A-K Valley high school baseball playoff preview capsules for May 20, 2024

By: Bill Hartlep
Sunday, May 19, 2024 | 3:48 PM

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WPIAL baseball playoffs

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

7-Penn-Trafford (17-3) vs. 2-Fox Chapel (14-6)

7 p.m. Monday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 6-Franklin Regional/3-North Hills on Tuesday (time, site TBD) in semifinals

Players to watch: Tyler Freas, Penn-Trafford; Jeremy Haigh, Fox Chapel

Extra bases: The teams split a two-game series March 25-26. The Foxes won in eight innings 4-3, and then the Warriors rallied for a 3-2 win. … Penn-Trafford opened the playoffs with an 8-2 win against Moon. … Freas led the offense with two hits, and Brandon Roher was the winning pitcher. … Second baseman Brayden Stone is batting .404. … Ethan Septak has 20 RBIs, and Chuck Fontana has 27 hits. … Haigh is batting .436 with two home runs, 17 RBIs and 16 runs. He also is 3-1 with a 1.05 ERA. … Antonio LeDonne is hitting .355 with 19 runs scored, 19 stolen bases and 10 RBIs. … Christian Wilkinson is 1-0 with five saves. He has 19 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

14-Burrell (12-8) vs. 11-Neshannock (12-9)

6:30 p.m. Monday at Seneca Valley

Winner plays: Winner of 15-East Allegheny (13-6)/7-Avonworth (13-8) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: A.J. McClafferty, Burrell; Jake Rynd, Neshannock

Extra bases: Burrell upset No. 3 Mt. Pleasant, 6-2, in the first round. McLafferty, a Saint Vincent commit, knocked in three runs, and Isaac Lacinski had two RBIs. Stephen Hasson tossed a three-hitter with three strikeouts. The Bucs have won eight of their past 11 games. They are averaging 6.0 runs and allowing 5.8 this season. Burrell won its lone WPIAL baseball title in 1974. … Neshannock took down No. 6 Waynesburg, 6-1, in the first round. Jake Rynd scattered seven hits and had eight strikeouts. Rynd and Dom Cubellis have formed a strong 1-2 punch on the mound, combining to go 10-2 in the regular season. Boyd Kurutz had two hits and an RBI in the first round. The Lancers, who have won five of their past six games, have captured six WPIAL titles, the most recent coming in 2015.

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

2-OLSH (16-4) vs. 7-Riverview (13-6)

4 p.m. Monday at Seneca Valley

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Seton LaSalle (14-3)/6-Chartiers-Houston (10-8) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Sean Hudac, OLSH; Eli DeVita, Riverview

Extra bases: OLSH had a bye in the first round after winning the Section 2 title at 13-1. The Chargers average 9.4 runs and allow 3.0. They have won 11 straight games. Sean Hudac, Brady Brazell, Vann Kavals and Gino Williams have at least 20 RBIs each. In the regular-season finale, a 12-4 win over Seton LaSalle, Hudac was 3 for 4 with four RBIs, and Anthony Hansen was 2 for 3 with a homer and three RBIs. OLSH is seeking its first WPIAL title. … Riverview beat No. 10 Beth-Center, 2-0, in the first round. The Raiders advanced to the quarterfinals last season before falling to Seton LaSalle. DeVita leads the Raiders with a .527 average and 23 RBIs. Johnny Bertucci and Miles Duncan knocked in runs in the first round. Jack Loughren allowed two hits with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings to earn the win. Bertucci earned the save.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Fox Chapel, Neshannock, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Penn-Trafford, Riverview