Softball | 5/4/2026 5:55:00 PM
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Westminster College sophomore pitcher Cheyenne Piper (Latrobe, Pa./Ligonier Valley) tossed a four-hit shutout Monday afternoon in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Softball Tournament Championship game, as the Titans won their third consecutive title with a 4-0 victory over Geneva College.
Westminster's three-peat marks the first time a team has won three consecutive conference championships since Bethany College won six in a row between 1999-2004. The Titans also improved to 30-9, the third-most wins in single-season program history.
As the winner of this year's championship tournament title, Westminster secured the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Softball Championship, with teams and regional site selections announced on Monday, May 11. Regional round play is scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 14-16 and the Super Regionals will be played Thursday-Friday, May 21-22.
Game I – No. 2 Geneva 3, No. 3 Bethany 0
- Senior Sophia Tvaroch (Newton Falls, Ohio/Newton Falls) pitched the Geneva into the title game with her own four-hit shutout in a 3-0 win over Bethany in Monday's first game.
- After three scoreless innings to start the game, the top of the fourth saw Bethany load the bases with two outs before Tvaroch ended the inning with a ground out.
- The GTs, who were without a hit in the first three innings, plated the game's initial run in the fourth on a two-out, RBI single by senior catcher Madison Rapp (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford).
- Geneva's lead swelled to 3-0 in the fifth inning when junior outfielder Molly Shelley (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) belted a two-run homer.
- That proved to be enough for Tvaroch in the circle, as she allowed just two base runners over the final three innings to finish her complete game.
- Tvaroch scattered four hits and four walks while striking out five to improve her record to 17-3 this season.
- Shelley reached base three times in the game with her home run, a single and a walk.
- For Bethany (30-12), sophomore catcher Olivia Kidd (Akron, Ohio/Mogadore) had two singles and sophomore Trinity Edge (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) had a double.
- Edge and junior third base Emma Jackson (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) were named All-Tournament Team for their performances in leading the Bison to a third-place finish.
Game J – No. 1 Westminster 4, No. 2 Geneva 0
- Westminster grabbed the lead in the second inning of the title game and added to it while Piper silenced the Geneva offense.
- The opening run came in the second inning when sophomore center fielder Sam Levac (Oakville, Ontario/Canada Garth Webb) hit an RBI single to score sophomore first base Lily Jordan (Rural Valley, Pa./West Shamokin).
- Another run in the third inning increased the Titan lead to 2-0, which came across on a sacrifice fly by Jordan.
- Westminster all but secured the title with two more insurance runs in the sixth, first on a bases-loaded walk by Levac and then an RBI single from sophomore right fielder Kelly Troup (Mogadore, Ohio/Field).
- Meanwhile, Piper was control in the circle, striking out the side in the second and retiring eight in a row going into the fourth inning.
- Geneva mounted its best threat in the fourth with back-to-back one-out singles, but Piper settled in to strike out the next two batters to get out of the frame.
- Piper cruised the rest of the way, allowing just one hit over the final three innings, as she put down the final seven batters of the game to close out her third win of the Tournament.
- In a dominating championship performance, Piper blanked the GTs on four hits in seven innings with 11 Ks and zero walks.
- With the bats, Westminster finished with eight hits, highlighted by a 3-for-3 game from junior shortstop Ava Karpa (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon).
- By posting a 3-0 record for the second year in a row, Piper was also chosen as the PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive season.
- Also representing the Titans on the All-Tournament Team were junior catcher Faith Jones (Volant, Pa./Wilmington), sophomore second base Morgan O'Brien (Coraopolis, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and freshman third base Kylie Anthony (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford)
- For Geneva in the game, junior second base Kyra Wilcox (Marion, Ohio/Elgin) had a pair of singles.
- The Golden Tornadoes (34-10) placed three on the All-Tournament Team, including Shelley, Tvaroch and senior left fielder Payton James (McKinney, Texas/McKinney).