Doug Gulasy stories
Leechburg softball hopes to overcome semifinal hurdle against Union
Leechburg scored runs seemingly at will as it tore through the regular season and won a third consecutive Section 3-A championship, but the Blue Devils saw quickly the difference the playoffs can bring. Although the final numbers still looked strong — five extra-base hits in an 8-1 WPIAL quarterfinal victory...
A-K Valley notebook: Freeport’s Heilman nears perfect game
Jarrett Heilman strung together plenty of dominant pitching performances during the regular season, but the junior reached another level in his first postseason start. Heilman came within four outs of a perfect game in No. 1 Freeport’s 1-0 victory over Waynesburg in a Class 3A quarterfinal game Monday at Latrobe....
Freeport baseball set to face Steel Valley in semifinals
BASEBALL Class 3A 1-Freeport (14-5) vs. 4-Steel Valley (11-8) 1:30 p.m. at Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 2-Hopewell (14-5) and 3-Keystone Oaks (14-4) on May 28 or 29 at Wild Things Park Coaches: Ed Carr, Freeport; Pat Loughran, Steel Valley Players to watch: Matt Mitchell, Jr., 1B, Freeport; Andre...
Alle-Kiski Valley softball preview capsules for games of Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Wednesday’s games Softball Class 4A 3-Knoch (17-1) vs. 2-Elizabeth Forward (15-3) 3 p.m. at Gateway Winner plays: Winner of 1-Mt. Pleasant (16-0) and 4-Thomas Jefferson (15-3) on May 29 or 30 at Peterswood Park Coaches: Gary Coe, Knoch; Harry Rutherford, Elizabeth Forward Players to watch: Amanda Fischer, Jr., P, Knoch;...
WPIAL releases baseball semifinal sites
Greensburg Salem and New Castle still need to decide their WPIAL baseball quarterfinal, but the victor already knows its destination. The WPIAL on Tuesday released the sites and times for Wednesday’s baseball semifinal games in all classifications. That includes a Class 4A semifinal matchup between the winner of No. 1...
Leechburg softball tops Jeannette for 3rd time, moves to semifinals
Leechburg expected a tougher game from Jeannette in the WPIAL playoffs than what the Blue Devils saw from their section rival during the regular season. The push came, but so did some mistakes, and Leechburg gladly took advantage. A costly two-out error spurred Leechburg’s four-run second inning, and the No....
A-K Valley campus clippings: Fox Chapel grad Cohen earns PSAC tennis honor
Lacey Cohen claimed the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s biggest women’s tennis awards in straight sets. Cohen, a Slippery Rock junior and Fox Chapel graduate, was named the PSAC West Division Athlete of the Year last week and was named to the all-conference first team in singles and doubles, the latter...
A-K Valley WPIAL baseball playoff capsules: Games of Monday, May 20
WPIAL baseball quarterfinals Monday’s games Class 4A 14-Highlands (11-8) vs. 6-Beaver (11-7) 4:30 p.m. Monday at Pullman Park, Butler Winner plays: Winner of 2-Yough and 7-South Park on Wednesday in semifinals Coaches: Jeff Campbell, Highlands; Noah Medich, Beaver Players to watch: Zac Kuniak, sr., OF, Highlands; Alec Berg, sr., P,...
Alle-Kiski Valley lookahead for week of May 20, 2019
MONDAY Baseball: Two Alle-Kiski Valley baseball teams that pulled WPIAL first-round upsets will play a quarterfinal doubleheader at Pullman Park in Butler. No. 11 St. Joseph, coming off a 10-1 win over No. 6 Monessen in the Class A first round, will play No. 3 Union at 2 p.m. The...
WPIAL softball playoff capsules: Games of Monday, May 20
Monday’s games Softball Class 5A 2-Plum (15-3) vs. 10-West Allegheny (9-7) 5 p.m. at Hampton Winner plays: Winner of 3-Hampton (16-3) and 6-Franklin Regional (12-7) Wednesday in semifinals Coaches: Phil DiLonardo, Plum; Mindi McFate, West Allegheny Players to watch: Gabby Fischetti, Sr., C, Plum; Megan Pollinger, So., P/INF, West Allegheny...
Highlands baseball uses mix of older, younger players to continue playoff run
As the stress began to build in Highlands’ first postseason appearance in more than a decade and a half, one of the Golden Rams’ most experienced players gave way to one of their youngest. Senior Noah Gillette reached the WPIAL’s pitch limit one batter into the seventh inning, and Highlands...
A-K Valley notebook: Highlands, St. Joseph, Springdale have lofty postseason goals
As pleased as Highlands and St. Joseph baseball felt to end years-long WPIAL baseball playoff droughts, and as excited as it made Springdale to make the softball postseason for the first time in nearly two decades, all three teams had loftier goals than that. And all three teams proved themselves...
WPIAL releases schedule for softball quarterfinals
The WPIAL on Friday revealed the sites for its softball quarterfinals, which will take place Monday. Classes A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A will play their quarterfinal games, with semifinal games set for Wednesday. Class 6A, which had eight postseason qualifiers, played its quarterfinal games this week and has its...
