Greg Macafee stories, Page 3
Hopewell survives roller-coaster Class 3A final, beats South Park for 4th WPIAL title
Two years ago, the Hopewell Vikings coughed up a three-run lead in the bottom of the seventh inning against Steel Valley in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game. They weren’t about to do it again on Wednesday. No. 3 South Park (15-5) tied the game in the top of the...
Union captures 1st WPIAL baseball title behind Jake Vitale’s no-hitter
After making trips to the WPIAL Class A baseball championship game in 2018 and ’19 without claiming a championship, the Union Scotties weren’t leaving Wild Things Park empty handed Tuesday. Senior Jake Vitale made sure of it. The 5-foot-9 southpaw threw a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and three walks in...
WPIAL Class 4A baseball championship preview: Montour vs. New Castle
Baseball Class 4A 1-Montour (15-5) vs. 7-New Castle (13-9) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Montour — As the top seed, the Spartans received a first-round bye and might have had a little rust heading into their quarterfinal matchup against Quaker Valley. The...
WPIAL Class A baseball championship preview: Riverview vs. Union
4-Union (10-5) vs. 7-Riverview (11-6) 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Union — The Scotties have plowed through their competition in the Class A bracket. After receiving a first-round bye as the fourth seed, they took down a promising Our Lady of the...
Sewickley Academy boys lacrosse caps historic season
After a year off because of the coronavirus pandemic and so many unknowns coming into the season, the Sewickley Academy boys lacrosse team entered the campaign with no expectations. And yet the Panthers just completed one of the best seasons in the program’s recent history. Behind seven seniors, including captains...
Quaker Valley baseball finishes season strong
When baseball season started in late March, Quaker Valley got off on the wrong foot, losing back-to-back games against eventual Section 2 champion Montour by a combined 10 runs. That rough start continued, but the Quakers turned their season around in late April, made a playoff push through the beginning...
Riverview baseball set to play for 1st WPIAL title in 20 years
At the beginning of the season, not many people might have given the Riverview baseball team a shot. The Raiders hadn’t made the playoffs since 2015 and hadn’t won a playoff game since 2014. Just two years ago, they were a measly 4-10. But here they are. For the first...
Shady Side Academy releases new branding for Bulldogs mascot
Almost six months after choosing “Bulldogs” as its new mascot, Shady Side Academy has released its new logo and branding for its next era. The school revealed its new branding in a virtual event Friday that was live-streamed to the entire student body, Pre-K through 12th grade. Shady Side’s new...
North Allegheny holds off Shady Side charge, captures 1st WPIAL lacrosse title since 2016
A month ago, North Allegheny freshman Evan Lyon was playing JV lacrosse for the Tigers. In fact, when the Tigers took the field at Robert Morris’ Joe Walton Stadium on Thursday for the WPIAL Class 3A title game against top-seeded Shady Side Academy, the freshman wasn’t even listed in the...
Mars dominates Chartiers Valley to capture 5th straight WPIAL Class 2A boys lacrosse title
The Mars boys lacrosse dynasty continues. After a tight first quarter that saw the No. 1 Fightin’ Planets (19-0) come away with just a one-goal lead, they opened the floodgates and scored nine goals in the second quarter, five in the third and two in the fourth to cruise to...
Shady Side Academy repeats as WPIAL girls lacrosse champs after battle with Mt. Lebanon
Two years ago, the Shady Side Academy girls lacrosse team staved off a weather-suspended game before winning the first WPIAL title in program history. On Wednesday night at Robert Morris’ Joe Walton Stadium, the Bulldogs did it again. This time around, the Bulldogs didn’t need an extra day to get...
Stout defense, intense effort leads Mars girls lacrosse to 1st WPIAL title
The Mars girls lacrosse team scored seven minutes into its WPIAL Class 2A championship matchup with top-seeded Blackhawk and never looked back Wednesday at Robert Morris’ Joe Walton Stadium. Between a standout performance from goalkeeper Alaina Metal and six goal scorers, the Fightin’ Planets dominated from the opening whistle and...
Franklin Regional baseball survives early scare, mows down Peters Township to reach 5A finals
Franklin Regional starting pitcher Brian Pirone flirted with danger for two innings Tuesday as the Panthers took on Peters Township in the WPIAL Class 5A baseball semifinals. The No. 13 Indians (10-11) got to the right-hander for a run in the first inning and loaded the bases in the first...
