Softball: West Greene wins first outright section title since 1983
West Greene’s offense erupted for 17 hits Tuesday in a 17-0 victory over Jeffferson-Morgan in a Section 1-A game that lasted three innings.
McKenna Lampe and Bailey Bennington each hit a double and home run for the Pioneers (9-0, 17-1), who clinched the Section 1-A title outright for the first time since 1983. West Greene is two wins away from breaking the school record, also set in 1983.
Lampe went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI and Bennington went 3-for-3 with two runs and five rBI. McKenzie Carpenter and Kaitlyn Rizor each added a double. Madison Renner did not allow a hit over the three innings and strcuk out four. Linzee Stover went 3-for-3 with two runs and 2 RBI.
Jefferson-Morgan (5-4, 9-7) has clinched third place.
• Erica Amoroso hit a home run and drove in four runs, Bailey Parshall pitched a two-hit shutout and playoff-bound Belle Vernon blanked Ringgold 10-0 in a six-inning Section 3-AAA game.
Amoroso also hit a double and led Belle Vernon’s nine-hit attack. Lexie Chuch had a double and an RBI, Kourtney Gavatora and Alyssa Larson each drove in two runs and Parshall hit a double.
Parshall struck out nine and did not walk a batter. She allowed only two singles, to Taylor Mendicino and Lauren Gohacki.
Belle Vernon (7-3, 13-5) will finish either second or third in the section. Ringgold is 3-7, 5-9.
• Charleroi used a pair of four-run innings to defeat visiting Carmichaels, 9-6, and tighten the playoff race in Section 2-AA.
Both Morgan Riley and Ciara Stickles were 2-for-4 with a triple to lead the offense for Charleroi (3-8, 5-8). Ashley Smith had three singles and Kaitlyn McCann a double and single to back the winning pitching of Ashley Smith, who tossed a six-hitter.
Natalie McNett was 2-for-4 with a double for Carmichaels (7-4, 9-7), which is in fourth place in the section and one game behind both Bentworth and Waynesburg.
• Linda Rush continues to swing one of the hottest bats in the WPIAL. The Canon-McMillan shortstop hits two home runs and drove in six as the Big Macs crushed host Carrick 15-0 in Section 4-AAAA.
Rush hit a two-run homer in the second homer, a three-run blast in the third and lofted a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Winning pitcher Kaylee Gohring threw a three-hit shutout. She struck out six and did not walk a batter.
Kirsten Rush and Katelyn Greaves also homered for C-M (9-1, 14-2), the section leader that hosts second-place Baldwin Thursday.
• Waynesburg scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and held on to beat Brownsville 8-7 in a Section 2-AA game on the road.
The Raiders (8-3, 8-9) moved ahead of Carmichaels and into third place. Tiffany Ross and Brooke Meek reached on back-to-back errors in the seventh for Waynesburg before a run scored on Sidney Hare’s groundout. They took an 8-7 lead on an RBI singble by Brittniy Herrod. Abigail Vaughn went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Falcons (5-5, 7-7), who dropped to fifth place.
• Sara Chory hit a grand slam to help spark Mapletown’s 21-2 victory over Fort Cherry in a Section 1-A game.
• Chartiers-Houston cruised to a 17-0 victory over Avella in a four-inning Section 1-A game.
Winning pitcher Kaitlyn Dittrich threw a one-hitter with seven strikeouts. The lone hit for Avella was a fourth-inning triple by Emily Pollock.
Macie Kesneck led C-H (7-2, 10-6) at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, four runs and three RBI. Dittrich and Kasey Scears also doubled.
Avella’s is 1-8 in section and 2-11 overall.
Makenzie Cree went 3-for-3 with a double and thre RBI for the Maples (4-5, 5-10). Amelia Foreman drove in three runs and Taylor Vanata and Madi Bogden two apiece.
Fort Cherry fell to 1-13, 1-8 in the section.
• In other games, Burgettstown won its sixth in a row and remained in contention for a Section 1-AA title by rolling over Sto-Rox 15-0. Peters Township moved into a tie for the final playoff spot in Section 4-AAAA with a 4-3 victory over Mt. Lebanon. South Fayette fell out of first place in Section 2-AAA with a 10-4 loss to third-place Montour. In Section 1-A, playoff-bound Monessen defeated Jeannette 10-0, and Greensburg Central Catholic was an 18-7 winner over California. No details of these games were made available to the Observer-Reporter.