Westmoreland softball playoff preview capsules for May 19, 2026

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, May 18, 2026 | 5:27 PM

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WPIAL softball playoffs

Class 6A

Semifinals

4-Canon-McMillan (9-10) vs. 1-Hempfield (19-1)

5 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Pine-Richland (9-12)/2-Seneca Valley (14-5) in championship May 27 or 28 at Cal (Pa.)

Players to watch: Lyla Mowery, Canon-McMillan; Lauren Howard, Hempfield

Extra bases: Canon-McMillan blanked No. 5 Mt. Lebanon, 7-0, in the quarterfinals. Mowery tossed a five-hit shutout for the Big Macs, who also made the semifinals last year and lost to Hempfield, 8-2. In 2024, they lost to Seneca Valley in the semis. Canon-McMillan, which has a balanced lineup, has two WPIAL titles (2012, ’13) in softball but has not been to the finals since 2021. Addy Jordan went 3 for 4 in Tuesday’s win with a double, triple and two RBIs, and Lyla Yakubik had two hits including a double. … Hempfield is looking for a repeat after defeating Seneca Valley, 1-0, in last year’s championship, giving the Spartans their ninth district title, one shy of the record held by Baldwin and Sto-Rox. Hempfield will have sat for 13 days when it finally takes the field again. The Spartans are riding a 17-game winning streak and have outscored teams 202-39. The run total is third overall in the WPIAL behind Chartiers-Houston (246) and Union (208). Freshman Jocelyn Luft is hitting a team-best .515 with 22 RBIs and 18 runs, whereas her twin sister, Jayelyn, has a .494 average and leads the team with 38 hits. Howard, a Virginia commit, has a team-best 30 runs and 29 RBIs. She and another senior, catcher Ella Berkebile, a Bucknell commit with 24 RBIs, each have a team-high four home runs. Marist commit Claire Mitchell, a senior outfielder, bats .419 with 24 RBIs. Senior pitcher Julia Varhola, a James Madison recruit, is 15-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 147 K’s. Jayelyn Luft is 4-0 with a 0.65 ERA in 14 appearances.

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

11-North Hills (10-7) vs. 3-Penn-Trafford (18-3)

3 p.m. Tuesday at Plum

Winner plays: Winner of 10-Plum (14-5)/2-Thomas Jefferson (15-3) on Thursday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Emma Culver, North Hills; Aria Smith, Penn-Trafford

Extra bases: This is a rematch from last year’s semifinals when Penn-Trafford won 7-0. North Hills scored early and added on late in a 5-1 win over Montour in this year’s first round. Abigail Sutton went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs, and Culver went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Sutton was the winning pitcher with seven strikeouts. The Indians finished fourth in Section 1. They lost twice to top-seeded Shaler. Nonsection wins have come against Burrell and Norwin. … In last year’s semifinal, pitcher Allyson Paulone tossed a one-hitter against North Hills. Penn-Trafford beat North Hills earlier in the season 6-0. The Warriors held back Connellsville, 3-2, in the first round. Smith went 2 for 3 with an RBI, and Torrie DeStefano and Mackenzie Cox each drove in a run. Paulone, a Mercyhurst commit, struck out six to earn the win. The Warriors seek their third straight semifinal appearance. They are chasing their first WPIAL championship but have won two PIAA titles, the most recent coming last year.

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

9-Derry (11-4) vs. 1-Elizabeth Forward (17-2)

3 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 12-Uniontown (10-8) /4-Hampton (13-5) on Thursday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Francesca DePalma, Derry; Addy Nigut, Elizabeth Forward

Extra bases: This is a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal at Norwin when Elizabeth Forward blitzed the Trojans, 23-2, in three innings. Derry played without standout pitcher Haylee Myers, who was out with a shoulder injury. Myers is healthy this year, having pitched a complete game in an 8-4 win over Beaver in the first round. Kamryn Dunlap went 3 for 3 with an RBI, and Paris Clayton and Marie Razpotnik each had two hits in the win. Myers had two RBIs. Derry has three playoff wins in school history but has never made the semifinals. … Elizabeth Forward had a first-round bye. The Warriors have won 17 of their last 18 games with the loss coming against 5A Penn-Trafford, 13-6. Elizabeth Forward beat Connellsville, 16-15, in the regular-season finale. The Warriors have 190 runs, the most in 4A. Nigut is hitting .556 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 30 RBIs. Hanna Evans has six homers and 22 RBIs, and Berlyn Holilnbaugh has a team-high 29 hits and 27 runs. The Warriors lost to Blackhawk in last year’s semifinals. They won WPIAL titles in 2019 and ’24.

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

Tags: Derry Area, Elizabeth Forward, North Hills, Penn-Trafford