When Valley View won the 2025 state title, it became the 20th PIAA Class 4A softball champion.
The first 4A softball state champion was Pennsbury from District 1 in 2005.
The very next year, Shaler became the first WPIAL team to win 4A softball gold in 2006, 20 years prior to more gold captured Thursday.
Blackhawk will look to become the next WPIAL team to achieve that feat when it takes on Valley View for the Class 4A title Friday.
There have been six PIAA 4A champions from District 7 starting with Shaler in 2006, Mt. Lebanon in 2010, Canon-McMillan in 2013 and Hempfield in 2026. Since the expansion to six classes 10 years ago, there have been two more WPIAL state champs in 4A: Mt. Pleasant in 2017 and Beaver in 2021.
The one and only District 2 team to capture a PIAA 4A championship was Valley View last June.
Here is a look at the fifth of six PIAA softball championship games at Penn State and the middle game Friday afternoon.
Class 4A
Blackhawk (15-5) vs. Valley View (23-3)
1:30 p.m. Friday, Nittany Lions Softball Park at Penn State
Broadcast: Video on PCN-TV; Radio on PIAA Radio Network
Coaches: Jim Riggio, Blackhawk; Mia Wascura, Valley View
Path to Penn State: Blackhawk defeated District 9 champion Punxsutawney in the first round, 12-7, District 12 third-seed Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast in the quarterfinals, 2-0, District 10 winner Harbor Creek in the semifinals, 7-5. … Valley View knocked off District 3 runner-up Northern Lebanon in the first round, 5-0, District 12 champion Archbishop Carroll in the quarterfinals, 2-0, District 1 winner Pope John Paul II in the semifinals, 8-0.
District postseason: Blackhawk was the No. 3 seed and had a first-round bye, defeated Laurel Highlands in the quarterfinals, 3-1, North Catholic in the semifinals, 13-4, and then lost to Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL championship game, 5-3. … Valley View ousted Hanover in the quarterfinals, 17-0, Wallenpaupack in the semifinals, 11-0, Tunkhannock in the District 2 championship game, 1-0.
Players to watch
Blackhawk: Senior pitcher Kylie Prisuta has been strong in the circle and at the plate this spring for the Cougars. She smacked a three-run homer in the semifinal win while in the last two state playoff games, she limited her opponents to eight hits while striking out 21 batters. In the PIAA opening round, senior Addy Ramer had two hits and three RBIs and junior Eva Parris had three hits, including a double and home run, with two RBIs. In the quarterfinals, sophomore Chloe Franitti was 2 for 2 with an RBI, and in the state semifinals, Ramer was 2 for 4 with a double and run driven in and freshman Eva Elich had two hits and three RBIs.
Valley View: Senior pitcher Abbi Call has led the Cougars in the circle this season with a 17-2 record and a 1.69 ERA. In 107⅔ innings pitched, she has yielded 53 hits and walked 41 while striking out 172. In the state semifinals, Call threw a two-hitter and struck out 10. The Clemson commit has also been awesome with the stick, hitting .629 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. Senior Zoie Krupovich is batting .398 with five home runs and 26 RBIs. Senior Ella Swingle and sophomore Ashlyn Palickar are both hitting .354 with a combined two homers and 57 RBIs.
Streaks: Blackhawk has won three games in a row since suffering its loss in the WPIAL finals to Elizabeth Forward, 5-3. The Cougars have won five of their last six. … Valley View is riding an 11-game winning streak since losing to 5A finalist Abington Heights on April 28, 12-0. The Cougars have won 16 of their last 17 games.
Quotable: “Reaching the state finals seems like a dream, but our girls have worked very hard and earned the right to represent their school in the state championship game,” Blackhawk coach Jim Riggio said. “It is a huge challenge to face the defending state champions and a great pitcher like Abbi Call. Valley View is a great team. We are looking forward to playing for a state championship.
“We understand how hard it is to get to a state championship game and we played a lot of good teams to get here.”
Factoids
• These are uncharted waters for Blackhawk, making only its second appearance in the PIAA softball playoffs where it has a record of 4-1. This is the Cougars’ first trip to the state championship game.
• Valley View has an all-time record of 22-11 in the PIAA playoffs in this, its 15th appearance. This is the fifth state championship game appearance for the Cougars. They beat Philipsburg-Osceola in the 2000 title game, 1-0, shut out Fort LeBoeuf in the 2013 finals, 5-0, and blanked Kennard-Dale in the 2025 championship game, 6-0. Their lone loss was in the 2012 finals to Big Spring, 2-1.
• The only other time Blackhawk qualified for the PIAA postseason was a year ago. In their first state playoff game, the Cougars defeated Bellefonte in the first round, 9-3, and then were eliminated in state quarterfinals by Kennard-Dale, 6-2.
• The pride of Archbald in Lackawanna County played its first state playoff game 43 years ago when it lost to Chambersburg in the 1983 first round, 6-5. In 34 PIAA postseason contests, this is the first time Valley View will face a team from the WPIAL.