Blackhawk scores 10 unanswered runs to cruise by Highlands into Class 4A semifinals
Heading into Monday’s WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal matchup against Blackhawk, Highlands had been playing some of its best baseball. The Golden Rams had won their past six games and outscored their opponents 41-4, but their next foe, the No. 4 Cougars (15-4), were a different story. The No. 6 Golden...
Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL baseball playoff capsules for May 24, 2021
Monday’s games Class 4A Quarterfinals 3-Blackhawk (14-4) vs. 6-Highlands (13-8) 3 p.m. at North Allegheny Coaches: Lou Wolber, Blackhawk; Jeff Campbell, Highlands Winner plays: Winner of 2-West Mifflin (12-4)/ 7-New Castle (11-9), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hampton. Players to watch: Anthony Malagise, So., C, Blackhawk; Jett Slepak, Jr., INF, P,...
Sewickley Academy baseball hoping to build on 1st playoff appearance in 3 years
Coming into this season, players on the Sewickley Academy baseball team wanted to change how they were perceived. After missing out on the playoffs the last two playable years, the Panthers wanted to show they weren’t a team to roll over every time they took the field. “The guys approached...
Quaker Valley girls put on show at WPIAL track championships
After their run to the WPIAL Class 2A team championship May 12, the Quaker Valley girls track and field team had the opportunity to compete at the individual championship on May 19. They put on quite the show. Four individuals qualified for the PIAA state track meet at Shippensburg on...
Despite a man advantage, Riverhounds fall to Charlotte in home opener
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds returned to Highmark Stadium on Saturday for their home opener in front of 2,079 fans, but it didn’t quite go as planned. Despite playing with a man advantage for nearly 30 minutes in the second half, the Riverhounds couldn’t counter a first-half goal by the Charlotte Independence...
Top-seeded Hopewell defeats Deer Lakes in WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals
Heading into its WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Hopewell, the Deer Lakes baseball team knew it had a big challenge. The Vikings had gone to the WPIAL championship two years ago and came into Saturday afternoon’s game at North Allegheny losing five games all season. Despite playing from...
Shady Side Academy baseball looks to future after bounce-back season
Two years ago, the Shady Side Academy baseball team won less than 30% of its games, including two of 12 section matchups. But after a year off because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bulldogs completely flipped the script. In the 2021 season, the Bulldogs won eight of their 10 section...
Riverhounds set for 2021 home opener, return of fans to Highmark Stadium
Teams often feed off the energy from their fans. It is one of the many things that make home-field advantage so important. For the past three years, the Riverhounds have benefited from large crowds and sold-out games at Highmark Stadium on Pittsburgh’s South Shore. It’s one thing that has made...
Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL baseball playoff capsules for May 22, 2021
Today’s Games Class 3A Saturday 1-Hopewell (14-5) vs 8-Deer Lakes (10-6) 2 p.m. at North Allegheny Coaches: Morgan Singletary, Hopewell; Josh Tysk, Deer Lakes Winner plays: Winner of 5-Derry (12-4)/4-McGuffey (13-4), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin. Players to watch: Lucas Arington, So., Hopewell; Justin Brannagan, Jr. OF, Deer Lakes...
Peters Township baseball slugs way past Latrobe in WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals
Throughout this season, Latrobe baseball coach Matt Basciano has admired his team’s ability to scrap and claw its way to victories. No deficit was ever too big. A defensive play here. A base hit there. The Wildcats always seemed to find a way. But in Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals...
Valley tallies 10 hits; Bailey twirls gem as Vikings earn first-round victory
Whenever the Valley baseball team has needed a win this season, coach Jim Basilone has turned to senior ace John Luke Bailey. Heading into Thursday’s WPIAL Class 3A game against Mohawk, Bailey had produced a 6-1 record with 1.41 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. With the lights shining bright at...
Deer Lakes punches ticket to quarterfinals with come-from-behind win over Yough
When the WPIAL playoff brackets were first released last week, Deer Lakes and Yough were scheduled to play at Latrobe at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Due to the Lancers holding prom on the same night, the game was moved to an earlier time and a location closer to Deer Lakes....
