There was a time when Riverside softball was a dominant force in the WPIAL.
From 1989-2013, the Panthers reached the district championship game 11 times in 25 years, winning gold six times.
On a day that felt more like March than mid-May, Riverside turned back the clock with an impressive performance in a 6-1 victory over No. 10 Brentwood on Thursday at West Mifflin.
“All these kids have grown up playing together,” Riverside coach Geri Lynn Cummings said. “They’re real tough, but there is a good atmosphere with this team.”
As chilly as the weather was with temps in the upper 40s with a steady wind, the Riverside bats were not affected as they hammered out 10 hits, half of which went for extra bases.
“The girls are striking the ball well,” Coach Cummings said. “The offense is doing what we need them to do against these better teams.”
Riverside hitters two through five in the batting order really feasted on Brentwood senior pitcher Emma Thompson.
Sophomore Adelaide Burry, juniors Addison Drake and Saeryn Hoover and senior Jaci Cummings were a combined 8 for 13 with three doubles, two home runs, five runs scored and all six of the Panthers’ RBIs.
“Trying to get those hitters to string hits together is key,” Coach Cummings said. “They’re very good hitters. They’re reliable, and they just seem to pick up the slack for each other.”
Riverside scored in the bottom of the first inning when Stevie Drake singled, stole second and scored on a two-out Hoover double inside the third base bag.
The lead was extended in the third inning when Burry doubled with one out and scored on a Addison Drake single before Hoover hit a two-run shot over the left-field fence to put the Panthers up, 4-0.
Brentwood showed life by cracking the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning.
Tammie Sheets singled with one out, went to second on a swinging bunt groundout by Maddie Fry and headed to third base on a wild pitch.
Baylee Lauterbach walked and kept going to second base, but was caught in a rundown. On a misthrow by the Panthers infield, Sheets scored from third to put the Spartans on the board.
But that attempted momentum switch did not last long as Burry doubled to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning and Addison Drake followed with a two-run homer to deep left field.
All of that offense was more than enough for Jaci Cummings. The senior pitcher allowed one unearned run on only four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.
“She’s a pretty efficient pitcher, so I don’t really hesitate throwing a changeup on a full count,” Coach Cummings said of her daughter. “She’s pretty consistent and pretty reliable with the zone, so I’ll let her get behind if it’s a junk pitch we want or if it’s location that we want that’s a little bit risky, I’ll let her do that because she can come back. Her walk percentage is pretty low.”
Brentwood ends its season with a record of 8-6, the first time the Spartans finished with a winning record since 2013.
They are a team built for the future with only one senior and four freshmen in the starting lineup.
Riverside improves to 9-5 and is one of four teams from the tough Section 1-2A to advance to the quarterfinals along with top-seeded Laurel, No. 5 Neshannock and No. 6 Shenango.
The Panthers will face No. 2 Chartiers-Houston (17-2) in the Class 2A quarterfinals Monday.
“We’ve always said that iron sharpens iron, so we’d rather have a section like that and finish fourth,” Cummings said. “It’s a tough section, and I was telling the girls that if we played in any other section, we might make a run at being the section champ.
“We’re appreciative of our competition, it’s always a fun environment when we play them, but at the same time, that only gets you so far.”