Section 1-6A baseball showdowns part of 3 things to watch Monday in high school sports

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, April 29, 2018 | 10:33 PM

The final day of April allows high school sports fans to focus on one of the tightest sections in WPIAL baseball. A pair of big games should make it another big day in Section 1-6A.

The battle for first place takes place Tuesday at La Roche College as Central Catholic (6-2) host Butler (5-3).

In the middle of Section 1-6A on Monday is North Allegheny (4-4) at Pine-Richland (3-5). The two teams that met in the first WPIAL Class 6A baseball championship game a year ago battle for the second time this season. The Tigers wiped out an early one-run deficit to beat the Rams, 3-1, behind Ben Surman’s two hits.

Listen to the Tigers vs Rams at 4 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network .

The bottom has Seneca Valley (3-5) hosting Shaler (3-5). The Titans lost at home to the Raiders 10 days ago and could be in trouble if they lose again, as they would lose the tie-breaker to Seneca Valley. Either way, the loser of Monday’s game in Harmony will need to win the section finale and get some help.

Big games going prime time

With the weather expected to be wonderful, a handful of key WPIAL baseball games will be played under the lights Monday.

Peters Township (4-5) will visit South Hills neighbor Upper St. Clair (6-4) at 7 p.m. The Indians are a game out of fourth place and a playoff spot while the Panthers look to clinch their first postseason berth for the first time since 2012.

North Hills (9-1) hosts Mars (5-3) at 7 p.m. The Fightin’ Planets were preseason No. 1 in Class 5A, but while they are fighting to secure a playoff spot, North Hills can clinch at least a share of the section crown with a victory.

West Allegheny (8-0) heads to the Burkett Complex in Robinson to meet Montour (5-4) at 7 p.m. The Indians are one of four undefeated WPIAL baseball teams while the Spartans can clinch a playoff trip with a home win.

Laurel Highlands is one of the other unbeaten teams (10-0) and will travel to Latrobe (5-5) at 5 p.m. The defending champion Wildcats are trying to hold off Albert Gallatin for the fourth playoff spot in Section 3-5A.

There are two games under the lights featuring the top four teams in Section 3-4A. First-place Ringgold (9-1) is at fourth place South Park (5-5) at 7 p.m., while third-place Belle Vernon (6-3) takes on second-place West Mifflin (8-3), also at 7. The Rams and Titans have clinched spots in the upcoming district postseason.

Big game in the A-K Valley

While a lot of attention this time of year is on the section title races, there are key games up and down the standings, especially those fighting for fourth place and a WPIAL playoff spot.

In WPIAL softball Monday, a pair of teams with a combined section record of 2-8 and a combined overall mark of 3-9 will meet with a postseason berth possibly at stake.

Perennial power Deer Lakes (1-5) will visit Valley (1-3).

The Vikings are in catch up mode; this will be the first of five straight section games for them. Valley hosts South Allegheny and Freeport on Tuesday and Wednesday and visits Burrell Thursday and East Allegheny Friday.

The Lancers’ playoff hopes may be in jeopardy if they lose Monday. The last time Deer Lakes missed out on the WPIAL softball playoffs was 2010.

The two teams still have a make-up game at Deer Lakes, with a date to be determined.

Don Rebel is a TribLIVE High School Sports Network broadcaster and staff writer. Reach him at drebel@tribweb.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Butler, Deer Lakes, Laurel Highlands, Montour, North Allegheny, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Ringgold, Seneca Valley, Shaler, South Park, Upper St. Clair, Valley, West Allegheny, West Mifflin