Apr 19, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 6 min read

Southmoreland senior Megan Mehall set the pace in the first lap and held off a late charge from Seneca’s Brenna Kuhl to win the girls 800-meter run in the 61st Annual Butler Invitational on Saturday at Butler High School’s Art Bernardi Stadium.

Mehall, who ran the opening 400 in 1:05.15, finished in 2:15.84 to edge Kuhl, who crossed the finish line in a time of 2:16.28.

Mehall missed her personal record (PR) of 2:15.60, but was able to run the 12th fastest time in the state this season.

Kuhl, a sophomore, was fourth after she ran the first lap in 1:06.98 before reeling in two of the three runners in front of her for second place. Kuhl ran her last lap in 1:09.30 and Mehall had a split of 1:10.69 in her final 400.

Geibel Catholic senior Emma Larkin placed in the 200 and 400-meter dashes and the 300 hurdles.

Larkin finished third in the 300 hurdles with a PR of 45.47, which is the 20th fastest time in the state this year. If the meet was divided between Class 2A and 3A schools, Larkin would have been first for Class 2A.

South Fayette’s Delaney Schumaker won the race in a PR of 42.96. Mount Lebanon’s Lily Cramer, who broke her PR in 43.56, came in second. Schumaker’s time is No. 3 in the PIAA, and she is in the top 50 in the United States.

Larkin was fifth in the 400 with a time of 58.59. She placed eighth in the 200 after crossing the finish line in 26.39, which also broke her PR.

BASEBALL

MAPLETOWN 6, TURKEYFOOT VALLEY 4 — The Maples built up a five-run lead before holding off a late charge from the Rams in a non-section game at Mapletown.

Mapletown (2-10) had a 2-0 lead after the first inning and a 3-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning, but Turkeyfoot got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the frame.

The Maples added two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth before the Rams put up three in the seventh.

Chase Vanata struck out 16 and walked three in earning the pitching victory for the home team. Vanata yielded three hits on two runs (one earned) over six innings. He had three doubles in four at-bats and drove in a run. Vanatat scored twice and stole three bases.

Teammate Colton McKnight had two RBIs for the home team.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

GEIBEL CATHOLIC 10, MAPLETOWN 0 — Freshman Zane Hixson pitched a no-hitter over six innings and struck out 16 in leading the Gators to a non-section triumph over the Maples at Geibel Catholic.

Hixson didn’t walk a batter and only allowed one base runner, as Mapletown’s Mason Moore reached on an error in the third.

Geibel Catholic (3-5) scored two runs in the second and three in the third for a 5-0 lead. The Gators added a run in the fourth and four in the sixth to invoke the 10-run rule.

Hixson, John Hess, Ethan Stevenson and Kade Yoders each had two hits. Hixson and Stevenson had one double a piece and Hess tripled.

Harrison Bechtold drove in two runs and singled. Hess, Hixson and Stevenson each had an RBI.

CONNELLSVILLE 4, UNIONTOWN 0 — Chris Johnson’s pitching performance was a definition of efficiency in leading the Falcons to a non-section victory over the Red Raiders at Bailey Park.

Johnson threw a two-hit shutout over seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Of the 69 pitches he threw, 53 were for strikes.

Uniontown starter Brayden Hinzy allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits over 3 ⅔ innings. He had three strikeouts and walked one, but was taken out in the fourth frame to have him available for the Red Raiders’ key two-game series against Ringgold.

Elim Martin took over for Hinzy and yielded one run (none earned) on two hits over 3 ⅓ frames. Martin had five strikeouts and no walks.

Connellsville (6-7) scored the only run Johnson would need in the third when Xander Newmeyer walked, advanced to second on Geno Farrell’s sacrifice bunt, and third on a balk, before scoring on Jayden Mickens’ sacrifice flyout to right field for a 1-0 lead.

The Falcons added three more in the fourth when Linkon Keller and Jackson Lee led off the inning with back-to-back singles for runners at first and second with no one out.

Uniontown (5-5) recorded two straight groundouts, but an error on a ball hit by Noah Zawislan plated Keller and Lee before Farrell drove a base hit to right field to score Zawislan for a 4-0 advantage.

Chandler Myers had two base hits for the Red Raiders.

FRAZIER 8, AVELLA 3 — Nick Porter drove in three runs and Brant Alekson pitched a complete game in the Commodores’ non-section victory over the Eagles at Polar Star Field.

Porter was 2 for 3 with a double, walked twice and scored one run.

Alekson, who had one RBI, yielded three earned runs on eight hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

Frazier’s Eli Cernuska doubled and drove in a run. Teammate Tyler Morrison had two base hits.

The Commodores improved to 6-5.

SOFTBALL

LAUREL HIGHLANDS 11, BELLE VERNON 1 — Harlie Dirda and Kayla Howell celebrated senior night in helping the Mustangs to a Section 2-4A victory over the Lady Leopards at Hutchinson Field.

Dirda hit a two-run home run over the left center field fence in the sixth inning for two of Laurel Highlands’ five runs in the frame.

The game ended in the sixth inning due to the 10-run rule.

Howell was 2 for 4 with a double and RBI.

The Mustangs’ Payton Senge allowed one run on five hits over six innings for the pitching victory. She had eight strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.

Senge helped herself in going 2 for 3 with a double, triple and three RBIs. Teammate Payton Rambo had two base hits.

Belle Vernon’s Maddie Grisnik had two hits and drove in her team’s lone run.

Laurel Highlands (5-4, 5-4) can clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2013 with a win in one of its three remaining conference games, as it has two against West Mifflin (7-2, 11-2) and one against Uniontown (5-4, 7-4), or a Lady Leopards’ setback to Elizabeth Forward (10-0, 11-1).

UNIONTOWN 7, RINGGOLD 4 — Five Lady Red Raiders had multiple hits in a Section 2-4A triumph over the Lady Rams.

Alivia and Emmaleigh Noah, Sincere Dunlap, Graci Rodeheaver and Juliet White had 10 of Uniontown’s hits, as the Lady Red Raiders improved to 5-4 in section play.

Uniontown can clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs with a victory in one of its three remaining section games, as it plays twice against Oakland Catholic (1-7, 1-7) and once against Laurel Highlands (5-4, 5-4). The Lady Red Raiders can also qualify for the district playoffs if Belle Vernon (5-6, 7-7) loses to Elizabeth Forward (10-0, 11-1).

White hit a solo home run in the fourth and doubled. Dunlap and Emmaleigh Noah also doubled.

Emmaleigh Noah earned the pitching win after allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits over six innings. She had four strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter. Alivia Noah threw the seventh to earn the save after allowing an unearned run on one hit with one strikeout and one walk.