Trib HSSN diamond team of the week – Blackhawk Cougars softball
Coach – Jim Riggio (10th year)
Records – Blackhawk won the Section 3-4A title with a 10-2 record, one game in front of runners-up Hampton and North Catholic. The Cougars are 14-5 overall this season.
#Earned – It would have been easy for the Blackhawk softball team to fold up its tent on the 2026 season after losing in the WPIAL Class 4A championship for a second straight year.
It wasn’t just losing in the 4A finals, the Cougars had jumped out to 3-0 leads in both games before falling to Hampton a year ago and then losing to Elizabeth Forward over a week ago.
But Blackhawk showed up for the PIAA playoffs, winning in both a high-scoring game and a low-scoring nail-biter.
On Monday in the first round at District 9 Punxsutawney, the Cougars scored five runs in the second inning and then just kept adding on.
They scored single runs in the third and fifth innings, three runs in the fourth and two more in the top of the seventh inning to outslug the Chucks, 12-7.
Then the script switched in styles in the quarterfinals on Thursday against Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast.
Blackhawk scored one run in the first and another in the fourth inning, which was enough to eliminate the Friars, 2-0.
The Cougars had never played in a PIAA softball game before last season.
In the 2025 state playoffs, Blackhawk defeated Bellefonte in the first round, 9-3, and then fell to Kennard-Dale in the quarterfinals, 6-2.
Now with wins over Punxsutawney and Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast, Blackhawk (14-5) is advancing to the state softball semifinals for the first time. The Cougars are set to battle District 10 champion Harbor Creek (19-5) at 4 p.m. Monday at Allegheny College.
Already the Huskies have eliminated two WPIAL teams in North Catholic in the state opener and Elizabeth Forward in the quarterfinals.
Standout performers – Three Blackhawk players had multiple hits and multiple RBI games in the PIAA first round win over Punxsutawney.
Junior Eva Parris went 3 for 4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs, senior Addy Ramer had two hits and three runs batted in, and junior Hannah Nolte had two hits, a double and two RBIs.
Also chipping in on the 12-hit explosion for the Cougars were senior winning pitcher Kylie Prisuta with a hit and two runs driven in and freshman Ava Elich with a double.
In the quarterfinal victory over Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast, sophomore Chloe Franitti led the way on offense, going 2 for 2 with an RBI.
Ramer, Elich and junior Brynn Hysong each had an extra-base hit with Ramer and Elich delivering triples and Hysong a double.
As she has been all season, Prisuta was the start in the circle for Blackhawk, going the distance on the shutout win, allowing only three hits, one walk and striking out 12 Friars.
2026 Trib HSSN Diamond Teams of the Week
Week 9 – Upper St. Clair Panthers baseball
Week 9 – South Park Eagles softball
Week 8 – Butler Golden Tornado baseball
Week 7 – Riverside Panthers softball
Week 6 – Indiana Little Indians baseball
Week 5 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors baseball
Week 4 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars softball
Week 3 – Thomas Jefferson Jaguars baseball
Week 2 – North Allegheny Tigers softball
Week 1 – Eden Christian Academy Warriors baseball