PIAA Class A softball championship preview: Union vs. Northeast Bradford

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, June 12, 2025 | 6:04 PM

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There have been 25 PIAA Class A softball champions crowned since Minersville from District 11 won the inaugural classification championship in 1999.

The first WPIAL team to win a PIAA Class A title was Vincentian Academy in 2008.

Since then, District 7 teams have won three state crowns with Chartiers-Houston in 2010 and West Greene back-to-back in 2017-2018.

Three District 4 teams have captured Class A gold with Canton in 2000, South Williamsport in 2003 and Montgomery in 2022.

Here is a look at the fourth of six PIAA softball championship games at Penn State set for Friday morning.

Class A

Union (22-2) vs. Northeast Bradford (15-7)

11 a.m. Friday, Beard Field at Nittany Lions Softball Park at Penn State

Broadcast: Video on PCN-TV, audio on Trib HSSN

Coaches: Doug Fisher, Union; MaKaylah Leljedal, Northeast Bradford

Path to Penn State: Union defeated District 6 No. 3 Purchase Line, 12-0, in six innings in the first round; District 9 champion DuBois Central Catholic, 8-0, in the quarterfinals; District 10 champion Cambridge Springs, 8-0, in the semifinals. …Northeast Bradford knocked off District 3 champion Greenwood, 17-2, in three innings in the first round; District 1 champion Dock Mennonite, 4-3, in the quarterfinals; District 6 champion Claysburg-Kimmel, 1-0, in the semifinals.

District postseason: Union eliminated Jeannette, 10-0, in five innings in the quarterfinals; Jefferson-Morgan, 15-0, in three innings in the semifinals; Carmichaels, 3-0, in the WPIAL championship game. …Northeast Bradford ousted Sullivan County, 4-1, in the semifinals; Bucktail, 9-0, in the District 4 championship game

Players to watch

Union: What a season and especially postseason this has been for Scotties senior pitcher Mia Pruehs. The Canisius commit is batting .491 (28 for 57) with nine home runs and a team-high 38 RBIs. However, she has been dominant in the circle. She is 15-2 with a 0.78 ERA. In 99 innings pitched, she has allowed 11 earned runs, 38 hits, 32 walks and has 208 strikeouts. In six district and state playoff games, Pruehs has thrown three no-hitters, one one-hitter and two two-hitters. Back on offense, junior Olivia Benedict is batting .516 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs, junior Olivia Williams is hitting .500 with four homers and 18 RBIs, and sophomore Irelyn Fisher is hitting .468 with a team-high 13 home runs and 37 RBIs.

Northeast Bradford

The Panthers have leaned on two pitchers on their way to the PIAA finals. Senior Kelsea Moore is 6-4 with a 3.09 ERA and senior Makenna Callear is 9-2 with a 2.46 ERA. In a combined 127 innings pitched, they have walked 57 and struck out 168. In the semifinals, Moore got the win and Callear picked up the save. On offense, Moore is hitting .407 (24 for 59) with a couple of home runs and senior Hannah Berger is batting .456 (26 for 57). She was 2 for 3 with the game’s only RBI in the state semis. Another senior, Kiarra Delancey, has contributed with a .329 batting average (23 for 70).

Streaks: Union has won six games in a row since losing in its regular season finale to 2A runner-up Chartiers-Houston in nine innings, 2-1. The Scotties have won 19 of their last 20 since losing to WPIAL 2A champion Neshannock on March 31, 6-4. … Northeast Bradford has won seven games in a row since losing to North Penn-Liberty on May 12, 3-0.

Quotable: “Getting to Penn State for my senior year is so special to me and something this team has been working for ever since we fell short of the title two years ago,” Union senior pitcher Mia Pruehs said. “I am beyond excited to be able to play my last ever high school game to fight for a state title.”

Factoids

• Union is 8-6 all-time in the PIAA softball playoffs in its seventh appearance in the state playoffs. This will be the Scotties’ second state championship game after they lost two years ago to Tri-Valley in the 2023 Class A finals, 6-3.

• The tiny school located in Rome in Bradford County is looking to even its all-time record in the PIAA playoffs as they sit at 9-10 in 11 appearances. Despite playing in 10 previous state tournaments, this is the first berth in a PIAA championship game for the Panthers.

• Union will be searching for state gold and a 20th shutout this season. The Scotties’ only two losses were to the WPIAL Class 2A finalists in Neshannock and Chartiers-Houston. Union has outscored its Class A opponents this season, 205-1.

• Prior to beating Claysburg-Kimmel in the semifinals Tuesday, Northeast Bradford had only reached the semifinals twice and lost both. The Panthers lost in the 2010 semis to Montgomery in nine innings, 2-1. Three years later, they fell in the state final four again, losing to Williams Valley, 2-1.

Tags: Union