Sewickley Herald notebook: Panthers softball, Quaker Valley baseball start strong

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, April 13, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Sewickley Academy’s softball team brought out the heavy lumber in its section opener April 4 against visiting Rochester.

The Panthers remained undefeated by belting Rochester, 17-2, as Marie Bigi went 4 for 4 with a double, triple and four RBIs and Gabby Edmunds hit two doubles and drove in four runs.

Vanshika Jeevan also drove in three runs and Sanaa Grant chipped in with a triple for Sewickley.

The Panthers improved to 2-0 in Section 1-A and 5-0 overall with a 13-1 win April 7 against Bishop Canevin.

Bigi blasted two doubles while Quincy Sirko and Edmunds added a double apiece.

Charlotte Andrews struck out 15 and allowed four hits in five innings for Sewickley.

Earlier in April, Andrews threw a five-inning no-hitter and struck out 12 in a 15-0 nonsection victory against Shady Side Academy.

Edmunds tripled, doubled and drove in one run and Bigi went 3 for 3 with a triple and an RBI. Andrews helped her own cause by going 2 for 2 with two RBIs.

The Panthers also blanked Carlynton by 16-0 score this season.

Top performers

Some of the top athletes in the Quaker Valley track and field program also are among the WPIAL’s top early performers in Class 2A.

As of April 3, the Montagnese trio of Jonah, Lucy and Cecilia held the best times in the boys and girls 3,200-meter events and the girls 800.

Jonah Montagnese clicked with a 9:39.45 mark in the 3,200 while Lucy Montagnese recorded a time of 11:44.32 in the 3,200. Not to be out-done, Cecilia Montagnese posted a 2:23.95 in the 800.

QV’s Davin “Macky” Gartley accounted for the leading performances in 2A in the both the boys 110 and 300 hurdles.

The Quakers’ 1,600 relayers also turned in a WPIAL-best 3:36.23 time.

Terrific 10 member

Quaker Valley’s Mimi Thiero, a 6-foot-4 junior guard/forward, was named to the Trib HSSN Terrific 10 all-star team in girls basketball.

Thiero averaged 23 points, 16.5 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 blocks and 3 assists per game this winter for the WPIAL quarterfinalist Quakers, who finished 15-10 overall.

She already has dozens of major college offers including from Arkansas, where her brother Adou was a junior on the men’s basketball team.

QV baseball rolls

Henry Zupanc doubled and drove in three runs April 7 while Ryan Finamore and Nolan Wagoner each knocked in two as Quaker Valley beat Beaver Falls, 15-2, in a Section 1-3A baseball game.

Todd Kagle had an RBI and winning pitcher Kolton Johnson struck out five in three innings for the Quakers, who improved to 1-1 in Section 1-3A and 5-2 overall.

QV also defeated rival Sewickley Academy, 13-2, in a previous nonsection contest as Wagoner, the winning pitcher, singled, doubled and drove in four runs and Kagle clouted a grand slam.

Finamore and Oscar Roig each went 3 for 3 with a double for the Quakers.

Jacob Stanislaw also went 3 for 3 with a double for Sewickley.

QV girls lacrosse tops Ambridge, NC, Trinity

Quaker Valley rolled past Ambridge, 15-2, on April 7 in a Section 2-2A girls lacrosse matchup.

Mia Floro scored two goals and had four assists for the Quakers, Lucy Roig had a hat trick and Lily Millet and Anna Campbell each added a pair of goals.

Grace Wiehe also recorded a goal and three assists; Alexa Westwood added a goal and two assists.

The next day, the Quakers beat section foe North Catholic, 15-3, as Roig racked up six goals and three assists in the win.

Floro, Campbell, Meredith Fallgren and Kate Miller added two goals apiece for the Quakers.

QV also defeated Trinity, 14-4, in an earlier nonsection contest behind Westwood’s three goals and five assists. Fallgren, Roig, Millet and Campbell all scored twice.

A tip of the cap goes to Fallgren, who is committed to play lacrosse as a defender at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va.

Did you know?

Did you know that there are 22 girls in the Quaker Valley cheerleading program?

The group is led by seniors Shy Cameron, Gretel Christensen, Keira Cowher, Ava Evans, Patricia Galas and Jadyn Holt.

They are joined by 10 members of the junior class: Ava Cowher, Anna DiMaio, Mackenzie Felouzis, Jane Lenhard, Makenna Magness, Kayley McMahon, Lily Millet, Violet Muders, Laila Pasko and Lily Roberts.

Mia Honhold and Evie Rosselli are the only sophomores on the 2024-25 squad; Brenna Culbertson, Kelsey Magness, Beatrix Miller and Molly Millet are freshmen.

Erin Roberts coaches the QV cheerleaders.

Eden baseball in top spot

Eden Christian was ranked No. 1 in Class A by Trib HSSN in last week’s WPIAL baseball rankings.

The top five Class A clubs consisted of Eden, Serra Catholic, Bishop Canevin, Greensburg Central Catholic and Leechburg.

Eden, Serra Catholic and Bishop Canevin are all members of Section 3-A.

The Warriors and Serra Catholic split decisions in the first week of April.

Serra Catholic defeated Eden Christian, 10-3, in last year’s WPIAL championship game at Washington & Jefferson College. The Warriors also were PIAA finalists in 2024.

Consistency at the top

Whitney Snyder is in his 34th season as tennis coach at Sewickley Academy, his alma mater.

Snyder has built one of the great dynasties in WPIAL history. The Panthers won 16 consecutive section crowns from 2003-18 and were WPIAL titlists 15 years in a row from 2004-18.

The run of consecutive team championships is the second-longest streak in any sport in WPIAL history.

Tags: Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy