High School category, Page 841
Big-hitting Mt. Pleasant blanks Ellwood City for 2nd WPIAL softball championshipVideo
A fourth-grade student made the Mt. Pleasant softball team a good-luck card before the WPIAL championship, one of several the players received and read. One charming message stood out from the pile: “Softball was invented to show boys how it’s done.” The Lady Vikings must have been inspired. They showed...
WPIAL Class 6A softball championship preview: Bethel Park vs. Canon-McMillan
Softball Class 6A 1-Bethel Park (17-0) vs. 7-Canon-McMillan (9-9) Noon Thursday at Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • Bethel Park — The Black Hawks haven’t been tested all that much this season. They’ve scored at least nine runs in each of their last six games, hitting that mark 13...
WPIAL Class 2A softball championship preview: Shenango vs. Laurel
Softball Class 2A 5-Shenango (16-4) vs. 2-Laurel (16-1) 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Cal (Pa.). Road to the finals • Shenango — The Wildcats advanced to the finals in an unusual way, defeating top-seeded Ligonier Valley 3-1 despite not recording a hit. They scored three runs on one play, a dropped...
Shenango stuns Seton LaSalle for 1st WPIAL baseball title
Shenango senior Gabe Yanssens accused Seton LaSalle players of talking too much smack on social media before Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 2A baseball championship game. He figured the best way to shut them up was to beat them, and that’s what Yanssens did. His two-run, two-out single in the top of...
PIAA rules Gateway QB Brad Birch eligible, returns Seton LaSalle appeal to WPIAL
The PIAA overturned one WPIAL decision and told the WPIAL board to reconsider another. Gateway freshman Brad Birch, a football standout who transferred from Jeannette, was ruled eligible Wednesday following an appeal hearing with the PIAA, reversing a WPIAL decision that would’ve made Birch ineligible for one year. Separately, the...
Pine-Richland votes to hire veteran coach to heal fractured football programVideo
The Pine-Richland School Board has hired a veteran coach it hopes can close the book on a tumultuous chapter in the district’s football program. Steve Campos, an assistant football coach at Seneca Valley with nearly 30 years of experience, was the only candidate for the head coaching position considered during...
West Greene wins 5th straight WPIAL softball title in dominant performance
Not even a global pandemic can slow down the West Greene softball team. What many thought would be a fifth straight WPIAL softball championship in 2020 had to wait a year after last season was postponed due to the covid-19 outbreak. Now the Pioneers have their one for the thumb...
High school scores, summaries and schedule for June 1, 2021
High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Tuesday’s result North Allegheny 4, Hempfield 0 Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s result Franklin Regional 2, Bethel Park 1 Consolation Wednesday’s schedule Peters Township (10-11) vs. West Allegheny (17-4) at Washington & Jefferson, 5 p.m. Class 4A Championship Wednesday’s schedule Montour (15-5) vs....
High school roundup for June 1, 2021: Elizabeth Forward softball moves on to states
Anna Resnik had two hits and an RBI and winning pitcher Kailey Larcinese scattered six hits and struck out five to lead No. 1 Elizabeth Forward to a 4-3 victory over West Mifflin in the Class 4A consolation game Tuesday, giving the Warriors the WPIAL’s third and final spot in...
North Allegheny ace shuts down Hempfield, leads Tigers to record 8th WPIAL title
Hempfield got an early look at right-hander Kyle Demi a few weekends ago, but that sneak peek at the North Allegheny ace didn’t help much Tuesday night. Once again, Demi was dominant. The hard-throwing senior struck out 11 in six shutout innings as top-seeded North Allegheny defeated No. 3 Hempfield,...
Ligonier Valley earns Class 2A bronze in softball with 4-0 win over Frazier
“Mad dog” doesn’t like to hear about games being meaningless. Even though both teams already had clinched PIAA playoff berths, Maddie Griffin, Ligonier Valley’s junior ace pitcher, treated Tuesday’s WPIAL third-place game at Norwin with respect. The game still had the full attention of the WPIAL’s no-hit queen. “The expectation...
Franklin Regional gets walk-off win over Bethel Park in Class 5A title game
Andrew Muraco took it personally when Bethel Park coach Pat Zehnder decided to intentionally walk Louie Kegerreis with a runner on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning to get to him in the WPIAL Class 5A championship. So the Franklin Regional senior made Bethel Park pay. He...
