Westmoreland H.S. lookahead: Week of April 29-May 4

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, April 28, 2019 | 9:00 PM

MONDAY

Baseball

• There rarely is a dull matchup in Section 2-6A and each game has a bearing on the playoff chase. Three more key games will play into positioning as Connellsville visits Norwin, Latrobe plays at Plum, and No. 1 Penn-Trafford goes to Hempfield. Six teams are jockeying for four spots. Other area games of note: No. 2 Franklin Regional at Kiski Area (1-5A), No. 5 Greensburg Salem at Derry (1-4A), Mt. Pleasant at No. 2 Yough (1-4A), Brentwood at Jeannette (3-2A) and St. Joseph at No. 5 Greensburg Central Catholic (3-A).

Softball

• No. 1 Mt. Pleasant and No. 2 Yough could meet for a WPIAL title down the road. For now, they will try to settle a championship in Section 1-4A. Mt. Pleasant, which won the first meeting, 3-2, hosts Yough. Key games in Section 2-6A are No. 4 Norwin at Pine-Richland and Hempfield at No. 5 Seneca Valley. After a slow start, Hempfield has moved into a tie for second with Norwin. Class 5A No. 1 Penn-Trafford will try to stay unbeaten as it hosts Armstrong, while Albert Gallatin at Franklin Regional is another Section 1-5A matchup. Greensburg Central Catholic at Springdale is a game to watch in Section 3-A.

Boys tennis

• The WPIAL doubles championships begin at North Allegheny.

TUESDAY

Baseball

• Class 5A No. 2 Franklin Regional will look to say unbeaten at home this season when the Panthers host Fox Chapel. They have won seven straight games overall. Unbeaten Ligonier Valley will travel to Blairsville in District 6 as it chases a Heritage Conference title.

Softball

• Penn-Trafford will host Laurel Highlands in Section 1-5A. Another big-hitting local team, Ligonier Valley, heads to Blairsville.

Boys track & field

• The WPIAL team playoffs begin around the district and a number of county teams will be in action. In Class AAA, Norwin will host Central Catholic, Connellsville and Mt. Lebanon. Hempfield, Laurel Highlands and Franklin Regional will run at Baldwin. In Class AA, Derry, Freedom and Shady Side Academy are at Riverside, while Southmoreland, Chartiers Houston and South Side Beaver travel to Waynesburg.

Girls track & field

• Local teams will be at three sites in Class AAA. Belle Vernon, Chartiers Valley and Hampton are at Seneca Valley; Connellsville, Mt. Lebanon and Thomas Jefferson go to Norwin; and Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Butler, and West Allegheny visit Baldwin. In Class AA, Derry, Burrell, Mohawk and Shady Side Academy are at Riverside; and Greensburg Central Catholic and Brownsville head to South Park. The boys and girls team finals are May 6 at Peters Township.

Boys volleyball

• Some of the top WPIAL Class AAA teams are from Westmoreland and two of them meet in North Huntingdon as Norwin hosts Latrobe.

WEDNESDAY

Baseball

Penn-Trafford began the week with one loss this season, to Plum. The Warriors will look to avenge the defeat when they travel play the Mustangs in Section 2-6A. Norwin at Hempfield and Latrobe at Connellsville are other games from that section. The top game in Section 1-4A is Yough at Greensburg Salem, while Derry visits Highlands. Belle Vernon plays host to Ringgold in Section 3-4A.

Softball

Short-handed Latrobe hosts first-place Penn-Trafford in Section 1-5A, and Yough hosts Greensburg Salem (1-4A). Ligonier Valley will play at Central Martinsburg. In Section 2-6A, Hempfield goes to Butler in a battle of the big schools, and North Hills visits Norwin.

Boys tennis

• The WPIAL team tennis playoffs begin.

THURSDAY

Baseball

• Mt. Pleasant would like nothing more than to score an upset in Section 1-4A, and the Vikings will get a chance when they visit Knoch. Southmoreland at Derry could be a good nonsection game, and Ligonier Valley hosts Saltsburg in its senior recognition game. A key game in Section 2-6A that has twice been postponed is Latrobe at Penn-Trafford.

Softball

• Offense could be plentiful when Franklin Regional plays at Penn-Trafford in Section 1-5A. Belle Vernon at Elizabeth Forward is a key matchup in Section 2-4A.

Boys volleyball

• The match of the night in Section 3-AAA features two heavy-hitters: Hempfield at Norwin.

FRIDAY

Baseball

• Jeannette is chasing a playoff berth in Section 3-2A and the Jayhawks will get a chance to avenge a tough loss to Seton La Salle when they host the Rebels. Hempfield visits Connellsville, and Plum goes to Norwin in Section 2-6A.

Softball

• Hempfield will host Norwin, a team that it lost to earlier in the season, in Section 2-6A. Latrobe, meantime, goes to Connellsville. Home run-hitting Southmoreland hosts South Allegheny in Section 3-3A, and a local rivalry game that keeps getting rained out has Greensburg Central Catholic at Jeannette. Ligonier Valley will play a WPIAL opponent when it hosts Indiana.

Track & field

• The Baldwin Invitational, one of the top regular-season meets on the east side of the country, will attract some of the WPIAL’s top athletes.

SATURDAY

Softball

• The finalists in the WPIAL’s largest classification are no longer section opponents but they made sure to schedule each other. Latrobe hosts Hempfield at 2 p.m.

— Bill Beckner Jr.

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