WPIAL softball playoffs open with rare 1st-round section clash for 2 Westmoreland County teams

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 10:23 PM

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It is rare, but it does happen.

The WPIAL usually steers clear of matching section opponents in the first round of the playoffs. Rematches are better suited for the latter rounds, the league believes.

But an exception was made for the Class 4A softball tournament.

And nobody was more surprised than the two Westmoreland County teams that suddenly will meet for a third time.

No. 8 seed Derry (10-6) will play No. 9 Greensburg Salem (11-5) at 3 p.m. Monday at Norwin.

Talk about a curveball in Thursday’s bracket release.

“I said we’d get Uniontown,” Derry coach John DePalma said. “I thought we’d get a higher seed than (No. 7) Indiana. It is what it is. I guess it’s better to see the devil you know than the devil you don’t. You can’t argue with city hall.”

The teams split in Section 1 play with both winning on the road: Derry prevailed 3-2, and Greensburg Salem earned a 9-5 victory in a game split over two days because of inclement weather.

Derry finished tied for second with Indiana, and Greensburg Salem was fourth.

“Didn’t see the in-section matchup coming,” Greensburg Salem coach Bill Wright said. “But a Westmoreland County section rivalry, Alle Scarpa vs. Haylee Myers, what else can you ask for? We had two battles already with them and expect this one to be the same. Should be fun stuff.”

Hempfield (19-1) and Penn-Trafford (17-1) are No. 1 seeds in Class 6A and 5A. Hempfield’s 1-0 win over No. 2-seeded Seneca Valley on Wednesday solidified a section title and the top spot.

Hempfield and defending champion Seneca Valley are favored to meet in the finals of the six-team bracket. Both have a bye into the semifinals.

Hempfield was stunned by Norwin in last year’s semifinals, 5-2, so looking ahead is frowned upon as the bye begins.

“We are excited for the playoffs to start,” Hempfield coach Tina Madison said. “Seeding isn’t much of a factor. We all know each other so well. We are going to come out and take it one game at a time.”

Penn-Trafford is on a 17-game winning streak and was a clear top seed. The Warriors, whose loss was to Hempfield on opening day, play No. 16 Moon (7-8) in the first round at 3 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin.

“It is always nice to be recognized for the girls’ sake, of course,” Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little said. “But it is another step in the process. Once you get to the second season, it’s back to square one and focusing on executing fundamentals.”

Two other county teams earned No. 5 seeds: Franklin Regional (13-6) in 5A and Mt. Pleasant (11-5) in 3A.

Coincidentally, they played each other Thursday with Mt. Pleasant pulling a 9-6 stunner. That result was not factored into the seedings.

Franklin Regional opens against No. 12 Fox Chapel (11-6) at 5 p.m. Monday at North Allegheny.

“I am happy with the five,” Franklin Regional coach Jim Armstrong said. “It is the highest we have been seeded in a while. I wish we were on the other side. It would be great to play (Penn-Trafford) in the championship if we both get there.”

Also in 5A, No. 14 Latrobe (10-8) will face No. 3 West Allegheny (13-4) at 5 p.m. Monday at Plum, a short field known for surrendering home runs.

Latrobe beat West Allegheny in last year’s quarterfinals, 5-4.

Mt. Pleasant first-year coach Paul Reho thought his team should have received a better draw. The Vikings play No. 12 Keystone Oaks (8-8) at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Waynesburg University — where former Vikings coach Chris Brunson is the head softball coach.

Reho thought his team’s Section 1 was the strongest in the classification.

“Honestly, the whole team feels disrespected,” Reho said. “Apparently, winning a section title doesn’t mean a whole lot. Maybe they got it right, and maybe they didn’t. We will find out.”

The other two section champions in 3A, South Park and Mohawk, were awarded the No. 1 and 2 seeds.

Other local 3A first-round matchups Tuesday include No. 7 Southmoreland (9-6) vs. No. 10 Hopewell (10-7) at 7 p.m. at Trinity, and No. 11 Ligonier Valley (5-10) vs. No. 6 McGuffey (10-5) at 5 p.m. at West Mifflin.

The release of the brackets was delayed several hours as the WPIAL waited for the results of a Class A doubleheader between Greensburg Central Catholic and St. Joseph to come in.

GCC had to win both to clinch a playoff spot and did so rather quickly, securing a pair of victories in four innings — 16-0 in three and 4-0 in one.

The second game was called because a few St. Joseph players had to leave early. The WPIAL let the result stand as an official game.

GCC, which only played the minimum 12 section games due to a small roster, was initially told St. Joseph was going to forfeit the games. But the WPIAL told the teams they needed to play out the section schedule, even though their twinbill came a day after the league’s section deadline.

“It was a little stressful,” GCC coach Chelsey Frock said. “We weren’t prepared for this to be thrown on us. We thought we had time to practice and prepare for playoffs.”

GCC (6-6) is seeded 12th and will play No. 5 Jefferson-Morgan (8-6) at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Waynesburg University.

Also in Class A, Section 1 co-champion Jeannette (11-4), the No. 8 seed, will take on No. 9 Avella (5-10) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Peters Township.

Belle Vernon (9-10) is the No. 11 seed in 4A and opens at 6 p.m. Monday against No. 6 Beaver (13-5) at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Peters Township.

Norwin (9-11) is the No. 6 seed in 6A and plays No. 3 North Allegheny (12-7) on Wednesday at a time and site to be announced.

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