Bill Beckner stories, Page 118

Adjusting her helmet and gripping her bat while on the move from the dugout, Bella Vozar shuffled toward the plate in the bottom of the third inning like she was late for class. The umpire told her to slow down and take her time. “I’m OK,” the Leechburg junior catcher...

Normally, hitting is what jump starts the high-powered Mt. Pleasant softball team. One knock usually leads to many more. But in the Vikings’ playoff opener Thursday under blazing sunshine at Norwin, pitching carried the day. Senior Mary Smithnosky put together a career performance, striking out 14 in a three-hit shutout,...

PSAC baseball championship series (best of 3) Bloomsburg (21-15) vs. Seton Hill (34-4) When: Friday, Saturday (Game 1, noon Friday, Game 2 to follow; Game 3 Saturday if needed) Where: Seton Hill Baseball Complex, Greensburg Coaches: Mike Collins, Bloomsburg; Marc Marizzaldi, Seton Hill What’s next: The winner advances to the...

Jayvon Thrift said transferring will bring his college football career, one that still is getting off the ground, “full circle.” That is because the school where he is headed to is the place where he initially planned to play. Thrift, a Norwin graduate, is leaving West Virginia to join the...

Freshman Makayla Spoonhoward made the turn for home, hit the deck and did a rollover. The Yough freshman slid safely across the plate after an error on a pick-off attempt in the bottom of the eighth Wednesday to bring an abrupt ending to a WPIAL softball playoff game that couldn’t...

Today’s games Class 5A Quarterfinals 1-Penn-Trafford (15-4) vs. 8-North Hills (13-5) 2 p.m. at Fox Chapel Coaches: Denny Little, Penn-Trafford; Libby Gasior, North Hills Winner plays: Winner of 13-Connellsville (10-8)/5-Chartiers Valley (12-7) on Tuesday in semifinals Players to watch: Allie Prady, Sr., IF, Penn-Trafford; Sophia Roncone, Jr., P, North Hills...

Emma Rigone had interest from a number of Division I women’s soccer programs but went with the one that checked all the boxes. The Norwin junior defender, who played center midfield in cup soccer, announced her commitment to Youngstown State. “The coaches stood out to me more than those from...

A pair of Hempfield alums were crowned conference champions at the NCAA Division I level Saturday. Penn State grad student Maddie Holmberg won the heptathlon at the Big Ten Championships with a score of 5,839 points. Holmberg finished first in the long jump (6.16 meters) and the 200-meter dash (24.5...

If the softball playoffs come to pass the way the WPIAL committee foresees — “to chalk,” as they say — there are going to be some celebrations in Westmoreland County. Three schools — located at home plate, first base and third on a county map — are taking No. 1...

Wednesday’s games Class 6A Quarterfinals 3-Hempfield (12-5) vs. 6-Canon-McMillan (7-9) 4 p.m. at West Mifflin Coaches: Bob Kalp, Hempfield; Michele Moeller, Canon-McMillan Winner plays: Winner of 2-Norwin (13-2) vs. 7-North Allegheny (9-9) next Wednesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals Players to watch: Emma Hoffner, Sr. C, Hempfield; Olivia Ulam, Sr.,...

Jenna Osikowicz played a key role at Hempfield, helping the softball program win three WPIAL titles and two PIAA championships. Now a senior right fielder at Seton Hill, Osikowicz brought her winning mentality to the Griffins — and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Osikowicz, who helped lead Seton Hill to...

Tuesday’s games Class 5A First round Tuesday 1-Penn-Trafford (14-4) vs. 16-Hampton (7-8) 4 p.m. at Gateway Coaches: Denny Little, Penn-Trafford; Ron Fedell, Hampton Winner plays: Winner of 8-North Hills (12-4)/9-Trinity (8-4) on Thursday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Brooke Cleland, Sr., OF, Penn-Trafford; Charlotte Lomb, Fr., P,...

A pair of Hempfield alums were crowned conference champions at the NCAA Division I level Saturday. Penn State grad student Maddie Holmberg won the heptathlon at the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill., while DePaul sophomore Mackenna Orie won the shot put title at the Big East Championships in Geneva,...

Norwin and Hempfield could meet again in the WPIAL baseball and softball semifinals, and that could mean at least two local teams making the Class 6A finals. The teams split their section series. The baseball teams shared a section championship. The WPIAL playoffs begin this week, and the local matchups...

Tommy Pellis is glad he came back for a fifth baseball season at Seton Hill. So are the Griffins. A grad student outfielder and Greensburg Central Catholic grad, Pellis is having his best college season, and reaping the awards that can come with it. National prominence is nothing new to...

Seton Hill softball player Christiana Skrabak was as impactful in a 16-0 runaway victory against Mercyhurst in the deciding game of a best-of-three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinal series as she has been all season. Skrabak is a grad student from Norwin who is making sure her finale ends with...

Sophomore Madie Kessler wasn’t aiming for Route 30, but those who witnessed her towering home run against North Allegheny believe the ball might have landed on the highway below Norwin High School. An umpire was even impressed, saying he hadn’t seen a ball hit that far. Kessler’s tape-measure blast to...

After losing its first two games, the Franklin Regional softball has been a model of consistency. Sort of. A four-game winning streak was followed by four losses. But then, as you might have been able to guess, the Panthers won four more in a row. Coach Jim Armstrong is focusing...

Saint Vincent isn’t quite ready to cash in its chips. The Bearcats baseball team rallied for two wins Friday in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament and, all of the sudden, will play for the championship. Fourth-seeded SVC (17-17) staved off elimination twice by defeating No. 3 Franciscan, 13-4, and No....

Pregnant with her second child who is due to arrive in mid-September, Lauren Karcher knows she won’t be able to dedicate all of her attention to the girls soccer program at Norwin. She had the same issue in 2019 when she gave birth to her daughter, Harper, and she turned...

PSAC softball championship series West Chester (28-14) vs. Seton Hill (32-12) When: Friday, Saturday at Seton Hill Softball Complex, Greensburg. Game 1, 4 p.m. Friday; Game 2, 1 p.m. Saturday (Game 3 to follow, if necessary) Coaches: Diane Lokey, West Chester; Jessica Strong, Seton Hill What’s next?: The series winner...

Even though it seemed like it at first glance, there was no clerical error or mix-up on the right side of the WPIAL Class 5A softball playoff bracket when it met public eyes Thursday. Latrobe, the No. 2 seed? It even surprised Latrobe’s coach. Bob Kovalcin was slightly taken aback...

The WPIAL will convene Friday to draw up playoff brackets. The pairings will be announced around 3 p.m. on the Trib High School Sports Network. At least 10 Westmoreland teams are headed to the postseason, which could begin Monday. Local qualifiers are Hempfield and Norwin (Class 6A); Franklin Regional, Latrobe...

After losing its first two games, the Franklin Regional softball has been a model of consistency. Sort of. A four-game winning streak was followed by four straight losses. But then, five more wins in a row. Coach Jim Armstrong is focusing more on the most recent streak, which earned the...