A-K Valley WPIAL playoff softball preview capsules for May 19, 2022

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 | 5:19 PM

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WPIAL softball playoffs

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

3-Deer Lakes (11-4) vs. 6-Waynesburg (13-4)

5 p.m. Thursday at West Mifflin

Winner plays: Winner of 2-South Allegheny (12-3) vs. 10-Keystone Oaks (10-10) on Tuesday in semifinals (site, time TBD)

Players to watch: Reese Hasley, Deer Lakes; Kendall Lemley, Waynesburg

Extra bases: The Lancers were awarded a No. 3 seed and first-round bye after finishing first in Section 1 with an 8-0 record. Nonsection losses to Knoch and Shaler at the end of the season snapped an 11-game winning streak. Reese Hasley (.442), Lydia Guthrie (.405), Maddie Kee (.389, 23 RBIs) and Anna Bokulich (.354) lead the Lancers at the plate along with Tia Germanich (.347), who has added four homers and 22 RBIs, both team highs. Kee is 11-1 in the circle with a 1.66 ERA and 112 strikeouts. … Waynesburg cruised past South Park, 16-3, in the first round. Pitcher Kendall Lemley earned the win and also was 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Riley Heisenbaugh also homered. Ehralyn Eisiminger had three RBIs, and Kylee Goodman knocked in two runs with a double and triple.

Class A

Quarterfinals

6-Leechburg (9-5) vs. 3-Greensburg Central Catholic (11-5)

4 p.m. Thursday at North Allegheny

Winner plays: Winner of 7-Jefferson-Morgan (7-7) vs. 2-Union (17-3) on Tuesday in semifinals (site, time TBD)

Players to watch: Bella Vozar, Leechburg; Emma Henry, GCC

Extra bases: Leechburg, a perennial playoff team and three-time WPIAL champion, overwhelmed Rochester in the first round 19-0 in three innings. The Blue Devils erupted for 15 runs in the second inning. Pitcher Anna Cibik did not allow a hit and struck out seven. Vozar drove in five runs, and Grace Richards and Fayln Verner had three RBIs each. Nine doubles and a triple kept the base paths moving. Leechburg lost to Union in the semifinals last year 7-2 before advancing to the PIAA tournament. … Greensburg Central Catholic was awarded with a No. 3 seed and a bye after finishing second in Section 2 behind No. 1 seed and three-time defending champion West Greene. There was a sizable gap in the standings after those two teams. GCC won five of its final seven games, four of them via shutout. Henry is a dual threat as a pitcher and hitter.

4-Springdale (10-1) vs. 5-South Side (13-4)

3 p.m. Thursday at Montour

Winner plays: Winner of 1-West Greene (12-3) vs. 9-Mapletown (11-7) on Tuesday in semifinals (site, time TBD)

Players to watch: Alexis Hrivnak, Springdale; Madi Fischer, South Side

Extra bases: Springdale won the Section 3 title at 10-0 and earned a first-round bye. Springdale suffered its lone nonsection loss at Greensburg Central Catholic in the season opener back in March. The Dynamos have outscored opponents 129-8 since. In Springdale’s most recent game, a 3-1 victory over Leechburg on May 11, Alexis Hrivnak tossed a four-hitter with 16 strikeouts and also knocked in a run. … South Side defeated Springdale, 3-2, in the quarterfinals last season, also at Montour. The Rams shut out Northgate, 14-0, in the first round. Madi Fischer threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and also was 3 for 3 with three RBIs. Alison Delong hit a three-run homer.

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: Deer Lakes, Greensburg C.C., Leechburg, South Side, Springdale, Waynesburg