Contagious hitting sends Penn-Trafford past Latrobe

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 | 7:48 PM

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When Giuliana Youngo saw Cam Ponko’s home run sail over the fence in center field, she wanted in on the action.

“When one of us starts hitting, it makes everyone else better,” Youngo said. “We focus a lot on our hitting.”

Ponko and Youngo, both seniors, blasted back-to-back solo shots in the top of the fifth inning Wednesday to power top-ranked Penn-Trafford to a 4-2 victory over Latrobe in Section 2-5A softball at Graham-Sobota Field.

The Warriors (5-1, 2-0) have won five straight over a handful of quality opponents, all teams that have been ranked in the TribLive top-five this season or made playoff runs a year ago: Thomas Jefferson, Shaler, North Hills, Armstrong and, now, Latrobe.

“Our mindset is the same every game,” said Ponko, an IUP commit. “We treat it as just another game. Our power and contact are very good.”

Latrobe (5-4, 2-2) had won 4 of 5 coming in, including a 13-11 win over Armstrong in a game it trailed 8-0.

The Wildcats, who were averaging 10.8 runs, had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before the Warriors went ahead to stay on the homers.

“We had too many errors and made too many mistakes,” Latrobe coach Bob Kovalcin said. “That cost us the game.”

Penn-Trafford loaded the bases in the top of the first with no outs, but Wildcats senior pitcher Mya McHugh worked out of the jam without allowing a run.

Latrobe left two on in the first against sophomore Allyson Paulone, who allowed three straight singles. The Warriors threw out sophomore Jules Bulebosh at third for the second out.

Penn-Trafford left 10 on base and Latrobe eight.

Junior Miley Williams knocked in the first run for Latrobe with a single to left in the first before junior Liz Welsh tied it for Penn-Trafford in the second with a sacrifice fly.

After junior Miley Scholtz doubled to open the second, junior Gabi Cunningham and freshman Natalia Scekeres dropped bunts with Scekeres’ pushing a run home to make it 2-1.

Penn-Trafford answered in the third. Senior Rilie Moors doubled to center, Ponko was hit by a pitch and junior Ella Mains singled.

Senior Kylie Anthony flew out to center to drive in the tying run.

Ponko, who collided with a fence down the third-base line trying make a catch late in the game, opened the fifth with a blast to straightaway center, and her second homer of the season gave the Warriors a 3-2 edge.

Before Ponko settled back into the dugout, Youngo launched a towering shot of her own over the same spot in center — her first of the season — to give the Warriors a two-run advantage.

“Hitting is contagious,” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little said. “Cam hit one out … (Youngo) is a good line-drive hitter, but she got ahold of one. They were only solo homers, but they were big. I see they moved the fences back, but it didn’t help.”

Freshman Sophia Drnjevich singled to start Latrobe’s sixth, stole second and moved to third on a flyout. But she was caught in a rundown with two outs, and the Warriors won that battle to keep the Wildcats quiet.

Latrobe got a two-out single from Bulebosh in its final at-bat, but she was called for runner interference when she headed for second on McHugh’s grounder.

“If we play our game and hit the ball, we’ll be in every game,” Kovalcin said. “We have some young players. P-T deserves to be the No. 1 team.”

Moors, a Seton Hill commit, and Lorryn Sepe each had two hits for Penn-Trafford. Bulebosh, junior Sara Blossey and Williams all had two hits for the Wildcats.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Latrobe, Penn-Trafford