Bill Beckner stories, Page 214
Heavy-hitting Penn-Trafford softball is at it again
See it. Rip it. Penn-Trafford softball players aren’t trained to wait on pitches and work their way through long at-bats. Coach Denny Little wants the green light shining bright from the moment his hitters dig into the batter’s box. It’s like they’re facing pitching machines instead of live arms. “I...
Mistakes prove difference as Norwin baseball tops Latrobe
As a scoreless game meandered into the third inning, Norwin figured it might need a fortunate bounce, a break to go its way, if it was going to get a handle on its Section 2-6A baseball opener. Visiting Latrobe obliged. A topsy-turvy third for the Wildcats aided Norwin’s 6-1 victory...
Westmoreland softball players leading college teams in home runs
Westmoreland County softball players have shown a propensity for hitting the long ball this college softball season. A quartet of local players are leading their respective teams in home runs — at the Division I, II and III levels. Penn State freshman outfielder Chelsea Bisi (Derry) blasted her team-leading ninth...
Whitehall’s Quallich finishes 8th at Drive, Chip & Putt
There was a Pittsburgh-area presence at the annual Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Whitehall native Michael Quallich finished eighth in the boys’ 7-9 age division. It was his third time competing but first trip to the finals. Quallich, 9, is...
Westmoreland lookahead for Week of April 8, 2019
MONDAY Baseball: Section 2-6A is expected to produce a tight race, and the schedule will continue to offer quality matchups. Three of note include Connellsville at Penn-Trafford, Hempfield at Plum and Latrobe at Norwin. Section 1-5A and 1-4A won’t skimp, either: Kiski Area visits Franklin Regional in the former; Yough...
Finn breaks career home run record at Saint Vincent
Senior Bobby Finn is the new home run king at Saint Vincent. Finn blasted his record-breaking 19th career homer Saturday, then added another in the second game of a doubleheader, as the Bearcats (14-9, 7-4) swept host Geneva, 8-4 and 9-0. Finn moved past TJ Conroy, the son of former...
Freshmen Bisi, Parshall at home with Penn State softball
The accelerated progression of a pair of local freshman softball players at Penn State has been a combined effort. Chelsea Bisi watches Bailey Parshall pitch with the same southpaw flair she displayed so often at Belle Vernon. Parshall, in turn, looks on as Bisi hits gap shots and swats high...
Westmoreland notebook: Bisignani, Pevarnik pair up in tennis
It’s a curious pairing, if nothing else, playing No. 2 doubles for the Latrobe boys tennis team. But it also has proven to be a competitive one. Seniors Alex Bisignani and Brady Pevarnik are 6-0 playing together this season for the Wildcats, who are 4-2 overall and 4-1 in Section...
Kalp, Hempfield look to stay the course after tough loss
Hempfield softball doesn’t lose very often but when it does, especially by 10 runs, it comes as a surprise. The Spartans have been so good, so dominant, that they often get as much attention for a loss as they do a win. The Spartans’ 12-2, five-inning loss to Penn-Trafford on...
Asa Klimchock completes prep career at Kiski School
Asa Klimchock, who transferred to The Kiski School from Greensburg Central Catholic after his sophomore year, had a solid senior basketball season and has entered the recruiting ring. The 6-foot point guard averaged 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds a game as is drawing college interest from some Division...
Greensburg Salem’s Megan Kallock named Westmoreland Trib Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Here’s a look at the Westmoreland Tribune-Review girls basketball all-stars and player of the year. Megan Kallock Sr., G, Greensburg Salem When Greensburg Salem needed a basket, it looked to Megan Kallock. The senior consistently provided instant offense for the Golden Lions, be it from the perimeter, driving the lane...
Ligonier Valley’s Marrek Paola named Westmoreland Trib Boys Basketball Player of the Year
Marrek Paola Sr., C, Ligonier Valley The traditional post player, old-school basketball buffs say, is all but extinct. The low block is a lonely place nowadays as the tallest players work the perimeter more often, their backs away from the rim. But Marrek Paola proved the modern big man can...
