There was no doubt that, at some point in time, Shaler was going to give up a run.
Kudos to the Titans. They went unscathed for their first eight games.
But once they gave up a run, the dam broke as, one game after the streak ended, they were touched up for seven in a 7-3 loss to North Hills in a critical WPIAL Class 5A Section 1 game Monday.
There was additional fallout from that Shaler loss. It toppled the Titans from the top of the weekly Post-Gazette Class 5A softball rankings.
With that loss, there was a huge shakeup in the classification. West Allegheny, led by 10-win pitcher Autumn Bielecki and the offensive strength of Aubrey Police and Ava Henke, now moves to the top of the charts for the first time this season. Police is batting .538 with 19 RBIs. Moving up to No. 2 is three-time finalist Armstrong, with North Hills sliding into third and defending champion Trinity moving into the five hole. Shaler is No. 4.
Another top team fell off its perch as Class 3A Southmoreland dropped back-to-back games to Ligonier Valley for the Scotties’ first blemishes of the year. Those two losses vaulted Mohawk into the top spot in the classification.
Here are the full softball rankings:
Class 6A
1. Seneca Valley 12-0
2. Hempfield 9-1
3. North Allegheny 7-3
4. Norwin 7-6
5. Canon-McMillan 4-5
Class 5A
1. West Allegheny 14-1
2. Armstrong 10-1
3. North Hills 9-2
4. Shaler 9-1
5. Trinity 9-3
Class 4A
1. Elizabeth Forward 9-1
2. Hampton 9-1
3. Indiana 8-3
4. Uniontown 7-1
5. Chartiers Valley 7-2
Class 3A
1. Mohawk 10-1
2. Burrell 6-2
3. Ligonier Valley 8-1
4. Southmoreland 10-2
5. South Park 10-1
Class 2A
1. Neshannock 10-0
2. Bentworth 9-2
4. Serra Catholic 7-1
3. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 7-3
5. Laurel 7-4
Class 1A
1. Union 13-1
2. Chartiers-Houston 7-1
3. Carmichaels 7-2
4. Frazier 6-0
5. Jeannette 6-0
Keith Barnes: kbarnes.pg@gmail.com and @kbarnes_pghsprt on X
First Published: April 24, 2024, 12:58 p.m.
