Westmoreland County softball notebook: Southmoreland riding high after string of shutout wins
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Wednesday, April 12, 2023 | 4:54 PM
Southmoreland softball coach Todd Bunner (center) meets with his team during a game against Ligonier Valley.
Southmoreland picked Easter week to rise into the rankings.
The Scotties (3-1, 2-0) jumped into the Trib top five in Class 3A after a pair of 2-0 section wins over Ligonier Valley (9 innings) and Mt. Pleasant.
They had three straight shutouts heading into Wednesday’s game at Yough. They opened with a 17-6 loss to Belle Vernon.
Greensburg Central Catholic (5-0), meantime, bumped up a spot, to No. 2, in Class 2A.
The Centurions outscored their first five opponents 64-8.
Hempfield remained No. 3 in 6A, whereas Norwin moved up one spot to No. 5.
Other local ranked teams include Belle Vernon (No. 4 in 4A) and Burrell (No. 5 in 3A).
Big games ahead
Hempfield has quite the stretch of games coming up.
After facing No. 1 Seneca Valley this week, the No. 3 Spartans are set to face No. 4 Norwin on Monday at Bob Kalp Field.
On Wednesday, the Spartans will host North Allegheny in a rematch of a 1-0 loss to the Tigers.
The teams’ first matchup was shortened to six innings by inclement weather in McCandless.
After another Section 1-6A game against Mt. Lebanon, the Spartans have nonsection games lined up against local heavyweights Latrobe and Mt. Pleasant.
Franklin Regional hosts Armstrong on Friday in a key Section 2-5A game, while Mt. Pleasant visits Yough in Section 3-3A.
Upstart Jeannette hosts Frazier in an important Section 3-A game.
On Monday, Ligonier Valley plays at Mt. Pleasant. GCC hosts Steel Valley on Monday in Section 2-2A.
Dual role
Greensburg Salem relied on Kaidence Thomas for more than her offense in an 9-6 victory Tuesday against Connellsville.
Thomas, a senior third baseman, was called upon to slam the door on the Falcons. She entered the pitching circle late and earned save, in addition to going 2 for 4 at the plate.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Jeannette, Norwin, Southmoreland
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