Three home runs, Renner’s pitching lead West Greene to WPIAL title game
VENETIA — West Greene mashed three home runs and Jade Renner was stellar in the circle with eight strikeouts, as the Lady Pioneers advanced to their third straight Class A final after an 8-2 triumph over Union in the semifinals last Wednesday at Peterswood Park.
The Lady Pioneers (18-4) extended their WPIAL playoff winning streak to eight games. Their last defeat in the WPIAL postseason was to Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round in 2015.
The top-seeded West Greene squad faced off with Section 2 rival and second seeded Monessen at Seton Hill University on Thursday at 12 p.m. for the Class A title.
The final result of the title game was not known before the messenger’s deadline.
“It’s going to be a fun matchup,” West Greene coach Billy Simms said. “It’s such an honor to have two teams from our section in the final. I think that tells you a lot about our section and the top two teams in the section. It should be a great game with two great teams.”
Both squads were co-champions of Section 2 and split their regular season meeting. West Greene defeated Monessen in last year’s title game, 10-0, in five innings.
Since 2013, West Greene is 8-3 versus Monessen and has won six of the last seven meetings.
The Lady Scotties (16-3) get a chance to enter the PIAA playoffs with a consolation contest against Leechburg on Tuesday.
After Union was held scoreless in the top of the first, West Greene took a 1-0 after Madison Lampe blasted a solo home run to left field.
“I have been in a little bit of a slump the last couple of weeks,” Lampe said. “I wanted to make sure my hands were inside on the pitch and I wanted to extend my swing. I was deep in the count, and I got the right pitch to hit for the home run.”
Both teams were held scoreless in the second inning and the Lady Scotties deadlock things at 1-1 in the top of the third when losing pitcher Sarah Seamans launched a two-out homer to centerfield.
The Lady Pioneers responded in the bottom half of the inning on Lampe’s RBI double, and scored on a two-run blast to dead centerfield by Madison Renner. The long ball was her sixth of the season.
“I was just looking to hit it really hard because I struck out my first at-bat,” Madison Renner said. “I just wanted to make good contact and drive the ball. We have a lot of power in our lineup and on any given day someone can get hot at the plate.”
Union trimmed the deficit to 4-2 with a leadoff home run by Shae Lynn Quinn in the fourth before West Greene tallied four runs in final two innings.
McKenna Lampe walked and scored on an infield error in the bottom of the fifth, and later in the inning, Kaitlyn Rizor ripped an RBI single to increased West Greene’s lead to 6-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, Madison Lampe pounded another long home-run ball to left field that plated two runs. The home run was her seventh of the season.
“We were a little bit down on our team home run totals this year,” Simms said. “We faced a lot of tough pitchers this season and I think these last two playoff games the home run balls are adding up for us. We are just driving the ball into the gaps.”
The long balls were more than enough for Jade Renner in the circle. The sophomore lefty threw seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and no walks on 91 pitches (64 strikes).
“We knew Union has a good lineup and can hit home runs,” Simms said. “Jade limited them to just two solo home runs. She was very effective low in the zone. She threw her two-seamer and her changeup really well on the outside of the plate.”
Seamans was tagged with the loss, going six innings and allowing eight runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and three free passes.
“Their pitcher put a lot of spin on the ball and has a really good rise ball,” Madison Renner said. “We played really good defense behind Jade today and it’s nice to have so many good gloves on the infield. We are excited to face Monessen again and it should be another close game.”
Win or lose in the finals on Thursday, West Greene will start the PIAA playoffs on Monday. The Lady Pioneers will either play the District 6 runner-up or the District 10 champion in the first round.
The Lady Pioneers have had an easy time in the first round of the state playoffs the last two years.
In 2016, West Greene upended Clarion, 12-2, at California University of Pennsylvania, and in 2017, the Lady Pioneers steamrolled to a 10-0 win over Shanksville at North Allegheny.