Winning formula: Lady Pioneers advance to sixth straight WPIAL final
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
West Greene’s Payton Gilbert smacks a single to left-center field against Springdale during Tuesday’s WPIAL Class A playoff game at Boyce Mayview Park. Gilbert was 3 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs in the Lady Pioneers’ 5-2 victory.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
West Greene pitcher Kiley Meek goes into her windup during Tuesday’s WPIAL Class A playoff game against Springdale at Boyce Mayview Park. Meek threw a four-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the Lady Pioneers’ 5-2 win.
Above: West Greene players celebrate after defeating Springdale, 5-2, in Tuesday’s WPIAL Class A playoff game at Boyce Mayview Park. At right: West Greene’s Payton Gilbert smacks a single to left-center field against Springdale during Tuesday’s WPIAL Class A playoff game at Boyce Mayview Park. Gilbert was 3 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs in the Lady Pioneers’ 5-2 victory. (Photos by Rob Burchianti)
West Greene coach Bill Simms flashes signals as the Lady Pioneers' Lexi Six stands on third base during the sixth inning of Tuesday's WPIAL Class A playoff game against Springdale at Boyce Mayview Park.
West Greene's BreAnn Jackson swings at a pitch which results in a run-scoring single to right field during the sixth inning of Tuesday's WPIAL Class A playoff game against Springdale at Boyce Mayview Park.
West Greene's Kiley Meek looks to first base after fielding a grounder off the bat of Springdale's Madison Shock during the fifth inning of Tuesday's WPIAL Class A playoff game at Boyce Mayview Park.
West Greene's Olivia Kiger bats with Lexi Six on first base during Tuesday's WPIAL Class A playoff game against Springdale at Boyce Mayview Park. Six would sprint all the way to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Kiger and score on a single by BreAnn Jackson.
West Greene second baseman Taylor Karvan sets to throw to first base after fielding a Springdale grounder during Tuesday's WPIAL Class A playoff game at Boyce Mayview Park.
West Greene pitcher Kiley Meek throws the final pitch of Tuesday's WPIAL Class A playoff game at Boyce Mayview Park to Springdale's Madison Shock, who struck out swinging, with London Whipkey catching.
UPPER ST. CLAIR — West Greene knows what it takes to play winning softball.
That’s why the Lady Pioneers are five-time defending WPIAL champions.
They earned a shot at No. 6 on May 24.
West Greene’s formula of key hits, aggressive baserunning, clutch defensive plays and strong pitching resulted in a 5-2 victory over Springdale in a WPIAL Class A semifinal game at Boyce Mayview Park.
The top-seeded Lady Pioneers (14-3) met No. 2 Union, which defeated Greensburg Central Catholic, 9-2, in the other semifinal game, on Wednesday, June 1 at California University of Pa.’s Lilley Field. See next week’s edition for a story on that game.
“It never gets old,” West Greene coach Bill Simms said of reaching the district finals again. “We try to treat it like a whole new team.
“We were, per se, the doormat for years and years and years. It’s just nice to be on top. I’ve got a group of girls that like to try to stay on top.”
Freshman Payton Gilbert was the hitting star for West Greene, going 3 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs, while Kiley Meek did the job in the circle, allowing four hits, two walks and no earned runs with 12 strikeouts.
“She’s been hitting,” Simms said of Gilbert, who is 6 for 6 in her first taste of varsity postseason. “Last game she actually went above .400. She’s been a good find this year.”
Gilbert is happy to be part of the team she’s admired for years.
“I followed them all the way up,” Gilbert said. “I always wished I could be part of it and now I’m here. It’s a dream come true.”
Meek, despite her strong pitching performance, wasn’t satisfied with her overall game.
“My batting wasn’t there today,” said Meek, who was hitless in three at bats, “but that’s OK because my team picked me up.
“All I had to do on the mound was get the ball across the plate because I know I have a great defense. I threw mostly fastballs and curveballs with a few changeups and some riseballs.”
Simms commended Meek and West Greene’s defense.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Kiley Meek for hitting those spots and getting those Ks, but when we had to bail her out of an inning we did,” Simms said. “London Whipkey is just a stud behind the plate, too.”
Alexis Hrivnok took the loss for Springdale, surrendering two earned runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.
The Lady Pioneers parlayed one hit, two walks, a stolen base, a passed ball and a wild pitch into three runs in the second inning to grab the lead for good.
Olivia Kiger began the rally with a walk and sprinted home one out later when Gilbert laced a triple into right-center field. Taylor Karvan drew a walk and kept running once she got to first for an immediate steal of second base.
Even mistakes worked out for the Lady Pioneers as Anna Durbin then missed a bunt attempt but the bat shielded catcher Brianna Thompson and the pitch skipped off her glove for a passed ball that allowed Gilbert to score. Karvan took third third on the play and came home on a wild pitch.
“I thought we forced the issue, put some pressure on them,” Simms said. “That three-run inning to bust it out, maybe two of them were unearned but we’ll take them.”
The fourth-seeded Lady Dynamos (11-2) scored a run in the fourth but could’ve had more if not for right fielder Kiger.
Thompson led off with a single and took second when Alexis Hrivnok reached on an infield error but was gunned down at home plate when she tried to score from there on Maggie Dvorsak’s single with Kiger throwing a strike to Whipkey.
Hrivnok took third on the play and came home on Autumn Sprouse’s RBI groundout to make it 3-1.
The Lady Pioneers pushed the margin back up to three in the bottom of the inning when Kiger hustled to second on an infield error and scored on Gilbert’s single to center.
Again in the sixth the Lady Dynamos plated one run in what had the potential for a bigger inning.
Thompson, who had three of Springdale’s four hits, singled and advanced to third when Hrivnok reached on a fielder’s choice that resulted in a throwing error. With the tying run at the plate, Hrivnok was thrown out trying to steal second by Whipkey with shortstop Katie Lampe making the tag. Thompson held at third on the play but scored on Dvorsak’s groundout to make it 4-2.
“We just don’t give a stolen base away a lot of times,” Simms said. “I think a lot of people concede that where we don’t. We threw her out and I think that was a pivotal point in the game.”
Again, the Lady Pioneers answered right back in the bottom of the inning.
Lexi Six reached first on an infield error then raced all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kiger. BreAnn Jackson followed with an RBI single to right field.
“Anytime you have a tack-on run it’s huge,” Simms said. “To put one up there and give us a little more breathing room after they had scored, that was big.”
Whipkey had the only other hit for West Greene.
Meek wrapped up the game with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, getting the final out on a strikeout to prompt a Lady Pioneers celebration.
“It’s awesome,” Meek said of having a chance at a sixth straight WPIAL title. “We want another one.”