High school roundup for June 13, 2023: Shaler baseball, volleyball, Mars boys lacrosse heading to state finals
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Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | 10:52 PM
Shaler’s Derek Leas smiles after driving in a run against North Hills on April 25.
With a trip to the state championship game on the line, the Hershey High School ballpark couldn’t contain the Shaler Titans.
Shaler hit four home runs, including three in the second inning, to roll past Bonner Prendergast, 9-3, in the Class 5A semifinals Tuesday.
The Titans (13-3) will face Strath Haven (21-4) in the state finals at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Penn State.
Derek Leas led off the bottom of the second with a solo home run. After Ben Yeckel walked, Connor Hamrick and Brady Alexander went back to back to give Shaler a 4-0 lead it did not relinquish.
Max Saban added a three-run shot in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.
Miguel Hugas earned the win for Shaler, scattering 11 hits and allowing three runs in five innings.
Austin Cannon went 3 for 4 with a home run for Bonner Prendergast (12-4).
Boys volleyball
Shaler 3, Central York 0 – The Shaler boys volleyball team pulled off an unprecedented trifecta with a sweep of Central York in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. The 25-22, 25-18, 27-25 victory made Shaler the first WPIAL school to send three spring sports teams — baseball, softball and boys volleyball — to the state finals in the same year.
The Titans (19-1) will face District 11 champ Parkland (22-0) in the championship game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Penn State.
Boys lacrosse
Mars 11, Lampeter Strasburg 7 – For the third straight year, the Mars boys lacrosse team is headed to the state championship game.
Ian Coulter scored four times, including the game-tying goal in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Blake put the Fightin’ Planets ahead for good with 7:26 to go in a PIAA Class 2A semifinal victory over Lampeter Strasburg (20-4).
Mars (22-2), which became the first WPIAL team to win a state lacrosse title last season, trailed 5-1 in the first half and 6-4 at halftime before rallying. The Fightin’ Planets will take on District 1 runner-up Marple Newtown (22-3) in the title game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Penn State.
More Baseball
• WPIAL baseball committee seeds 5A bracket by ‘throwing out the numbers,’ focuses on matchups• High school roundup for May 10, 2024: Neshannock gears up for playoffs with win over North Allegheny
• Breaking down the 2024 WPIAL baseball playoffs
• Latrobe gets WPIAL finals rematch with Hopewell in Class 4A 1st round
• Red-hot Valley learns playoff seed, gets ready for ‘whole new season’
