PHOTOS: Wolverines Softball Advances To WPIAL Championship Game

PLEASE NOTE: WPIAL Championship Game is scheduled for Wednesday, June 2nd at 2:15 p.m. at California University of Pennsylvania

There’s an age old adage in softball and baseball that states “Offense sells tickets, Pitching and Defense win Championships”. That rang loud and clear on Tuesday afternoon at Penn Trafford High School as the Wolverines defeated Southmoreland 4-2 to advance to the WPIAL Class-3A Championship game.

Freshman hurler Julia Nardone was phenomenal in the circle as she kept the potent Scotties offense off balance all day long while the defense was stellar and played error free ball. While the offense was only able to post a season low five hits, the defense amazingly recorded 20 of the 21 outs via flyout or groundout. –

An old fashioned pitcher’s duel was on full display as the first three innings took less than 30 minutes to complete. Southmoreland Ace Jess Matheny fanned 5 of the first 6 Wolverine batters while Nardone held serve by allowing just 5 baserunners over the first three innings. Southmoreland, however, was able to take a 1-0 lead in the third with a double, single, and sacrifice fly.

Ellwood City took the lead and the momentum in the fifth with a 3 spot. With one out, Julia Nardone dropped a single into right field. Courtesy runner Keira Rozanski entered for Nardone and moved to second on a free pass to Kali Barnett. Katelyn Wehman perfectly executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up to second and third. Angie Nardone came up clutch with a two out single to center to plate Rozanski with the tying run. After Nardone moved over to second on the throw in from the outfield, the turning point of the game took place. Kyla Servick hit an innocent grounder back to the pitcher and the excitement started. As the throw sailed into right field, Barnett and Nardone scored while Servick moved over to third.

The Wolverines, sensing the opportunity like sharks with blood in the water, ramped up the pitching and the defense even higher starting in the home half of the fifth inning. Nardone continued to pound the strike zone as she faced just four batters in the fifth. Martin lined out to Servick for the first out, Matheny lined out to Mollie Street for the second out, and Eutsy grounded out to Aliya Garroway for the third out.

The sixth inning was a carbon copy of the fifth as Nardone once again faced just 4 batters. It went groundout to Servick at second base, groundout to Angie Nardone at first base, and groundout to Julia Nardone in the circle.

The Wolverines added an insurance run in the seventh with some two out lightning to go up 4-1. Angie Nardone laced a single to right center to once again set the stage for Servick. She hit a soft liner just under the reach of the right fielder for a double and Nardone galloped home from first.

Julia Nardone, as she has done so many times during the season, was relentless in the circle protecting a lead in the seventh inning. Rawlikosky flew out to Street for the first out and Martin grounded out to Garroway for out number two. Southmoreland kept the suspense going with back to back singles and brought the tying run to the plate. Then the defense stood up to seal the deal with a fundamental play right out of the softball handbook. Eutsy followed with the third consecutive single up the middle to Wehman in centerfield. The heads up Junior lasered a cutoff throw to Angie Nardone, who alertly threw a dart to Garroway at third to cut down the runner from first for the game’s final out.

The win was by far the best team effort put together by these young ladies thus far on the season.

Offensively, Angie Nardone and Kyla Servick had two hits apiece while Julia Nardone collected the other hit.

Julia Nardone ran her record to 14-4 with her third playoff win. She struck out 1 and walked 2, 1 intentionally as she scattered 8 hits in the complete game victory. She was masterful as it took her just 73 pitches to get the dub.

The Wolverines, now 14-4 on the season, will play top seeded Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, June 2nd at 2:15 p.m. at California University of Pennsylvania for the WPIAL Title.  Ellwood City will be in search of their first WPIAL 3A championship since 2017. The Wolverines also won in 2008 and a Class-2A championship in 2016.

photos courtesy: Charlie Deitch, Pittsburgh Current