May 14, 2026 By Bill Hughes 4 min read

Bentworth junior ace Sydney Gonglik struck out 19 batters Thursday en route to a no-hitter to pace third-seeded Bentworth to a 5-0 WPIAL Class 2A first round softball playoff win over 14th-seeded Burgettstown at Trinity Middle School.

Add in the fact the LSU commit homered and doubled twice, and it was all business for the flame thrower.

“I stayed confident and comfortable,” said Gonglik who was then asked about what’s next for the Bearcats. “It is one game at a time, and it is just another game. But this time, it is an elimination game.”

Six of Bentworth’s eight hits went for extra bases.

“Our last few games, we played South Park and Elizabeth Forward,” Bentworth head coach Jack Cramer pointed out. “Their pitchers are a lot faster, and it is hard to adjust right off of that. We had some nice hits and they are all capable.”

The Bearcats (17-2) scored methodically as they tallied one run in five different innings, but the outcome was never in doubt as Gonglik struck out the first 13 Burgettstown (7-8) batters of the game.

The lone Blue Devil to reach base, Evelyn Lehman, did so on a third strike wild pitch.

Burgettstown coach Mark Deer spoke about Gonglik and his team’s effort.

“We knew what we were coming up against, and she is everything they say she is,” said Deer, who is in his 31st year as a head coach and has amassed 370 wins. “But I am happy with the effort.

“We lost two players to injuries (earlier in the season), but all in all I am happy with the season.”

In the first inning, Gonglik doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly off of the bat of her younger sister, Makayla, a freshman.

Sydney Gonglik homered in the third, and a fourth-inning RBI single by Addison McVicker made the score 3-0.

The Gonglik’s ran back their double and RBI sacrifice fly combo in the fifth, and an RBI fielder’s choice by Hailey Tatat in the sixth closed out the scoring in the sixth.

Alexa Babirad tripled for Bentworth (18-2) while Zoie McDonald and Sofia Gaussa added doubles.

Bentworth’s Sofia Gaussa preserved the no-hitter in the sixth when she made a diving catch off of the bat of Raya Sentipal.

“Every ball, I hope it comes to me,” Gaussa said with laughter and a smile. “I don’t get many (plays) with Sid, so I have to go all out every time.”

Chartiers-Houston, 2-1

In the nightcap of the playoff doubleheader, third-seeded Chartiers-Houston walked off 15th-seeded Washington, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh.

“It was a great game,” said C-H coach Tricia Alderson. “We thought it would be a good game.

“Honestly, when the bracket came out, I didn’t think they were a 15 seed. We knew it was going to be a battle.”

Washington’s Tateiona Warren hit a home run on the first pitch of the game.

“It was a great way to start the game, and she crushed it,” Washington coach Mike McCort said. “I wish we could have done it once or twice more.”

CH tied the game in the bottom of the third on an RBI sacrifice fly by Seanna Riggle that scored Lauren Rush.

The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the seventh.

Aubree Randolph led off the inning with a triple just past the outstretched arms of Warren.

Two batters later, Mackenzie Shumar hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field to bring Randolph in with the winning run.

Despite the loss in Washington’s first softball playoff game since 2008, McCort is excited about the future.

“We battled some of the best teams in the state like Chartiers and Bentworth, and the future is bright,” he said. “Five freshmen start, and we don’t have any seniors on the team.”

As far as Alderson and her program, they survive and advance.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” she said with a smile.” It is always nice to move on.”

Both winners play Monday as Bentworth faces sixth-seeded Shenango (14-5) while C-H (17-2) plays Riverside (9-5). Locations and times will be announced today.