MSA Sports Baseball & Softball Playoff Recaps for Monday, May 19th

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, May 20, 2014 | 12:03 AM

After being pushed back from the postseason spotlight last week because of Mother Nature, it was a busy day of both First Round and Quarterfinals contests in the WPIAL softball playoffs. Plus a leftover Class AAA baseball Quarterfinals game and a pair of Class A Semifinals contests made for plenty of diamond doings on Monday. Here are summaries of all the action, most of which was heard here on The Network.

A special thanks to Don Rebel, Josh Rowntree, Bobby Fox, Randy Gore, Dennis Fischer, Bob Gregg, Lou Rood, Pete Blais, Sean Meyers, Mike Azadian, Jason Tennant, Greg Kuntz and Adam Gusky for their help on these recaps.

BASEBALL:

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Hampton Talbots 6 – Knoch Knights 2
The Hampton Talbots advanced to the semifinal round of the WPIAL Triple A baseball playoffs on Monday afternoon with a 6-2 win over Section 5 rival, the Knoch Knights, at North Allegheny High School.  Hampton opened the scoring in the first inning when Eddie Edwards led off with a double and, after two were out, stole third base.  When the throw went into left field, Edwards trotted home with the Talbots first run.  In the second inning, Hampton struck again when Tyler Merigliano looped a single to center, reached third on a two out throwing error, and came home on a single by Edwards.  Knoch scored its first run in the third when Cole Shinsky doubled, moved to third on a Zach Junk single, and raced home on a two out Chris Law single.  Hampton answered with two runs in the home half of the third when Ben Vey drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a Zach Staszak single.  After Ty Iverson advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, Matt Donnelly chased home Vey with a single and, when the throw to the plate got away, Staszak sped home with Hampton’s fourth run.  The Knights added a run in the fifth when Jordan Hickey walked and scored on a two base error to draw Knoch to within two, 4-2.  But Hampton salted the game away with two more runs in the fifth when Luke Nugent walked and scored on an Iverson double.  Iverson then came home on a Donnelly single to cap the scoring.  David Cricks was the winning pitcher for Hampton, going six innings, giving up one earned run on three hits, walking one, and striking out eight.  Alex Stobert took the loss, going an inning and a third, giving up one run on one hit, walking one, and striking out one.  He was forced from the game with an injury after a collision with a Hampton base runner along the first base line in the second inning.  Hampton (13-6), the #3 seed, will meet #10 seed West Allegheny in the semifinals on Friday at West Mifflin High School at 4:00.  The winner will advance to the championship game to take on the winner of #1 Blackhawk and #4 West Mifflin.  Knoch ends its season at 8-9.

WPIAL CLASS A Semifinals:

California Trojans 16 – Sewickley Academy Panthers 5 
Keyed by an offensive onslaught, the top-seeded California Trojans claimed victory against Sewickley Academy 16-5 in Class A quarterfinals at Ross Memorial Park in Washington. With the win, the undefeated Trojans advance to the championship game to face Carmichaels. The Trojans scored three runs in the top of the first, and added seven more in the second to take a commanding advantage. The Panthers battled back with three in the bottom of the third to cut their deficit to 11-4, but the No. 13 seed would never pull any closer. In the sixth, the Trojans added four more runs, and enacted the mercy rule victory by keeping Sewickley Academy off the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame. California belted 18 hits, chasing Panthers’ hurler Sam Duerr in the second inning. Trojans’ catcher Jake Columbus went a perfect five-for-five, including a double and a pair of runs batted in. Ron Baron went two-for-three, and also added a pair of walks, and Louden Conte also reached base four times. Additionally, Aaron Previsky contributed three hits, including a triple and a double. Trojans’ starting pitcher Josh Luko, who has four shutouts to his credit this season, worked only two innings, yielding a run on four hits. Garitt Woodburn struggled in relief, as he allowed four runs, but freshman Nathaniel Luketich pitched effectively to secure the victory.  For the Panthers, Drew Johnson singled in all three of his at-bats, while John Nagel and Duerr also added two hits apiece. Both sides struggled defensively and in controlling the run game, as the teams combined for eight errors and an array of wild pitches and passed balls. Sewickley Academy will play in a consolation game in which the winner will qualify for the PIAA postseason, while the Trojans will look to complete their perfect campaign with a championship at Consol Energy Field next week.

Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 9 – Riverview Raiders 0 
When Carmichaels opened the postseason with a 10-2 win over Springdale, they took advantage of 7 errors committed by the Dynamo defense.  In the Semifinals they would face another Section 4 team in Riverview, who would also commit seven errors, and again the Mighty Mikes took full advantage on their way to a 9-0 win.  The difference this time though was the ability of pitcher Brandon Lawless and the Mikes’ defense to completely shut down their opponents offensively.  The Mikes jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the top of the first, both scoring on free passes as Bill Bowlen was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and then Joel Spishock walked.  Riverview stranded a runner in the first and started the second with back-to-back walks.  From that point on though, Lawless took over.  He stranded the two walks and went on to retire 15 batters in a row to take him through the sixth inning.  Meanwhile the Mikes were adding on.  They scored 4 runs on 4 hits in the third, including a triple from Ty Cole and a double from Spishock.  Riverview committed 3 errors in the fourth and the Mikes got two more runs to go up 6-0.  A 2-out walk in the fifth to Brennan McMinn, followed by a stolen base and another error put  Carmichaels in front, 7-0.  In the sixth, Bowlen led off with a double and then 2 errors plated two more runs for the Mikes.  Down 9-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Riverview snapped the streak of 15 in a row retired when Jason Anthony singled, but he was caught in a rundown attempting to steal second and Lawless struck out the next two to end the game.  Lawless got the complete-game shutout, allowing only 2 hits with 7 strikeouts.  Nick DiBucci took the loss for Riverview.  He left the game after 5 innings, trailing 7-0.  He struck out 4 and walked 3.  The Mikes move on to an all-Section 1 Championship Game against California.

