West Greene win away from storied finish
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
West Greene’s Kiley Meek is welcomed by her teammates as she returns from a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning that was the margin of victory for the Pioneers in their 5-3 win over Shade in the first round of the PIAA Class A softball tournament at Peterswood Park on June 7.
By Joe Tuscano/Staff writer/jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
Taylor Karvan has been a nice surprise for West Greene with her play at second base.
In the halls of West Greene High School, a spot has been picked out on one of the walls. It’s right next to other pictures of athletic teams with great accomplishments.
It’s been a tradition for some time at the school.
The spot will be filled by a picture of the West Greene 2021 softball team. The caption that goes with it is blank right now.
The ending will be written Friday morning, when the Pioneers take on Tri-Valley in the PIAA Class A championship game at Beard Stadium on the campus of Penn State University.
First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
“That’s been a brainchild of mine,” said West Greene head coach Bill Simms, who will be leading his fourth team to the state finals since 2016.
“It’s something to shoot for, something to aspire to. If you just make the playoffs, you get a little 16-by-20 poster on the wall. If you win the WPIAL, you put the poster up. So they have already secured that. The last week and a half, we’ve been preaching to them that their story is not over. You get to write your own ending.”
Simms said the girls have earned a ring for their accomplishments, winning the WPIAL title for a fifth straight time. The Pioneers have been defending champions for six years, counting the year lost to the COVID 19 pandemic that shut down all spring sports for the 2020 season.
“It’s just a matter of whether we are going to cap it off with state gold,” Simms said, “or as state runner-up. We’re pleased with their effort whatever comes out of it Friday.”
West Greene won the WPIAL title with a 17-2 bashing of Union, then defeated Shade, 5-4, in the first round if the state playoffs. Cambridge Springs was the next victim, 6-5 in 10 innings. In the semifinals, two rain delays didn’t bother the Pioneers, drubbing Dubois Central Catholic, 12-1, to move their record to 21-2.
Tri-Valley came into the state tournament as the District 11 champion with a 17-2 record. Tri-Valley opened the tournament with a 13-1 victory over Faith Christian Academy and followed it up with a 4-3 win over District 4 champion Montgomery in the quarterfinals.
A 7-3 victory over Halifax Monday put Tri-Valley in the finals against West Greene. This is the first time in 30 years that Tri-Valley has made it to the state finals.
Tri-Valley starting pitcher Emma Maurer allowed one earned run over seven innings, striking out five and walking three. She stranded 11 Halifax baserunners, six of them in scoring position.
West Greene’s first trip to the finals came in 2016 and a 3-2 loss to Williams Valley came on a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In 2017, the Pioneers were down 7-0 after two innings and rallied for a 9-8 victory. A year later, West Greene defeated Williams Valley again, 11-7.
In 2019, the Pioneers were knocked out of the playoffs by Dubois Central Catholic in the semifinals.
This year’s team has been a surprise for Simms. But it also might be the best 1 through 9 of the previous group.
Starting pitcher Kiley Meek has developed a changeup that leaves opposing opposing players flailing at the ball.
Catcher London Whipkey has stopped everything within reach and center fielder Jersey Wise has speed to track down any fly ball and provides the spark as the leadoff hitter.
Third baseman Lexi Six has been Brooks Robinson-esque at third baseman defensively and Taylor Karvan has played second base like she was born there.
“We had one error last game.” said Simms. “If she has good defense behind her, she doesn’t need to have 20 strikeouts.
“All season long, Taylor has been a rock for us. She never gets caught looking at the bunt. She can get to first base and take the throw. She’s also not afraid to throw behind the runner at first base. … There are two or three girls who didn’t get a chance last year. That’s why I like to say we have three or four rookies of the year on this team.”