Sewickley Academy softball builds off strong start

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, April 26, 2026 | 11:01 AM

The Sewickley Academy softball team has been a significant offensive juggernaut in the early portion of the 2026 season.

The Panthers were 5-1 in both Section 1-A and overall and averaged 11.8 runs per game in their five victories.

Sewickley rolled past Bishop Canevin, 10-0, South Side, 8-3, Rochester, 16-0 and 16-1, and Cornell, 9-0.

“We are still evolving,” coach Bob Sirko said. “We hit the ball hard against Cornell but right at people. Cornell did a great job defensively.

“Having someone pitching like Char helps us be patient while we get better.”

Charlotte Andrews is a right-handed sophomore hurler who tossed a two-hitter with 18 strikeouts in the shutout against Cornell. Andrews improved to 4-1 with 67 strikeouts and seven walks in 29 innings of work. Opponents were hitting just .167 against her.

She has been complemented in the pitching circle by left-handed junior Sophie Crichton, who was 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA in her only appearance of the season.

The Sewickley pitchers are supported offensively by the hitting tactics of sophomore catcher Gabby Edmunds, senior third baseman Sanaa Grant and junior center fielder Cherish Wilson.

Edmunds, who hits in the clean-up position in the batting order, led the club in hitting with a .611 batting average and .667 on-base percentage with 11 hits in 18 at-bats including two triples.

“We’ve had some ups and downs, but overall we’re improving,” Edmunds said. “There are games where everything clicks and we look really strong, and then others where small mistakes hurt us. The effort has been there though, which is the important part.

“We just need to stay consistent and keep improving little things every game. If we can cut down on mental mistakes and be more reliable at the plate, we should be in a good spot. I think we need to play with more confidence, especially at the plate.”

Grant, the No. 3 batter in the Panthers’ lineup, was hitting .579 with a .619 OBP, which included four doubles and one home run.

Wilson, the team’s leadoff hitter, followed Edmunds and Grant with a .526 batting average and .591 OBP plus two triples.

Crichton was next in the hitting department with a .364 average and .533 OBP.

The other players in Sewickley’s starting lineup are junior Keke Church at shortstop, senior V.J. Jeevan in right field, juniors Layla Miller or Willow Simmons in left, and freshman Alana Spencer at second base. Sutton Rea is a top freshman prospect in the outfield.

“My expectations are that we continue to get better defensively,” Sirko said. “The at-bats are already getting better so I would expect that to continue.”

Sewickley started the season with only 12 players on the team.

“With such a small roster, staying healthy is our greatest challenge,” Sirko said. “We have gotten some help from seniors Marin Edmunds (OF) and Mackenzie Dice (OF), who also play lacrosse.”

The Panthers’ lone loss in early part in the season was against Union (7-1, 6-0), which held a one-game lead over Sewickley in the section standings.

“We don’t quit easily,” Edmunds said. “Even if we’re down, we keep fighting. When we’re communicating and playing together, we’re a tough team to beat.

“Obviously, we want to win as much as possible, but also clean up mistakes, play smarter and keep building as a team. My main goal is just to keep getting better and compete in every game.”

Sewickley’s 2.1 runs-against average per game ranked among the leading defensive performances in Class A.

After winning five of their first six games, the Panthers lost back-to-back section contests against South Side and Union.

Tags: Sewickley Academy