WPIAL baseball, softball quarterfinals among Monday’s 3 things to watch in high school sports

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, May 21, 2018 | 2:15 AM

Vincentian Academy's baseball team hasn't played a real game in 10 days. Serra Catholic has waited 11 days, while Riverside and Blackhawk each were idle for 12.

For the top seeds who drew first-round byes, their wait is over.

The WPIAL baseball playoffs resume Monday with quarterfinal matchups in Class A , Class 2A , Class 3A and Class 4A . The two largest classifications return to action Tuesday.

There are 16 baseball games on Monday's schedule .

Will that down time affect the No. 1 seeds? Blackhawk faces Greensburg Salem in Class 4A, Riverside plays Steel Valley in Class 3A, Serra Catholic plays Laurel in Class 2A and Vincentian Academy faces Cornell in Class A.

A year ago, baseball teams that earned first-round byes went 13-8 in the quarterfinals. However, the No. 1 seeds fared rather well and went 5-1. Only Vincentian Academy suffered an early exit in 2017.

Softball reaches quarterfinals

The WPIAL softball playoffs also have reached the quarterfinal round and all 48 teams still in contention are in action Monday.

Just like in the baseball playoffs, softball teams that drew first-round byes also had to endure more than a week between games. Softball teams with first-round byes went 13-5 in last year's quarterfinals.

One interesting Class 6A matchup pairs No. 1 Hempfield and No. 8 Canon-McMillan. Combined the two teams won the WPIAL's largest classification in five of the past six years. Hempfield has won three in a row (Class 6A in 2017, Class 4A in 2016 and 2015). Canon-McMillan won Class 4A in 2013 and 2012).

Girls lacrosse semifinals

Defending WPIAL girls lacrosse champions Pine-Richland and Hampton are one win away from a return to the finals.

The semifinals for both Class AAA and AA are Monday.

In Class AAA , No. 1 seed Pine-Richland plays No. 5 Shady Side Academy at 7:30 p.m. No. 2 Mt. Lebanon faces No. 6 Sewickley Academy at 6 p.m. Both Class AAA games are at Peters Township.

In Class AA , No. 7 Quaker Valley plays No. 6 Franklin Regional at 6 p.m. No. 1 Hampton plays No. 4 Mars at 7:30 p.m. The Class AA games are both at Seneca Valley.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Blackhawk, Canon-McMillan, Cornell, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Hempfield Area, Laurel, Mars, Mt. lebanon, Pine-Richland, Quaker Valley, Riverside, Sewickley Academy, Shady Side Academy, Steel Valley, Vincentian Academy