Freeport keeps playoff hopes alive with win over Greensburg Salem

By: Michael Love
Monday, May 4, 2026 | 9:56 PM

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There was no room for error for the Freeport softball team in its Section 1-4A finale Monday at Greensburg Salem.

The Yellowjackets needed a win to stay alive in the fight for a WPIAL playoff spot.

And a win is what they got — in convincing fashion.

Freeport jumped ahead in the early innings, and Allie Smith and the defense kept the host Golden Lions off the scoreboard in a 13-0 victory halted after six innings.

“The girls responded very well to what needed to be done,” Freeport coach Ron DeJidas said.

“I told them that I wish they could’ve gotten to this spot earlier in the year, but they showed how much they have improved as a team. Allie did a great job on the mound for us.”

Freeport improved to 8-10 overall and concluded section play at 5-7.

Greensburg Salem, already having secured a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, fell to 5-7 overall, 5-6 in the section.

The Yellowjackets now are huge fans of Derry, which hosts Greensburg Salem on Tuesday to close the section schedule. If the Golden Lions lose to the Trojans, then Freeport and Greensburg Salem would finish in a tie for fourth in the section at 5-7 and both would qualify based on splitting their season series.

The Golden Lions rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Yellowjackets on April 15 at Freeport Community Park.

A Greensburg Salem win Tuesday eliminates Freeport from the playoffs.

“We came in knowing that (Freeport) is fighting for its life,” Golden Lions coach Bill Wright said. “They are a great team. We’re always in close battles with them. We’ve struggled against Smith for the past two years. We thought we would match their energy with our senior day. It just wasn’t our day. But we will come back tomorrow and then with Southmoreland on Wednesday.”

Freeport collected eight hits. The lineup tallied seven of those eight and drew eight walks off Greensburg-Salem starter Allie Scarpa, who battled hip flexor issues throughout the game.

Scarpa struck out four of the first six she faced, but her effectiveness lessened as the game went on.

She left the game in the sixth, relieved by Olivia Aller.

“Allie started out pretty well. It was senior day, and her adrenaline was pretty high,” Wright said. “About midway through, she was dealing with it more and more. I thought I was going to have to drag her off the field. She was pretty emotional, and that was understandable. I had to look out for her. She’s not going to pull herself out, ever.”

Freeport had one of its bigger offensive innings of the season with its five runs in the top of the second on five hits.

Lauren Clark started it off with a one-out solo home run to left.

Then the Yellowjackets produced some two-out lightning. Kelly Schmidt and Jayden Rezak reached with back-to-back singles.

Arianna Devlin walked to load the bases for designated player Mady Bell, who smacked two-run single down the left-field line.

Grace Palko then added to the fun with a two-run single of her own.

Freeport increased its lead in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with one out on a double from Addyson Caruso and walks to Clark and Addi Gourley.

Caruso scored on a grounder to short by Taelyn Toy, and Gourley came home on a throwing error.

The Yellowjackets tacked on five additional runs in the sixth off of Scarpa and Aller with Palko, Caruso, Gourley and Toy recording RBIs.

“I was so proud of the girls’ approach in the batter’s box,” DeJidas said.

“They battled so well. They had great, competitive at-bats right from the beginning. (Scarpa) was over 120 or 130 pitches in the five-plus innings she pitched. If they got down in the count, they would foul off several pitches and battle back to where they were even in a count to win it with a hit or a walk. They showed a lot of grit out there.”

The Golden Lions drew two early walks against Smith and had a runner reach on an error, but they didn’t have a hit until two outs in the third when Scarpa singled to right field.

Hannah Olbeter then appeared to get Greensburg Salem on the board with a long fly ball to right-center. But Gourley ranged to her left and made a diving catch to rob Olbeter of an RBI and extra bases.

Grace Sarver led off the bottom of the fourth with a deep drive to right, but Devlin got the ball at the fence and fired it to the infield to nab Sarver sliding into second.

“Their center field makes probably the best play of the year, and the right fielder plays the ball off the fence very well and makes a great throw to second,” Wright said.

“They were here to play, and we just couldn’t match it. We had opportunities but just couldn’t take advantage of them.”

The Golden Lions put two runners on in the bottom of the fifth after two were out, but Smith induced Scarpa to ground slowly to first and end the threat.

Smith walked three in all, but only one of them came after the first inning. She struck out six.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport, Greensburg Salem