WPIAL Class 2A baseball championship preview: Seton LaSalle vs. Shenango
Baseball Class 2A 1-Seton-La Salle (21-2) vs. 2-Shenango (19-2) 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Seton LaSalle — In three playoff wins, Seton-La Salle, the Section 4-2A champ, has outscored its opponents 32-0. The Rebels blanked Serra, 12-0, in the semifinals. • Shenango...
Battery powered: Chemistry between pitcher Smithnosky, catcher Shawley drives Mt. Pleasant softball
Catcher Lexis Shawley received an unsolicited compliment from an umpire after a recent playoff game. It made the Mt. Pleasant senior grin. “He said he liked the way I was framing my pitches,” Shawley said. “He said it probably helped us get a few strikes.” The proficiency also had something...
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 3A baseball championship preview: Hopewell vs. South Park
Baseball Class 3A 1-Hopewell (16-5) vs. 3-South Park (15-4) 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wild Things Park, Washington Road to the finals • Hopewell — The top-seeded Vikings faced a challenge from No. 8 Deer Lakes in the quarterfinals, earning a 5-2 victory. They also shut out No. 16 Waynesburg, 4-0,...
WPIAL Class 4A softball championship preview: Highlands vs. Beaver
2-Beaver (16-0) vs. 5-Highlands (16-4-1) 6:45 p.m. today at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • Beaver — After receiving a bye into the quarterfinals, the Bobcats began their postseason journey with a 7-3 victory over No. 7 Yough behind a pair of RBIs from Anna Blum and...
WPIAL Class 5A softball championship preview: North Hills vs. Armstrong
Softball Class 5A 7-Armstrong (15-4) vs. 8-North Hills (15-5) 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • Armstrong — The River Hawks came out strong in the first round, scoring 16 runs in a 16-3 rout of No. 10 South Fayette. They continued to roll...
WPIAL Class A softball championship preview: West Greene vs. Union
Softball Class A 1-West Greene (17-2) vs. 3-Union (12-7) Noon Wednesday at Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • West Greene — The four-time defending WPIAL champs don’t often play close games, let alone fall behind, so a semifinal matchup against South Side was a notable stop on the road...
WPIAL Class 3A softball championship preview: Mt. Pleasant vs. Ellwood City
Softball Class 3A 1-Mt. Pleasant (16-3) vs. 11-Ellwood City (14-4) 2:15 p.m. Wednesday at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) Road to the finals • Mt. Pleasant — Mt. Pleasant has yet to yield a run in the postseason, beating Derry, 6-0, and Avonworth, 8-0. Pitcher Mary Smithnosky is 2-0 with 23...
Seneca Valley assistant could be Pine-Richland’s next coach, source says
Steve Campos, an assistant football coach at Seneca Valley, is expected to be the recommended candidate to fill the vacant head coach job at Pine-Richland, according to a source. The school board has called a special meeting for Wednesday to replace ousted coach Eric Kasperowicz. According to the source, when...
WPIAL 2A softball consolation game preview: Ligonier Valley vs. Frazier
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 2A 3rd place game Ligonier Valley (18-2) vs. Frazier (16-4) 4 p.m. Tuesday at Norwin Coaches: Mark Zimmerman, Ligonier Valley; Don Hartman, Frazier Players to watch: Maddie Griffin, Jr., P, Ligonier Valley; Madison Bednar, So., P, Frazier What’s at stake: Both teams have qualified for the...
High school sports scores, schedules for May 31, 2021
High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Championship Tuesday’s schedule North Allegheny (19-3) vs. Hempfield (15-7) at Wild Things Park, 7:30 p.m. Class 5A Championship Tuesday’s schedule Franklin Regional (18-1) vs. Bethel Park (18-3) at Wild Things Park, 4:30 p.m. Consolation Wednesday’s schedule Peters Township (10-11) vs. West Allegheny (17-4)...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on June 1, 2021: Baseball title games galore
Three days, 12 championship games, one network. That is all the math needed for diamond championship week starting Tuesday and continuing through Thursday in WPIAL baseball and softball. The spotlight shines on Wild Things Park in Washington on Tuesday with the first three district baseball games. The Class A finals...
