Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL baseball playoff capsules for May 24, 2021

By: Greg Macafee
Sunday, May 23, 2021 | 4:21 PM

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Monday’s games

Class 4A

Quarterfinals

3-Blackhawk (14-4) vs. 6-Highlands (13-8)

3 p.m. at North Allegheny

Coaches: Lou Wolber, Blackhawk; Jeff Campbell, Highlands

Winner plays: Winner of 2-West Mifflin (12-4)/ 7-New Castle (11-9), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hampton.

Players to watch: Anthony Malagise, So., C, Blackhawk; Jett Slepak, Jr., INF, P, Highlands

Extra bases: The Cougars won their first nine games of the season, and all four of their losses came in section play. They placed second in Section 2 and earned a first-round bye. They recorded a 9-3 victory over Class 5A Mars heading into the playoffs. The Cougars also won two games over Highlands at the beginning of the season. … The Golden Rams have won six straight games, allowing just four runs during the streak. Tanner Nulph allowed five hits and struck out 10 in Highlands’ first-round win over Belle Vernon. In their past six games, the Golden Rams have outscored opponents 41-4.

Class A

Quarterfinals

2-Greensburg Central Catholic (13-4) vs. 7-Riverview (9-6)

2:30 p.m. at Haymaker Park

Coaches: Tom Appleby, Greensburg Central Catholic; William Gras, Riverview

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Rochester (10-4)/6-Jefferson-Morgan (12-5), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Plum.

Players to watch: Zach David, Jr. P, Greensburg Central Catholic; Ryan Aber, Sr. INF, Riverview

Extra bases: Greensburg Central Catholic lost four of its final five games heading into the playoffs. The Centurions earned an 11-7 win over Apollo-Ridge in their regular season finale. They also won 12 of their first 13 games and scored double-digit runs in 10 of those. The Centurions are looking for their first WPIAL title since 2015. … The Raiders made the playoffs for the first time since 2015, and their first-round victory over Avella was their first playoff win since 2014. Taylor Zellefrow hit a monster home run over the left-field fence at Plum during Riverview’s win against Avella, and Vince Shook put together a solid performance on the mound in their 7-2 victory.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Blackhawk, Greensburg C.C., Highlands, Riverview