A-K Valley WPIAL baseball playoff capsules: Games for Monday, May 22, 2023

By: Bill Hartlep
Sunday, May 21, 2023 | 4:44 PM

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WPIAL baseball playoffs

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

1-Shaler (16-4) vs. 8-Fox Chapel (13-8)

4 p.m. Monday at Plum

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Plum (13-7)/5-South Fayette (16-4) in semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny

Players to watch: Miguel Hugas, Shaler; Jeremy Haigh, Fox Chapel

Extra bases: Shaler earned a first-round bye after winning the Section 3-5A title at 9-1. The Titans have won four straight games, including a sweep of Mars. They have posted seven shutouts. Hugas, a Venezuelan native and Alabama commit, has 25 RBIs and is also 6-0 on the mound. Colby Weber was 5-1, and Derek Leas was 4-2 in the regular season. … Fox Chapel is coming off a 6-4 win over No. 9 Mars in the first round, snapping a three-game skid. Haigh went 2 for 3 and also earned the win on the mound for the Foxes, upping his record to 7-1 this spring. Jack Resek added two RBIs. Fox Chapel finished 8-4 and in third place in Section 1.

4-Plum (13-7) vs. 5-South Fayette (16-4)

6:30 p.m. Monday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Shaler (16-4)/8-Fox Chapel (13-8) in semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny

Players to watch: Erik Streussnig, Plum; Tyler Pitzer, South Fayette

Extra bases: Plum defeated No. 13 Trinity, 6-3, in the first round. Streussnig and Caden Norcutt each had a pair of RBIs for the Mustangs. Brady Dojonovic tossed a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts, and Colin Watson came on for the save. Logan Kemmerer also had two hits. The Mustangs have won 10 of their past 11. … South Fayette is coming off a 7-0 win over No. 12 Armstrong in the first round. The Lions finished second in Section 2 at 7-3. They started the season 6-0, including four wins at a tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla. They have won nine of their past 10 games. Against Armstrong, winning pitcher Tyler Pitzer tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and also was 2 for 2 with a double and homer. Christian Brandi and Pitzer have knocked in 23 runs each.

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

1-Riverside (18-0) vs. 8-Freeport (15-5)

7:30 p.m. Monday at Pullman Park

Winner plays: Winner of 4-East Allegheny (13-5)/12-Mohawk (13-7) in semifinals, 2 p.m. Tuesday at Pullman Park

Players to watch: Ashton Schlosser, Riverside; Zach Clark, Freeport

Extra bases: Riverside opened the WPIAL playoffs with an 8-0 win over Valley on Thursday. Evan Burry and Mitch Garvin had two hits and two RBIs each. Winning pitcher Ronnie Harper struck out 10 in five innings. Schlosser and Bo Fornataro are both hitting near .500. Brothers Mitch and Hunter Gavin combined for 44 RBIs. The top-seeded Panthers, the only unbeaten team in the WPIAL, are chasing their sixth district title. … Freeport is coming off a 9-2 triumph over No. 9 South Allegheny. Clark and Brady Stivenson knocked in two runs each. Matt Corfield allowed two hits and one earned run over five innings with six strikeouts to earn the win. The Yellowjackets have won eight of the past 10 games.

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

2-Seton LaSalle (14-4) vs. 10-Riverview (10-7)

1:30 p.m. Monday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 3-New Brighton (14-4)/11-Ligonier Valley (12-7) in semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Players to watch: Gio LoNero, Seton LaSalle; Enzo Lio, Riverview

Extra bases: Seton LaSalle earned a bye in the first round after winning the Section 2-2A title at 12-2. The Rebels, who have outscored opponents 193-38, have won three straight games and eight of their past 10. Gio LoNero leads the Rebels with a .607 average, with four homers and 30 RBIs. Brian Reed is hitting .481 and has added five home runs and 25 RBIs. Michael Todd is batting .457 with 15 RBIs, and Nate Georgiana is hitting .431, has knocked in 25 runs and is 5-0 on the mound. … Riverview is coming off a 7-2 victory over No. 7 Charleroi in the first round. It was the Raiders’ fourth straight win. Enzo Lio allowed six hits and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. Jack Loughren knocked in a pair of runs. Rece Stempfer is hitting .571, while Luke Migely is batting .535 with 15 RBIs.

Class A

Quarterfinals

3-Leechburg (13-4) vs. 6-Bishop Canevin (12-3)

4 p.m. Monday at Highlands

Winner plays: Winner of 2-Eden Christian (12-4)/7-Rochester (9-7) in semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway

Players to watch: Chase Henry, Leechburg; Kole Olszewski, Bishop Canevin

Extra bases: Leechburg earned a first-round bye after finishing second in Section 2-A at 10-2, behind No. 1 Union. The Blue Devils won their last eight games, sweeping section series against St. Joseph, Springdale and Rochester. Their losses came against Union twice, as well as Apollo-Ridge and Armstrong. Sophomore Chase Henry leads the offense with a .485 batting average. Senior Owen McDermott is batting .460 with 27 RBIs and also carries a 1.89 ERA. Senior Tyler Burke is hitting .339 with 25 RBIs. … Bishop Canevin advanced to the quarterfinals after a 10-0 win over No. 11 Western Beaver. The Crusaders finished second in Section 3 behind Eden Christian and have won eight straight games, outscoring opponents 99-7 in that stretch, including five shutouts. In the first-round win, Quentin White was 2 for 3 with four RBIs, and Olszewski was 3 for 3 with three RBIs. Tyler Maddix tossed a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Mason Glover carries a .536 batting average, Olszewski is batting .400 with 18 RBIs, Maddix is batting .449 with 21 RBIs and White is hitting .452 with 21 RBIs this season.

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.