Seanna Riggle is ready to rest. While the coronation for Western Pennsylvania softball community happened last week in University Park, the party continued at the Western Pennsylvania Softball All-Star Showcase on Tuesday at Plum.
Riggle, who helped Chartiers-Houston reach the PIAA Class 2A title game, delivered a game-winning single to help Team Gold rally from a two-run deficit to beat Team Black, 8-7.
Following 26 high school games and a high-stakes, bases-loaded at-bat with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, she’s ready to turn the page to college.
“It was nice,” Riggle said. “I’m not going to lie, I’m tired.”
While many of the participants may have been road weary from the high school season, many of them found a way to collect hardware along the way. In what may have been the best softball season in WPIAL history, the league saw six teams reach the PIAA final.
Union (Class A), Laurel (2A), Shaler (5A) and Hempfield (6A) all brought titles back home. The Class 2A final was an all-WPIAL affair, as the Spartans beat Chartiers-Houston. Blackhawk lost in the Class 4A final.
Team Black coach Tom Sorce’s comment to the third-base umpire about Shaler senior Bria Bosiljevac in the first inning could have summarized the WPIAL’s season. Bosiljevac, who will pitch at Indiana University next season, opened the game with a solo home run.
Sorce told the umpire Bosiljevac was one of a kind.
“I said as we went along through the playoffs the WPIAL teams gave us our toughest games,” Sorce said. “It’s not a surprise a lot of these kids represent a lot of the organizations we played. I’m happy for them. It’s a fun time.”
The Titans’ representatives made a major impact on the first inning. Following Bosiljevac’s home run, Shaler teammate Jayla Antomachi followed with a single. Torrie DeStefano (Penn-Trafford) reached on an error and was driven in when Abbie Telli (Norwin) hit a three-run home run.
Team Black stretched its lead to 5-0 when Abby Sutton (North Hills) hit a solo home run to open the inning.
“The kids had a lot of fun,” Sorce said. “The weather tamped it down a little bit. Maybe they lost some of their enthusiasm.”
Julia Resnick (Elizabeth Forward) got Team Gold on the board in the bottom of the second when she reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch.
Team Gold started putting pressure on in the seventh inning. Seneca Valley’s Paige Volz doubled and Neve Miller singled to drive in runs.
In the bottom of the eighth, Sutton got the first two batters out before Team Gold began to draw free passes. Lauren Rush (Chartiers-Houston), Addy Nigut (Elizabeth Forward) and Grace Kempton (South Park) drew walks to load the bases.
Bailey Barnyak (Carmichaels) and Carys McConnell (Carmichaels) then drew walks to tie the game.
Team Black then brought in Brooklyn Kemp (Upper St. Clair) to try to get Riggle out.
“I was nervous and excited, but I was ready,” Riggle said.
Riggle punched a single up the middle to give Team Gold its first win in the event’s history.
Team Gold coach Phil DiLonardo was happy to be on the winning side this time around. He was on the losing side for the first two versions of the event.
“It was a good ending for us,” DiLonardo said. “I didn’t want to go down 3-0 to those guys. I’d never hear the end of it.”