High School category, Page 861
Greensburg Central Catholic softball off to promising start
While three games is a small sample size, it represents a strong start to the Greensburg Central Catholic softball team, and is perhaps a sign of what’s to come for the program. The Centurions were anxious to take the field last year to display their improved pitching and defensive play....
Alle-Kiski high school softball notebook: Fox Chapel-Burrell provides pitchers’ duel
Spectators at the March 29 nonsection game between Fox Chapel and Burrell were treated to a double pitching gem. Foxes junior Mackenzie Borkovich and Burrell softball Katie Armstrong dueled for 10 innings before Fox Chapel won in the bottom of the 10th, 1-0, on a throwing error. Borkovich, who shook...
Walk-off double pushes Highlands baseball team past Knoch
One close game is nice, but back-to-back tight wins is even better. Thanks to junior middle infielder Seth Helgert, Highlands earned its second straight Section 1-4A triumph Wednesday, rallying for a 3-2 walk-off victory over Knoch. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Helgert stepped to the plate...
Freeport’s Borghol overcomes back issues to make triumphant softball return
Maya Borghol hit a home run in a March 23 scrimmage against Kiski Area. The trip around the bases, the Freeport senior center fielder said, was confirmation the power she displayed during a breakout freshman season still was there. Lingering issues after back surgery in 2018 took away most of...
Westmoreland softball notebook: Hempfield pitcher Callie Sowers nears return
Hempfield is hoping to get senior pitcher Callie Sowers back sooner rather than later. Sowers, who broke the thumb on her throwing hand during a scrimmage, has yet to pitch this season for the five-time defending WPIAL champion Spartans. Longtime coach Bob Kalp said Sowers is “progressing.” “She is doing...
PIAA cuts state track championships to 1-day meets but won’t reduce qualifiers
The PIAA track and field championships are being condensed to one-day meets this spring, but they’ll include the same number of qualifiers as usual. The PIAA board voted Wednesday to have Class AA boys and girls compete May 28 at Shippensburg with the Class AAA meet May 29. Traditionally, the...
High school scores, summaries and schedules with April 6, 2021
High schools WPIAL Baseball Tuesday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Seneca Valley 2, North Allegheny 1 Pine-Richland 8, Central Catholic 3 Butler 12, Allderdice 1 Section 2 Norwin 10, Baldwin 0 Upper St. Clair 6, Hempfield 4 Canon-McMillan 5, Mt. Lebanon 2 Class 5A Section 1 Franklin Regional 4, Penn-Trafford...
High school roundup for April 6, 2021: Norwin’s Jake Bazala no-hits Baldwin
Jake Bazala threw a five-inning no-hitter, fanning eight, as Norwin picked up a 10-0 Section 2-6A baseball win over Baldwin (0-3, 0-1) on Tuesday afternoon. EJ Dunn hit a three-run homer and Jayden Walker and Alex Gabauer doubled twice for Norwin (4-1, 1-0). Butler 12, Allderdice 2 – Brady Gavuala...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 7, 2021: Rams, Vikings meet again
Just call the Pine-Richland and Central Catholic baseball programs the odd couple. And if recent trends continue, you may be calling one of them champion by the end of spring. The pattern these two have followed is an odd one. In 2019, the most recent WPIAL baseball season, Pine-Richland was...
Trib HSSN State Softball Rankings for April 6, 2021
It has been a long time since we released the final edition of the 2019 Trib HSSN state softball rankings. Back then, the six state champions sat atop the six classifications. To refresh your memory, they were Central Dauphin (6A), Penn-Trafford (5A), West Perry (4A), Pine Grove (3A), Frazier (2A)...
OLSH’s DiMichele, Spadafora named Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Players of the Year
Jake DiMichele and Dante Spadafora were the perfect combination this winter, but the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart basketball teammates weren’t always fast friends. “I was in fifth grade; he was in sixth grade,” said DiMichele, remembering back to their days on rival Catholic grade school teams. “Everyone in...
Sophomore Andrew Kocan comes up big for Canon-McMillan baseball
Sophomore Andrew Kocan wasn’t even supposed to be playing varsity baseball this year. Canon-McMillan is glad he is. Kocan went from being a JV player to varsity hero Tuesday when he went 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs in helping the Big Macs win their section...
