High School category, Page 447

Nolan Smith drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to push No. 5 Mt. Lebanon to a 2-1 victory over No. 4 Seneca Valley in the WPIAL Class 6A baseball quarterfinals Monday. David Shields gave up four hits and struck out 10 in a...

Montour baseball coach Bob Janeda is no riverboat gambler, but he wins a lot thanks to a winning hand that includes two aces. The Spartans coach went with his “No. 2” pitcher Monday in the Class 4A quarterfinals, and junior Jake Robinson threw a gem as Montour blanked Hampton, 2-0....

Plum relief pitcher Colin Watson isn’t so worried about how things start but rather how they finish. The Mustangs maybe had a rough beginning to this season, but they’re now headed to the WPIAL semifinals after their top reliever pitched three scoreless innings Monday night. Watson entered with a one-run...

Bishop Canevin and Leechburg, two high-scoring Class A baseball teams, found the runs hard to come by Monday in their WPIAL quarterfinals game at Highlands, but No. 6 Canevin managed to score more. Kole Olszewski limited No. 3 Leechburg to three hits, and Bishop Canevin’s defense shined as the Crusaders...

Dante Basciano was a bat boy on the 2017 Latrobe baseball team that won WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A titles. A wide-eyed tyke no longer, the Wildcats’ senior sees similarities between the current team and that historic one. “It’s the camaraderie and the way we are together,” he said. “You...

Penn-Trafford senior pitcher Nolan Marasti waited all season to pitch again in the WPIAL playoffs. It just happened to be against the team, Peters Township, that he lost to and eliminated the Warriors from the 2022 playoffs. It was the same team, same venue and almost the same date. But...

Seton LaSalle collected four hits through five innings against Riverview starting pitcher Ben Hower in a Class 2A quarterfinal baseball playoff game Monday afternoon at Gateway. The No. 2 Rebels then erupted for six runs on five hits in the sixth inning off of Hower and Raiders reliever Enzo Lio....

In the first game, Hempfield gambled, and it backfired as Norwin cranked a couple of home runs. In the rematch, the Lady Spartans exacted revenge with a throwback kind of win: Pitching and defense ruled the day. So what can fans expect in Round 3 when No. 2 seed Hempfield...

WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A Semifinals 1-Avonworth (19-1) vs. 4-Burrell (13-5) 4 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of 2-Southmoreland (15-2)/3-Waynesburg Central (16-3) in championship game May 31 or June 1 at Lilley Field, PennWest University, California (time TBA) Players to watch: Brae Jones, Burrell; Alvia Lantzy, Avonworth...

WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A Semifinals 2-Southmoreland (16-2) vs. 3-Waynesburg (16-3) 3 p.m. Tuesday at Peterswood Park, Venetia Winner plays: Winner of 4-Burrell (13-5)/1-Avonworth (19-1) in championship (date, time TBD) at Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Taylor Doppelheuer, Southmoreland; Kendall Lemley, Waynesburg Extra bases: It’s a matchup of former section...

Peters Township defensive back Brendan McCullough made a late-game interception Sunday that secured a 24-16 victory for his West team in the PSFCA East-West Big School Game in Harrisburg. The East had fourth-and-goal with 1:19 left when McCullough picked off a pass just short of the goal line. The East-West...

After an 8-2 record and a section title last year, Latrobe’s baseball team was more than happy with the result. But with a large number of seniors graduating, it was unclear when the Wildcats would return to that lofty status. Turns out, it didn’t take long. The Wildcats (14-6, 9-1)...

The Valley boys tennis team qualified for the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 2A tournament and faced North Catholic on May 8 with a spot in the semifinals and a berth to states on the line. The day before, the Vikings starting seven had the opportunity to train with some...

It’s a prime time for high school baseball and softball with the WPIAL playoffs underway. Riverview baseball came into the postseason looking to build its recent success. Among the players with first-hand memories of past successful playoffs is senior pitching standout Enzo Lio. “My sophomore year, we played the second...

Last season, the Mohawk baseball team reached the WPIAL Class 3A championship game, falling to South Park in the finals. The Warriors still have a fighting chance to get back to the finals after pulling off a first-round upset last week. Mohawk survived a key injury and a dust-up to...

High schools WPIAL Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Monday’s schedule Pine-Richland (14-6) vs. Hempfield (11-9) at Plum, 6:30 p.m.; Seneca Valley (16-4) vs. Mt. Lebanon (10-10) at North Allegheny, 4 p.m.; North Allegheny (14-6) vs. Norwin (8-11) at Boyce Mayview Park, 7 p.m.; Canon-McMillan (15-5) vs. Butler (12-8) at...

With five seniors in the starting lineup, including most who played a big part in a title run two years ago and a trip to the semifinals last year, some might consider an 8-11 regular season disappointing. “Hopewell baseball always has high expectations,” Hopewell senior Ty Eberhardt said. “At one...

The postseason action really heats up in baseball, softball, lacrosse and boys volleyball as we head into a holiday weekend this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Trib HSSN continues our exclusive coverage of WPIAL baseball with the quarterfinals and semifinals, softball with the final four, boys and...

Welcome to quarterfinals Monday in the WPIAL baseball playoffs, when 24 games will be played to whittle each classification from eight to four teams. For the eight teams in Class 6A, welcome to the WPIAL playoffs. These teams have known for over a week who their opponents would be but...

Athletes will tell you that before the game starts, some have to find unique ways to get rid of the butterflies and jittery nerves. In the case of a bunch of young cubs playing for the South Fayette softball team, all it took was one pitch for the nerves to...

Shaler senior Bethany Rodman is a three-year starter who has and continues to contribute mightily to the Titans softball program. This year in particular, you could say Rodman is a perfect leader. She has been called the heart and soul of a Titans team that is 18-0 heading into the...

The Big 56 Conference, a website that recognizes accomplishments of teams and athletes in the WPIAL’s largest classification, announced its all-section teams. Local first-team players picked in Class 6A Section 2 baseball included junior Keegan Carr and senior Justin Weaver of Norwin and junior Carson Shuglie of Hempfield. Class 5A...

WPIAL baseball playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals 1-Pine-Richland (14-6) vs. 8-Hempfield (11-9) 6:30 p.m. Monday at Plum Winner plays: Winner of 4-Seneca Valley (16-4) vs. 5- Mt. Lebanon (10-10) in semifinals 7 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Players to watch: Carson Shuglie, Hempfield; Owen Henne, Pine-Richland Extra bases: The Spartans are...

WPIAL baseball playoffs Class 5A Quarterfinals 1-Shaler (16-4) vs. 8-Fox Chapel (13-8) 4 p.m. Monday at Plum Winner plays: Winner of 4-Plum (13-7)/5-South Fayette (16-4) in semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Players to watch: Miguel Hugas, Shaler; Jeremy Haigh, Fox Chapel Extra bases: Shaler earned a first-round...

Tom Sorce’s five-year plan is coming to fruition. The Shaler softball coach wanted to rebuild the program by starting from the youth program up. The Titans asked several former collegiate players to come and work with the middle school program. Not everyone was able to say yes — six or...