Norwin is showing some fight as WPIAL softball tilts toward playoff time — the team’s favorite time of the year in recent seasons.
After giving Hempfield a game earlier in the season, the Lady Knights pulled into a second-place tie with Seneca Valley in the eight-team Class 6A section.
Norwin and Seneca Valley split their season series, with both games reaching their completion on the same day. Seneca Valley won 6-5 in nine innings as they finished a game that was suspended 17 days earlier.
Paige Volz had the winning RBI in the ninth for the Raiders.
Norwin (10-5 10-3), which was primed to play No. 1 Hempfield a second time, bounced back to edge Seneca Valley, 7-6, in the second game.
Winning pitcher Abbie Telli tied the score with a double, and Auden Palmiero delivered a walk-off single in the seventh.
Makenna Black had two hits, including a triple, and three RBIs.
Diem Wardzinski said the win over Seneca Valley boosted Norwin’s confidence and brought the team closer together.
“It was also a great win on senior night,” the junior outfielder said. “I’m so happy for our seniors that we got the win. I have faith in my team to battle no matter what the score will be. We have had a lot of close games with Seneca and Hempfield, and playing those kinds of games is what’s going to make us better for playoffs. Our hard work will continue to pay off.”
Seneca Valley beat the Knights in the playoffs the last two years: 6-1 in last year’s semifinals, and 4-3 in eight innings in the championship two years ago.
Playoff picture
The WPIAL playoffs are scheduled to begin next week.
Local qualifiers are: Hempfield (15-1) and Norwin (10-5) in 6A; Penn-Trafford (14-2), Kiski Area (11-5) and Latrobe (9-7) in 5A; Derry (9-4) and Greensburg Salem (5-6) in 4A; Mt. Pleasant (13-2), Burrell (10-7) and Yough (11-6) in 3A; and Jeannette (7-3) and Monessen (5-8) in A.
Section champs
Three area programs secured section championships, which should carry a lot of weight with the WPIAL steering committee for playoff seeding.
Hempfield (15-1, 13-0) won the eight-team Class 6A section and will look to cap an undefeated section record with a win over Norwin in the finale. Their second meeting of the season Wednesday was rained out.
The Spartans have won three consecutive section crowns.
Penn-Trafford (14-2, 11-1) repeated as the Section 1-5A champion, and Mt. Pleasant (13-2, 10-0) took back-to-back Section 1-3A titles.
Interestingly, Mt. Pleasant and Penn-Trafford added a game against each other. They will play at 4 p.m. May 5 at Penn-Trafford.
Upset special
Derry is playing some of its best softball, and it comes on the doorstep of the postseason.
The Trojans pulled an upset in Class 4A this week, knocking off No. 3 Indiana, 5-2.
Haylee Myers was the winning pitcher with 12 strikeouts, and she went 2 for 3 with a double.
Kali Henigan and Kameryn Dunlap each had two hits in the win, and Alexa Darazio drove in two runs.
Myers, a junior, has 400 career strikeouts.
Rankings
This week’s rankings show Hempfield holding on to the No. 1 spot in 6A, and Norwin is at No. 3.
Penn-Trafford moved up one spot to No. 3 in 5A, and Mt. Pleasant held on to No. 3 in 3A.
Numbers game
.792 — Batting average for Greensburg Salem’s Alle Scarpa in her first 24 at-bats. She had 19 hits, including five home runs.
.625 — Batting average for Belle Vernon’s Addy Newman in 56 at-bats (35 hits).
133 — Number of strikeouts by Jeannette’s Grace Stein. The total is the most by a pitcher in Westmoreland County this season.
26 — County-leading RBI total for Latrobe’s Morgan Maiers.
25 — Runs scored by Penn-Trafford’s Aria Smith, the most in the county.
13 — Consecutive wins by Hempfield and Penn-Trafford.
10 — Pitching wins by Julia Varhola of Hempfield.
9 — Combined hits for Hempfield’s Luft sisters, Jocelyn and Jayelyn, in 10 at-bats against Butler on Monday.
6 — Home runs for Natalia Scekeres of Latrobe. The total leads Westmoreland County.