High School category, Page 58

An unfavorable weather forecast led the WPIAL to postpone all baseball, softball and lacrosse games scheduled for Wednesday. The baseball and softball semifinals moved to Thursday. The Class 2A girls and boys lacrosse finals are now Friday with the 3A finals remaining on Thursday. Sites and times for the softball...

Belle Vernon athletic director Matt Humbert didn’t have to look too far to find the next leader of the boys basketball program. Longtime assistant coach Ricky Tyburski was hired by a unanimous vote of the Belle Vernon Area School Board on Tuesday evening. Tyburski has been an assistant coach under...

Pitt didn’t offer John Wetzel initially when the Latrobe standout was looking for a place to further his football career. But when he became available again, the Panthers pounced. “I haven’t been this excited about college in months,” Wetzel said after signing a letter of intent with Pitt, about a...

When it comes to district softball this spring in the three lowest classifications, the two most northern and most southern counties in the WPIAL are dominating. Heading into the softball semifinals Wednesday, there are 12 teams still alive for gold in Class 3A, 2A and A. More than half of...

Two pitches to the backstop with a runner at third base late in a scoreless baseball playoff game. One turned into an out — a backbreaker for a potential big inning. The other plated the game’s only run. Those key plays led to a Class 3A quarterfinals eyebrow-raiser as No....

High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Tuesday’s results Norwin 7, Hempfield 4 Seneca Valley 4, Canon-McMillan 0 Championship At EQT Park, Washington May 27 or 28 Norwin (14-8) vs. Seneca Valley (16-6) Class 5A Semifinals Tuesday’s results Pine-Richland 5, Bethel Park 4 Shaler 2, Peters Township 1 Championship...

Anthony Annichine delivered the go-ahead RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead top-seeded Pine-Richland to a 5-4 victory over No. 4 Bethel Park in the WPIAL Class 5A baseball semifinals Tuesday. It was the third straight one-run playoff win for the Rams. Jake Waddell singled, doubled...

Norwin used a four-run sixth inning, including a bases-clearing double by senior Nathan Silberman, and rallied to defeat rival Hempfield, 7-4, in a WPIAL Class 6A baseball semifinal Tuesday at Boyce Mayview Sports Complex. The fourth-seeded Knights will play second-seeded Seneca Valley in the championship game at EQT Park in...

Lukas Duncan plunked Burgettstown third baseman Sam Elich to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning of Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal at North Allegheny. But the Riverview sophomore, pitching with his team holding a one-run lead, didn’t let that blemish get to him. He retired the next three...

Sit down for this: On Tuesday, in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal-round baseball playoff shortened to four innings, two teams totaled 17 runs, 17 walks and six errors. Oh, and there was a no-hitter, too, the second in a row for Greensburg Central Catholic, both by right-hander Tyler Samide. GCC...

Jordan Hoover desperately wants to be part of the Seneca Valley boys volleyball team that kicks down the door and wins a WPIAL Class 3A championship. The 6-foot-5 senior middle hitter and his teammates needed a strong fifth set to make sure they didn’t fall over the front stoop on...

Norwin opted to pitch to Lexie Hames four times in the WPIAL semifinals. No intentional walks on this day. If only she hadn’t pitched to them. Hames wasn’t much of a problem with a bat in her hands, but the high-speed ace from Seneca Valley continued to mow down the...

One of the best attributes an athlete can have is a short memory. After getting past a tough challenge from Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL quarterfinals, giving up 11 runs, Penn-Trafford sophomore pitcher Allyson Paulone was determined to step up. Paulone pitched a gem in Tuesday’s Class 5A softball semifinals:...

Mars and Mt. Lebanon will try to defend their boys and girls lacrosse titles in their respective classifications at the WPIAL championships Wednesday and Thursday at Upper St. Clair. WPIAL officials announced championship details Tuesday. The Class 2A girls and boys championships will be Wednesday, and the Class 3A finals...

When Hempfield and Seneca Valley last hit the softball field, it was two weeks ago and they met for the Class 6A regular season title. The Spartans blanked the Raiders, 1-0, to claim sole possession of first place. Will rust take its toll on either team as they finally hit...

Bethel Park saw Thomas Jefferson score four runs earlier in the game without the aid of a hit and decided to give it a shot once the game remained tied through seven innings. Senior Ryan Petras raced home from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the...

Deep into the WPIAL playoffs, coaches often say strong pitching and defense are mandatory to win games. During Monday’s Class 4A quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Beaver and No. 5 Belle Vernon, two Division I pitchers faced off, and while Ty Butler was great for the Bobcats, Parker Lind stole...

A surprise semifinal matchup Tuesday night will mark the fourth meeting of the season between a pair of Westmoreland County baseball teams. No. 4 seed Norwin (13-8) will take on No. 8 Hempfield (9-12) at 7 p.m. at Boyce-Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair for a spot in the WPIAL...

High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Monday’s results Hempfield 3, North Allegheny 1 Norwin 5, Butler 4 Canon-McMillan 3, North Hills 0 Seneca Valley 4, Mt. Lebanon 3 Semifinals Tuesday’s schedule Hempfield (9-12) vs. Norwin (13-8) at Boyce Mayview Park, 7 p.m.; Canon-McMillan (15-6) vs. Seneca Valley (15-6)...

Josh Cayer went the distance, allowing one run on two hits with eight strikeouts, as No. 8 Hempfield stunned top-seeded North Allegheny, 3-1, in the WPIAL Class 6A baseball quarterfinals Monday at Boyce Mayview Park. Drew Jones had two hits and Owen Shuglie drove in two runs as the Spartans...

Norwin celebrated a walk-off win in nine innings thanks to a swinging bunt that rolled only a few feet. In a way, it summed up the Knights’ grittiness. “There are no style points,” Norwin coach Craig Spisak said after the fourth-seeded Knights rallied late to defeat No. 5 Butler, 5-4,...

Usually, it is Latrobe finding ways to win one-run baseball games. But it was top-seeded Pine-Richland that captured some late drama against the Wildcats on Monday in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals, using a last-inning rally to win its second straight one-run game and advance in the playoffs. Drew Boivin...

Southmoreland softball coach Todd Bunner brought his team together in left field at the Montour softball field Monday for one last time. After his talk, he huddled the players, and they all put their hands together and yelled “family.” No. 2 Mohawk scored four runs with two outs in the...

Twelve days went by between the South Park softball team’s final regular-season game and Monday’s WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals against Deer Lakes at Fox Chapel. The Eagles’ high-powered offense took a couple of innings to get going against the Lancers. If it was a little rust, South Park hitters shook...

Though his playing career appears to be entering its twilight years, Austin Butler’s coaching career is just stepping into the jump circle. Butler, the former Latrobe basketball star who played for two Division I programs and professionally overseas, was hired Monday night to be the next coach at Hempfield. Butler,...