High School category, Page 845
Plum backstop Ethan Kircher comes through in the clutch
The Plum baseball team has fashioned a strong record this spring, overall and in Section 2-5A, and senior catcher Ethan Kircher has been at the center of the action. In a come-from-behind 12-9 win at home over section foe Hampton on May 4, Kircher helped lead the comeback with a...
Neighbor Spotlight: Fox Chapel’s Jing McCann earns national award for work in weight room
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 6, 2021: Plenty of playoff possibilities in Section 2-6A
There might be a little scoreboard watching between a pair of Section 2-6A high school baseball games Thursday. Norwin, Hempfield and Mt. Lebanon have all secured playoff spots in the section with three teams still alive for the postseason. Upper St. Clair, Baldwin and Canon-McMillan all control their own destiny...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 5, 2021
High schools Baseball Wednesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 8, Pine-Richland 7 Section 2 Mt. Lebanon 4, Upper St. Clair 3 Norwin 3, Hempfield 0 Class 5A Section 1 Franklin Regional at Kiski Area, ppd. Latrobe at Penn-Trafford, ppd. Section 2 Mars 13, Penn Hills 1 Armstrong at...
High school roundup for May 5, 2021: Ligonier Valley’s Griffin throws 8th no-hitter to secure section title
Maddie Griffin threw her eighth no-hitter of the season, striking out 13, to lead Ligonier Valley (13-1, 10-0) to a 10-0 victory over Steel Valley (6-6, 6-5) in five innings Wednesday to clinch the Section 2-2A softball title. Payton LaVale, Haley Boyd and Cheyenne Piper each had two hits and...
WPIAL clinched for May 5, 2021: Baseball playoff spots still up for grabs
Some WPIAL baseball teams are done, while most others still have some section series games remaining. Between covid-related shutdowns and this lovely week of weather, there are still a lot of playoff berths up for grabs. The district is expected to decide early next week the makeup of the 2021...
Trib HSSN State Baseball Rankings for May 5, 2021
May Day, May Day! That may have been the call of distress from several teams who in the first week of May, lost their spot in the 2021 Trib HSSN state baseball rankings. Seven teams lost once if not more this past week to get bumped out of the Top...
Fun-loving Norwin softball team blanks Hempfield to clinch section titleVideo
When Norwin softball players were told by their coach, Brian Mesich, that an umpire wanted them to “tone it down” on the field, they seemed taken aback. They weren’t sure what that meant, exactly. “They don’t want us to have fun, I guess,” one player said. “So let’s have extra...
Norwin baseball team blanks Hempfield, clinches tie for section title
The Norwin baseball team clinched at least a tie for the Section 2-6A title Wednesday behind a strong pitching performance from Jake Bazala and timely hitting. Bazala blanked Hempfield into the sixth inning, and Zach Potthoff came in for a save as Norwin won 3-0 on a cool, damp day....
Explosive offense helps to carry Southmoreland softball team
Each time Southmoreland smacks an ear-ringing home run over the fence — and it happens often these days — the Scotties exchange fist-bumps and high-fives in a mob at home plate, then it’s on to the next hitter. “New at-bat, new batter, new everything,” said freshman shortstop Amarah McCutcheon. New...
Mt. Lebanon baseball tops rival Upper St. Clair after wild 7th inning
Mt. Lebanon scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and then survived a bases-loaded no-outs situation in the bottom of the inning to beat Upper St. Clair, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon. The loss prevents the Panthers from clinching a playoff berth in Section 2-6A, something the Blue Devils...
Alle-Kiski Valley softball notebook: Plum hopes to continue streak after covid pause
Plum has been off the field for more than a week, but the Mustangs wrap up a covid pause with a return to practice Friday. “We haven’t been allowed any contact with (the players), but I imagine they are ready to go,” Plum coach Phil DiLonardo said. “I am sure...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Playoff picture still cloudy
A nearly washed-out week did not help to uncover more local qualifiers for the WPIAL playoffs. The deadline to finish section games is May 7, although the league may have to grant an extension with this week’s rash of postponements. The playoffs are supposed to start the week of May...
