, two walks and struck out nine. … Central Mountain had five hits, all in the three-run third inning. … The Wildcats reached the state semifinals in 2024 before falling to Thomas Jefferson, 9-8. … This is Penn-Trafford’s fifth appearance in the state playoffs. The Warriors’ record is 7-3. … This is the third meeting between the teams. … This is Central Mountain’s ninth appearance in the state tournament. Its record is 6-8 overall and 5-7 against WPIAL teams.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford