The Sto-Rox High School softball team conducted a practice on Memorial Day, but coach Bill Palermo wasn't present.

"I spent the weekend in Denver with my son," said Palermo, now in his 31st season as head coach. "I went golfing, skiing, and attended the Nuggets-Lakers [NBA playoff] game on Sunday. My wife, Carrie, who is also my assistant coach, ran the practice. This is the 17th year we've held a Memorial Day practice. It's become a tradition."

The Memorial Day practice signifies that Sto-Rox is having another successful postseason run. The Vikings will make their 14th appearance in the WPIAL finals this afternoon against defending Class AA champion Riverside.

Sto-Rox is one of only three schools that have made 10 or more appearances in the WPIAL finals. The Vikings have won 10 titles and placed second three times. Baldwin has also claimed 10 WPIAL titles and finished second once. Riverside has made 10 title game appearances and claimed four titles.

"Both teams have a great tradition in the WPIAL playoffs," said Riverside coach Pam McCarty, who coincidentally has her husband, Paul, serving as an assistant coach. "We go back a long way with Sto-Rox. Everytime we face them, it's a close game. Both teams have good pitching, play good defense and can hit. It should be a great game. We're really looking forward to it."

Riverside (17-1) is the defending champion and No. 1 seed. The Panthers opened the playoffs with a 5-1 win against South Fayette, then posted a 1-0 victory against No. 8 Deer Lakes in the quarterfinals. Riverside claimed its third title berth in six years with a 2-0 win against No. 5 Bishop Canevin in the semifinals.

"We lost only two starters to graduation, so I knew this team had the talent required to win a WPIAL title," McCarty said. "The kids have had back-to-back titles in the back of their mind all season. Now we have a chance to reach that goal."

Sto-Rox (18-4) was seeded sixth in the 16-team bracket after placing second in Section 1-AA. The Vikings opened with a 2-1 win against Mount Pleasant, then recorded a 5-1 win against No. 6 seed McGuffey in the quarterfinals, and claimed their title berth with a 4-3 win against No. 7 Greensburg Central Catholic in the semifinals.

"All three have been comeback wins," Palermo said. "We were losing, 1-0, against Mount Pleasant when we scored two runs in the seventh inning. McGuffey scored first in the quarterfinals, but we came back to win, 5-1. Then came one of the most fantastic finishes we've ever had at Sto-Rox."

Greensburg Central Catholic held a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning and retired two of the first three batters. But Sto-Rox was not done.

"[Senior third baseman] Kerry Connolly began the rally with a double," Palermo said. "With two outs, [sophomore outfielder] Chelsie Washington singles to score Connolly. Then oddly enough, [Greensburg Central] walked our next batter [freshman catcher Talia Smarra] intentionally, which moved the tying run into scoring position."

At that point, Palermo called for a double steal. The throw to third base was wild, which allowed Connolly to score.

"Alexa Golling won the game for us with a walk-off single up the middle," Palermo said. "That has to rank among the best comebacks we've ever had, especially since it came in the playoffs."

Sto-Rox is led by senior pitcher Kristen Olejar, who has an 18-4 record, a 1.32 earned run average, and 140 strikeouts in 138 innings.

The Vikings have four players with a .400 or better average: Washington (.443 average, 19 runs, 16 RBI's), Smarra (.433 average, 24 runs, 24 RBI's), Golling (.437 average, 16 runs scored, 17 RBI's) and Connolly (.405 average and 22 runs scored).

Riverside counters with senior pitcher Kari Falk, who has a 15-1 record, a 2.30 ERA, and 127 strikeouts. Falk also has a .428 average at the plate.

Other Panthers with a .375 or higher average are junior catcher Chelsea Evans (.500), sophomore third baseman Emily Pritts (.413) and sophomore first baseman Stefanie Kaiser (.375).

n What: WPIAL Class AA championship game.

n When: 2 p.m. today.

n Where: California University of Pennsylvania.

n Who: Riverside vs. Sto-Rox.

n The skinny: Riverside is the top seed in the playoffs and Sto-Rox is the No. 3 seed.

n Tickets: $7 for adults, $4 for students.