A-K Valley WPIAL baseball playoff capsule for Wednesday, May 20, 2026

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 | 4:52 PM

Purchase Photo Options

WPIAL Baseball Playoffs

Class 2A

Semifinals

4-Riverview (14-6) vs. 1-Fort Cherry (17-1)

4 p.m. Wednesday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Neshannock (17-3)/3-South Side (15-3) in championship game May 26 of 27, EQT Park, Washington (time TBD)

Players to watch: Owen Orbich, Riverview; Tyler Wolfe, Fort Cherry

Extra bases: Riverview will play in the WPIAL semifinals for the second year in a row. The Raiders lost to Burgettstown, 2-1, but came back to beat Laurel, 2-0, to qualify for states. The Raiders topped Laurel, 4-2, in the rematch Monday. Riverview junior Lukas Duncan picked up the pitching win, giving up just one earned run, seven hits and no walks while striking out six over his complete game. He also scored the winning run after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. Sophomore Owen Orbich walked in the same inning and later scored on a fielding error. Orbich (single) and Owen Metz (groundout) tallied fourth-inning RBIs to give the Raiders the lead. Riverview entered Monday’s game giving up just 3.3 runs a game. The Raiders topped No. 5 Frazier, 5-4, in the first round to get back in the win column after a pair of losses (OLSH, Greensburg Central Catholic) to close the regular season. … Fort Cherry was undefeated until a 5-2 loss to Burgettstown in the Section 1 finale to close out the regular season. The Rangers average 10.6 runs a game, and they exceeded that Monday in an 11-7 victory over No. 8 California in a Class 2A quarterfinal matchup between section rivals at Peterswood Park. Tyler Wolfe, a junior, fronted the potent Fort Cherry offensive attack with three hits. He doubled, homered and drove in three runs. Junior Ben Demascal had two singles and two RBIs, and senior Blake Sweder hit two singles and drove in four runs. Last year, Fort Cherry, as the No. 5 seed, was upset by No. 12 Laurel in the first round. The Rangers are hoping to return to the top in the 40th anniversary season of their only WPIAL title. … The loser of Wednesday’s game will play in a third-place consolation game next Tuesday or Wednesday at Ross Memorial Park in Washington with a trip to the state playoffs on the line.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Fort Cherry, Riverview