What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 27, 2024: After rainout, Fox Chapel goes for section sweep

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 | 11:21 PM

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Its back to work for WPIAL baseball and softball teams Wednesday after a washout Tuesday thanks to all-day precipitation.

Fox Chapel (1-0, 2-1) needed extra innings to win its Section 1-5A baseball game Monday at home. Now 48 hours later, the Foxes look to bring out the brooms when they visit Penn-Trafford (0-1, 1-1) on Wednesday.

Mitchell Epstein hit a walk-off sac fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to score Joe Geller, who had doubled, as the Foxes edged the Warriors, 4-3.

Following Tuesday’s rainout, the teams meet again at Penn-Trafford at 4 p.m.

Also in Section 1-5A, Franklin Regional (1-0, 3-3) tries to take two in a row as it visits Penn Hills (0-1, 0-1).

The Panthers crushed the Indians on Monday, 15-1.

More late inning heroics

The only other baseball game Monday that ended with a walk-off victory was a Section 2-2A clash as Laurel squeaked by South Side, 5-4.

The host Spartans trailed the Rams 4-1 but rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, thanks to a two-run walk off single by Luca Santini.

The second game of the section series has Laurel (1-0, 1-0) visiting South Side (0-1, 1-1) on Wednesday.

Battle of the Hills

While most district softball teams play all the teams in their section one time through, then play them again in the second half of section play, that won’t be the case for a pair of Indians.

North Hills will visit Penn Hills on Wednesday in a Section 1-5A opener, then after a couple more section contests for both teams, they will play again in two weeks at North Hills.

Both Indians squads are off to good starts.

North Hills is 3-1 with its only loss coming to Class 6A Pine-Richland.

Penn Hills has been explosive out of the gates, winning its first two nonsection games by a combined score of 28-7.