News

by: Don Rebel

SOFTBALL RIVALRY TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER

One WPIAL softball team is trying to maintain it spot atop the classification while the other school is fighting to get back into the playoffs.

They may end up in vastly different places in the standings, but they have the same goal Thursday: Beat your biggest rival.

With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, this is the first meeting of the season as Class 6A top-ranked Hempfield hosts Norwin at 4 p.m.

The Spartans are alone on top at 9-0 in 6A with a perfect 13-0 record for the season.

The Knights sit in fifth place in the classification with a 5-5 record as they look to maintain their spot in the top six to secure a postseason berth. They have lost two straight and are 5-8 overall.

Speaking of playoffs, these two last met in the WPIAL Class 6A softball stunner a year ago.

After beating Norwin twice in the 2024 regular season by scores of 6-0 and 9-1, top-seeded Hempfeild was eliminated in the semifinals.

Josey Michalski smacked a two-run homer as the Knights shocked the Spartans, 5-2, to advance to the WPIAL finals.

There, Norwin lost in eight innings to Seneca Valley, 3-2.

MORE WESTMORELAND SOFTBALL

Another big district softball makeup contest set for Thursday involves the No. 1 Class 5A team.

Penn-Trafford looks to remain perfect in Section 2-5A when it hosts Latrobe at 4 p.m.

The Warriors are 13-1 for the season and have won 13 in a row since their season-opening loss to Hempfield.

The win streak includes all 10 section games they have played.

The visiting Wildcats aren’t going to catch P-T in the chase for the section title as they sit at 5-4 in the section, but a surprise win would move them one step closer to clinching and help their resume when it comes to seeding in the 5A tournament.

Latrobe is 8-6 overall and host lost two straight, including being shut out by Armstrong on Wednesday.