WPIAL releases baseball quarterfinal schedule
The WPIAL on Friday released the sites and times for its baseball quarterfinal games, which will take place Monday and Tuesday. Classes A, 2A, 3A and 4A will play quarterfinal games Monday, with 5A and 6A going Tuesday. All semifinal games will take place Wednesday. The full schedule is below:...
Vecchiolla, Laurel Highlands shut down Kiski Area in opening round
Andino Vecchiolla dealt with butterflies early in Laurel Highlands’ WPIAL playoff opener against Kiski Area. Then he just started dealing. Vecchiolla pitched a five-hitter, shutting down Kiski Area’s usually proficient offense, to lead No. 6 Laurel Highlands to a 3-1 victory over the 11th-seeded Cavaliers in a Class 5A first-round...
Alle-Kiski Valley baseball playoff previews: Games of May 16, 2019
WPIAL baseball playoffs First round Thursday’s games Class 5A 9-Fox Chapel (10-7) vs. 8-Mars (10-8) 4 p.m. at North Allegheny Winner plays: 1-West Allegheny (18-2) Coaches: Jim Hastings, Fox Chapel; Andy Bednar, Mars Players to watch: Mitch Miles, Sr., P, Fox Chapel; Will Bednar, Sr., P, Mars Extra bases: Fox...
Late surge lifts No. 7 Burrell past McGuffey in opening round of WPIAL playoffs
Burrell leaned on ace Luke Virag over the first handful of innings of its WPIAL playoff opener as the Bucs’ offense felt out an unfamiliar pitcher. The support came a bit late, but it came in bunches. No. 7 Burrell scored nine runs over its final two times to the...
Softball teams adjust after 1st-round playoff games get postponed
A familiar nemesis popped up as Springdale prepared to play its first WPIAL softball playoff game in nearly two decades: Mother Nature. The persistent rain that began over Mother’s Day weekend caused Springdale’s scheduled Class A first-round game against Quigley Catholic to get postponed, leaving the Dynamos to cool their...
Washington & Jefferson’s Marsico, Mountain win PAC baseball awards
Fresh off claiming the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship over the weekend, Washington & Jefferson’s baseball team kept its winning going. W&J junior Ben Marsico (North Allegheny) was named PAC Pitcher of the Year Tuesday, when the league revealed its major award winners and all-conference teams, while Presidents coach Jeff Mountain...
WPIAL postpones Tuesday softball games at Gateway, Hampton, North Allegheny, Shaler
The rainy weather that began over Mother’s Day weekend presented a curveball to the WPIAL softball playoffs. The WPIAL on Tuesday postponed first-round games scheduled for the afternoon at four sites: Gateway, Hampton, North Allegheny and Shaler. Those games now will take place on Thursday, at the same time as...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Ameriah Walters completes her 4-peat
Ameriah Walters completed a clean sweep. The Valley graduate, a senior at Seton Hill, won her fourth consecutive 200-meter title at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships Saturday at Mansfield. Walters finished with a time of 24.46 seconds. She also finished sixth in the 100 (12.33 seconds). Arizona: Sophomore Jordan...
Alle-Kiski Valley baseball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 15
First round Wednesday’s games Class 4A 13-Knoch (10-7) vs. 4-Blackhawk (13-4) 6:30 p.m. at Neshannock Winner plays: 5-Ringgold (12-5) or 12-Mt. Pleasant (9-8) Coaches: Sean O’Donnell, Knoch; Bob Amalia, Blackhawk Players to watch: Ethan Sloane, Sr., OF, Knoch; Zach Zuchelli, Sr., 2B, Blackhawk Extra bases: Knoch earned its eighth consecutive...
Alle-Kiski Valley softball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 15
First round Wednesday’s games Class 2A 12-Apollo-Ridge (9-4) vs. 5-Frazier (14-3) 4 p.m. at Latrobe Winner plays: 4-Vincentian (14-1) or 13-Burgettstown (8-9) on May 20, site/time TBD Coaches: John Kinnamon, Apollo-Ridge; Don Hartman, Frazier Players to watch: Mollie Charlton, Sr., P., Apollo-Ridge; Logan Hartman, Sr., P, Frazier Extra bases: Apollo-Ridge...
A-K Valley high school notebook: Deer Lakes volleyball gets seeded 12th
Deer Lakes will face an uphill battle as it attempts to continue its recent WPIAL boys volleyball playoff success. The Lancers drew the No. 12 seed in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs and a first-round match at No. 5 Bishop Canevin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, with the winner advancing to...
Knoch graduate Geist named Athlete of the Meet at Pac-12 championships
The Knoch-ness Monster terrorized the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships for a second consecutive season. Arizona sophomore Jordan Geist, a Knoch graduate, was named Male Athlete of the Meet for the second straight year at the Pac-12 championships Sunday night in Tucson, Ariz. BACK 2⃣ BACKJordan Geist is your 2019...