Brownsville baseball team takes advantage of Yough’s ‘wildness’Video
Yough baseball coach Craig Spisak emphasized one thing after Tuesday’s WPIAL Section 4-3A loss to Brownsville: “We need to be better.” Four Cougars pitchers issued 12 walks and hit two batters in a 13-8 loss. The two teams will meet 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Republic. “I don’t care who...
Andrew Muraco, slick defense carry Franklin Regional past Penn-Trafford
Because he has been such a good pitcher for Franklin Regional, some forget that Andrew Muraco is going to Coastal Carolina as an infielder — and for what he can do with his bat. The senior right-hander has yet to pitch this season as he deals with a minor injury...
Valley’s John Luke Bailey twirls gem in section win over Derry
Valley senior John Luke Bailey didn’t find himself in many tough situations Tuesday as the Vikings hosted Derry in their first Section 3-3A game of the season. When he did, though, his defense had his back. The Vikings (4-1, 1-0) battled out of two tough spots against the Trojans (1-1,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for April 5, 2021
High schools WPIAL Baseball Monday’s schedule Nonsection Seton LaSalle 12, Laurel 0 Serra Catholic 16, Springdale 1 Tuesday’s schedule Class 6A Section 1 Butler at Allderdice, 7 p.m. North Allegheny at Seneca Valley, 4 p.m. Pine-Richland at Central Catholic, 4 p.m. Section 2 Baldwin at Norwin, 4 p.m. Mt. Lebanon...
High school roundup for April 5, 2021: Franklin Regional opens PIHL playoffs with OT win
Dan Rafferty scored less than eight minutes into overtime to lift Franklin Regional to a 4-3 victory over Hempfield in a PIHL Class AA quarterfinal matchup Monday night. It was the only overtime game on the first night of PIHL playoff action. Jeff Anderchak, Zachary Zeto and Brett Bowser also...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 6, 2021: Section series start on baseball diamond
Some sunshine and temps in the mid 70s will be the backdrop Tuesday as most of the WPIAL baseball teams hit the diamond to begin section play. The district has set up a different look to section play this spring in response to pandemic related concerns. Instead of playing every...
Trib HSSN Baseball Player of the Week for April 5, 2021: West Mifflin’s Jake Walker
Without a 2020 season and with offseason workouts sporadic due to the ongoing pandemic, few people knew what to expect at the start of the 2021 high school baseball season. Batting .846 five games and 10 days into the much-anticipated campaign is something not even the most optimistic hitter could...
Trib HSSN Baseball Team of the Week for April 5, 2021: Valley
The first full week “back to work” for the Valley baseball team was nearly perfect. After losing their season opener Mar. 26 at Highlands, the Vikings nearly matched their win total of five in 2019 in one week, going 3-0. “The biggest concern coming into the season is always the...
Kiski Area blanks Greensburg Salem on opening night of PIHL playoffs
The Kiski Area hockey team is headed back to the PIHL Penguins Cup Class A semifinals. For the second year in a row, the No. 2 Cavaliers will play in the final four after posting a 5-0 victory over No. 7 Greensburg Salem in a quarterfinal contest Monday at Belmont...
Freeport tops McDowell in PIHL quarterfinals to avenge early season loss
Kelly Mason took over the Freeport hockey program three years ago, and the Yellowjackets have been searching for a playoff win ever since. On Monday, in the quarterfinals of the Class A Penguins Cup Playoffs, No. 5 Freeport (15-3-1) finally broke through. Sophomore Caleb Hoffman scored in the second period,...
Emma Little slugs Penn-Trafford past NorwinVideo
Emma Little did not spend Easter Sunday afternoon eating candy. She was too busy working on her softball swing. “I made a complete change,” the Penn-Trafford senior catcher said. “Me and my dad came to the field, and I changed my whole swing, stance-wise. It was something I needed to...
North Allegheny’s Lizzy Groetsch named Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Player of the Year
North Allegheny senior basketball player Lizzy Groetsch has been taking piano lessons since she was 6 years old. She enjoys playing classical music. That’s seems appropriate since she and her Tigers teammates have just completed a season for the ages. Groetsch led North Allegheny to a 27-1 season in which...
North Catholic takes over Class AA top spot in latest WPIAL coaches boys volleyball rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 2 boys volleyball rankings Monday morning, and there is a change at the top in Class AA. North Catholic, No. 3 in last week’s top 10 poll, has taken over the No. 1 position, unseating Seton LaSalle. The teams went head-to-head...
