Softball team wins PIAA opener, will face Thomas Jefferson in quarterfinals

The North Hills softball team bounced back from a loss in the WPIAL championship game with a victory in the first round of the PIAA tournament on Monday.

After falling to Shaler in the WPIAL title game last week, the Indians drew the DuBois Beavers in round one of the state tournament. DuBois was the winner of the District 6/8/9 subregional and hosted Monday's matchup.

North Hills and DuBois were scoreless through the first couple of innings, as the unfamiliar foes got acclimated to one another. In the top of the third, the Indians began to make solid contact at the plate and scored the first two runs of the game.

The score would remain 2-0 until North Hills tacked on one more in the sixth inning. With several base runners in the second half of the game and a scoreless game pitched by senior Abby Sutton, the Indians had control of the game throughout and advanced via a 3-0 final score.

Monday's victory marks the first for North Hills in the PIAA tournament since 2021. Now, the girls are set for a rematch of their WPIAL semifinal matchup. North Hills will face Thomas Jefferson, the fourth seed out of the WPIAL, who beat Northern York 10-0 in their first-round matchup, in the state quarterfinals.

When the Indians and Jaguars met in the WPIAL semifinals, North Hills won 5-3 in comeback fashion. The rematch will take place on Thursday, June 4, at West Mifflin High School for a chance to face either Shaler or Baldwin in the semifinals. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Complete information on the PIAA softball tournament can be found on the PIAA website.

Congratulations to the softball team on a great game on Monday. Good luck in round two!