Highlands softball stalking long-awaited playoff win
The last time a Highlands softball team won a WPIAL playoff game, most of the current team members were just learning to walk and talk. The Golden Rams scored a 9-3 win over Greensburg Salem in a Class AAA first-round game May 21, 2005. Franklin Regional got the better of...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 4, 2021
High schools Baseball Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Central Catholic 6, Allderdice 2 Central Catholic 7, Allderdice 2 Butler 7, Seneca Valley 4 North Allegheny at Pine-Richland, ppd. Section 2 Canon-McMillan at Baldwin, ppd. Norwin at Hempfield, ppd. Upper St. Clair at Mt. Lebanon, ppd. Class 5A Section 1...
South Allegheny baseball splits with Steel Valley to earn 1st playoff berth since 2007
South Allegheny has been waiting 14 years to return to the WPIAL baseball playoffs, so they were OK waiting another game. Having lost a potential clinching opportunity in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday to Steel Valley, the Gladiators bounced back and won a do-or-die second game, 15-8, to...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for May 5, 2021: First place up for grabs in softball
While another wet forecast might leave you down, a great day of WPIAL softball with key games everywhere should lift your spirits. There are battles for first place or a share of the top spot in eight softball sections Wednesday. In Section 2-6A, Norwin hosts Hempfield as the Knights hold...
Trib HSSN State Softball Rankings for May 4, 2021
The wild winds of change to the HSSN state softball rankings through April have settled into the calm seas of May, at least for this week. There was only one change to the top 30 teams across Pennsylvania from last week as one WPIAL team took the place of another...
High school roundup for May 4, 2021: Butler baseball completes sweep
Colin Patterson doubled and homered to lead Butler to 7-4 victory over Seneca Valley on Tuesday, sweeping a Section 1-6A series. Brady Gavuala tripled and drove in two runs for Butler (11-5, 7-3). Conor Carney went 2 for 2 with two doubles for Seneca Valley (10-6, 5-5). Brownsville 12, Charleroi...
North Catholic baseball slugs its way past Knoch in section battle
Aside from a two-run double in the top of the second inning, Knoch held North Catholic in check for a majority of Tuesday’s Section 1-4A baseball game. Senior right-hander Brayden Hageter, who threw five innings of six-hit ball, escaped jams all night and stranded eight runners in the first four...
WPIAL has big decisions to make this week about baseball, softball playoffs
Will higher-seeded baseball and softball teams host playoff games this spring or could the WPIAL use neutral sites as usual? That’s one question from a list the WPIAL wants to answer this week when the baseball and softball committees meet online Thursday and Friday. The WPIAL also must decide what...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 4, 2021: Hempfield, Penn-Trafford to meet on court
With another wet forecast, we take cover indoors and check out some of the big matches in boys volleyball on Tuesday. There is only one game in the loss column separating Hempfield and Penn-Trafford, the top two teams in Section 3-AAA. The Warriors host the Spartans on Tuesday hoping to...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for May 3, 2021
High schools Baseball Monday’s schedule WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Butler 2, Seneca Valley 0 Central Catholic at Allderdice, ppd. Pine-Richland at North Allegheny, ppd. Section 2 Baldwin at Canon-McMillan, ppd. Hempfield at Norwin, ppd. Upper St. Clair at Mt. Lebanon, ppd. Class 5A Section 1 Franklin Regional at Kiski...
High school roundup for May 3, 2021: Butler’s Baxter blanks Seneca Valley
David Leslie hit a two-out, two-run double and Cooper Baxter threw a six-hit shutout with six strikeouts to lead Butler (10-5, 6-3) to a 2-0 Section 1-6A baseball win over Seneca Valley on Monday afternoon. Ethan Baer had two hits for the Raiders (10-5-1, 5-4). McGuffey 8, Waynesburg 1 –...
Hundreds rally at Pine-Richland board meeting calling for fired coach to be reinstatedVideo
Hundreds of supporters of Pine-Richland’s ousted head football coach Eric Kasperowicz rallied outside the district’s administrative office, during Monday’s school board meeting, to call for his reinstatement. The sometimes boisterous crowd broke out in chants of “We Are P-R” and jeered as school directors arrived for the monthly planning session,...