Strong start lifts Penn-Trafford to rare mercy-rule victory over Hempfield
There is something about Penn-Trafford softball and games against Hempfield at Seton Hill. The Warriors ended the mighty Spartans’ 46-game winning streak on the college turf a year ago, and they flat out thumped the three-time defending PIAA champions in the nonsection rematch. Using a lengthy, nine-run first inning to...
Area AAU basketball program looks to maintain upward trend
There doesn’t appear to be a sophomore slump coming over the area’s top AAU basketball program. With a year on the high-end national circuit under its belt, the newly branded Wildcats Select group is past rookie mode and ready for Round 2. The Wildcats, who field top players from Western...
WPIAL players selected to USA Basketball 3×3 teams
Some of the rising stars in WPIAL basketball that will take the court next season will test their skills against talent from around the country next weekend in Colorado. Fifteen WPIAL players were selected to play in the USA Basketball 3x3 U-18 National Championships at the U.S. Olympic Training Center...
Appleby had quite a career at IUP
Not many college basketball players can say they played in two Division II Final Fours and led their team to the No. 1 ranking in the nation. But IUP senior Carolyn Appleby can say she’s done that — and much more. Appleby had quite the career for the Crimson Hawks...
Tallman strikes out 18 as No. 2 Latrobe edges Franklin Regional in Section 1-5A
Franklin Regional and Latrobe are new opponents in Section 1-5A softball so it took them some time to get used to one another Thursday in Murrysville. There were some early errors, a few runners left on base and plenty of foul balls hit into the pine trees and lower parking...
Top-tier AAU girls basketball tournament coming to Western Pa. this weekend
One of the top AAU girls basketball tournaments in the country will play out Saturday and Sunday at 25 gyms throughout WPIAL territory. The event is hosted by the local Western PA Bruins and will feature more than 250 teams — several thousand players — with out-of-state teams coming in...
Latrobe softball team rallies around new ace Tallman
Latrobe softball is running on battery power again, only the charge is coming from a slightly different pitcher-catcher combo than the Wildcats first envisioned. Senior catcher Makayla Munchinski returned to anchor the defense, and the team knew she would provide a productive bat in the order. Sophomore Jordan Tallman, meanwhile,...
McNab resigns as Seton Hill women’s soccer coach
Andy McNab has resigned as women’s soccer coach at Seton Hill after four seasons. McNab is leaving to coach the women’s team at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. He spent two years with the Griffins as an assistant. “Seton Hill is a special place where it is easy to build...
Saint Vincent tabs Wisneski to coach new men’s volleyball team
Saint Vincent has a coach for its newest varsity sport. The school added men’s volleyball, its 24th sport, and on Tuesday announced Derry native Scott Wisneski will lead the first-year program, which is expected to begin play for the 2019-20 season. Wisneski was an assistant for the Bearcats women’s volleyball...
Westmoreland campus clippings: DeFazio on offensive tear for Mt. Aloysius softball
Lydia DeFazio is taking the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference by storm this softball season. The sophomore first baseman/catcher at Mt. Aloysius was named AMCC Player of the Week after a dominating, four-game stretch for the Mounties (17-4, 4-0). A Penn-Trafford graduate, DeFazio went 13 for 15 — hitting safely in...
IUP women finish No. 4 in national rankings
After another memorable season that lasted into March and generated more national interest in the program, the IUP women’s basketball team can reflect. The Crimson Hawks went 30-4 and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second consecutive season. They climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Derry grad Bisi finds groove with Penn State softball
Chelsea Bisi started the softball season slowly as she adjusted to Division I pitching and worked her way back from a knee injury that cost her the majority of her senior season at Derry. The freshman at Penn State, though, has found her groove and has become one tough out...
Penn-Trafford grad DeFazio putting up big numbers in AMCC
Lydia DeFazio is taking the AMCC by storm this softball season. The sophomore first baseman/catcher at Mt. Aloysius was named AMCC Softball Player of the Week after a dominating, four-game stretch for the Mounties (17-4, 4-0). Her numbers have been astronomical. A Penn-Trafford graduate, DeFazio went 13 for 15, hitting...
