2023 WPIAL Class 4A baseball championship preview: Latrobe vs. Hopewell

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, May 29, 2023 | 8:43 AM

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WPIAL Class 4A baseball championship

5-Latrobe (17-6) vs. 14-Hopewell (11-11)

4 p.m. Tuesday, Wild Things Park, Washington

On the air: Trib HSSN (video)

How they got here: Latrobe defeated No. 12 Kiski Area, 7-6, in the first round, No. 4 Chartiers Valley, 4-2, in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Montour, 10-7, in the semifinals; Hopewell defeated No. 3 West Mifflin, 2-1, in the first round, No. 6 North Catholic, 6-2, in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Indiana, 7-5, in the semifinals.

WPIAL titles: Latrobe 1 (2017); Hopewell 4 (2021, ’10, ’00, 1979)

Coaches: Matt Basciano, Latrobe; Morgan Singletary, Hopewell

Players to watch: Louie Amatucci, Latrobe; Greg Barlion, Hopewell

Extra bases: Latrobe advanced to the WPIAL final for the first time since 2017, the year it won WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A titles. The Wildcats upset No. 1 seed Montour, 10-7, building an 8-2 led before holding off the Spartans in a three-plus-hour game that saw the teams use seven pitchers. Eli Boring went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, Riley Smith added two hits and two RBIs and Amatucci and Jake Cramer each had two hits. Logan Bradish is the likely starting pitcher. He was the winner against Kiski Area in the first round and tossed a complete game against Chartiers Valley in the quarters. In ’17, Latrobe beat Montour in the first round (4-3), Chartiers Valley in the quarters (2-1) and Mars in the championship (6-2). The Wildcats won their last 17 games that season. This year’s team is on a seven-game winning streak. … Hopewell is the Cinderella team in the postseason, having pulled upsets against No. 3 West Mifflin, No. 6 North Catholic and No. 7 Indiana. The Vikings had not won more than three in a row all season but are on a four-game streak as they chase their fifth WPIAL title. Barlion went 2 for 4 with a three-run homer and four RBIs in the Indiana win. Lucas Walton and John Vescio also had two hits. London Fox and David Medich pitched for the Vikings.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Hopewell, Latrobe