A-K Valley WPIAL softball playoff capsules: Games for Thursday, May 18, 2023

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 | 2:10 PM

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WPIAL softball playoffs

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

4-Burrell (12-5) vs. 5-Mohawk (12-4)

5 p.m. Thursday at Montour

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Avonworth (18-1)/8-Central Valley (10-8) in semifinals (site/date/time TBD)

Players to watch: Pyper Ferres, Burrell; Lydia Cole, Mohawk

Extra bases: The Bucs took down perennial power Mt. Pleasant, 4-1, in the first round Tuesday at Plum. Senior pitcher Katie Armstrong was her usual dominant self as she struck out 15 and walked none while scattering six hits in the complete-game victory. Burrell’s offense was paced by the long ball as sophomores Ferres, Bella Stewart and Brae Jones hit solo home runs. Freshman Jenna Morrison also collected an RBI. Burrell is in the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season. A win Thursday also puts the Bucs in the PIAA playoffs for the second year in a row. … Mohawk punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 14-6 victory over No. 12 South Park. Cole, a freshman, doubled twice and homered in the win. Fellow freshman Addy Moskal went 4 for 4 with a double and a triple. The Warriors collected 17 hits. Mohawk finished in a three-way tie for the Section 2 title with Central Valley and Hopewell. The win over South Park was its eighth in a row. The Warriors last played in the quarterfinals in 2019. Mohawk is young with just one senior on the roster.

Class A

Quarterfinals

7-Leechburg (11-7) vs. 2-Carmichaels (16-0)

3 p.m. Thursday at Gateway

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Frazier (13-1)/6-Jefferson-Morgan (9-7) in semifinals (date/site/time TBD)

Players to watch: Karli Mazak, Leechburg; Bailey Barnyak, Carmichaels

Extra bases: Leechburg is in the WPIAL quarterfinals for the sixth year in a row. The Blue Devils rolled past No. 10 South Side, 8-1, on Tuesday in a rematch of their 2021 consolation final. Senior pitcher Anna Cibik allowed one hit and struck out 10 in the complete game. The Rams’ lone run was unearned. She also smacked a home run and drove in two. Fellow senior Mazak recorded a two-run double, and freshman Adalyn Zanotto doubled and tallied an RBI. … Carmichaels (16-0) finished the regular season with four straight shutouts. That streak included an 11-0 win over No. 5 West Greene (12-7) on May 5. The Mighty Mikes scored 10 or more runs in 13 of their 16 wins. Carmichaels won Class 2A softball titles in 1997 and 1998. Freshman Bailey Barnyak is 14-0 in the pitching circle with a 0.35 earned-run average and 152 strikeouts. Fellow freshman Carys McConnell leads the team with 28 RBIs while batting .531 (26 of 41).

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: Burrell, Carmichaels, Leechburg, Mohawk