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SOFTBALL:

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:

Canon-McMillan Big Macs 3 – North Allegheny Tigers 1 
Top-seeded Canon-McMillan scored three runs in the second inning and held off ninth-seeded North Allegheny, 3-1, on Monday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AAAA softball playoffs. With two outs and runners at the corners in the bottom of the second, Jada Kemp laid down a bunt single that scored Mandi Stranges from third for a 1-0 Big Macs lead.  Sophomore Linda Rush followed with a two-run double to score Taylor Bruno and Kemp to expand CM’s advantage to 3-0. North Allegheny posted only one hit against Canon-Mac pitcher Tara Fowler in the first three innings, but the Tigers mounted continuous threats throughout the remainder of the game.  In the fifth inning, NA got on the board on a Laura Cotter RBI double that plated Erica Jelinek from first base to trim the score to 3-1, Big Macs. In the sixth, the Tigers posted back to back two-out singles by Casey Ginocchi and Emily Hogan but Fowler buckled down to end the threat with a fly out. In the seventh, the Tigers led off with back-to-back singles by Logann Woodley and Mackenzie Gostomski. However, Fowler managed to again thwart the Tigers threat with three straight outs to end the ballgame. Fowler earned the win in a complete game effort, allowing eight hits and one run. Madi Beining also tossed a complete game for the Tigers and was saddled with the loss. Canon-McMillan improves to 17-3 on the season and advances to the WPIAL semifinals.  North Allegheny’s season ends with a mark of 16-5.

Latrobe Wildcats 3 – Seneca Valley Raiders 2 
Latrobe scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and held that two run lead until Seneca Valley tied the game in the top of the 7th inning. However, the Wildcats were able to respond in the bottom of the 7th to to advance to the WPIAL Semifinals. Latrobe scored their runs in the bottom of the first, as Alexis Fearer was walked by Seneca Valley pitcher Nikki Matz, advanced to second on a Lexie Zoppetti sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Shelby Noel double. Noel then scored on an RBI single by Ashley Perillo. Latrobe’s freshman pitcher, Meredith Carr, struck out 6 batters in the win. She faced just two batters over the minimum through the first six innings, prior to faltering in the top of the 7th. Seneca Valley was able to tie the game when Elayna Nagy singled to lead off the 7th inning, and advanced to third on a Julia Zazinka double. Nagy then scored on a Nikki Matz RBI single. Zazinka tied the game as she was driven in on an RBI single by Alyssa Panza. Latrobe was able to recover and get the win, aided by a pair of Raider errors. Alexis Fearer reached first on a throwing error by Seneca Valley second baseman, Paige Foley. She advanced to second on Lexie Zoppetti’s second sacrifice bunt of the afternoon. She then scored as Raider third baseman, Jess Nell, made her only mistake of the afternoon. Nell fielded a week grounder by Shelby Noel, but threw the ball out of play in an attempt to get her 7th defensive assist of the game. Fearer was already at third when the ball carried into the fans down the right field line, and subsequently scored on the one base error. Seneca Valley finishes their season at 13-3, while Latrobe improves their record to 15-4. The Wildcats will take on Canon McMillan in the WPIAL Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.

Shaler Titans 10 – Bethel Park Black Hawks 0 
The #2 Seed Shaler Lady Titans took control of their game versus the 10th seeded Bethel Park Lady Black Hawks in the 1st inning and never looked back enroute to a 10 run 5 inning victory.  Shaler pitcher Bri Dobson was impressive tossing a 2-hitter, striking out 1 and allowing no walks.   Dobson limited the Lady Black Hawks to 3 baserunners total on the 2 hits and a fielder’s choice.  Timely hitting combined with a strong defensive effort allowed the Lady Titans to cruise into the semi-finals.  Shaler scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st on a walk to Jacey Schott, a hit batter in AJ Nichols, two consecutive singles by Bri Dobson and Lauren Miller, and a Bethel Park error led to the explosion.  Freshman Shortstop Lauren Miller drove in the first two of her five RBI’s in the game with her bases loaded single that gave Shaler all the runs they would need.  The Lady Titans added another run in the 2nd when Schott reached base again, this time on a BP fielding error and following a walk to Hayley Dengler scored on AJ Nichols single.  After failing to score in the 3rd, Shaler broke the game open in the 4th inning with 4 more runs, all coming after there were 2 outs.  Schott again was a catalyst as she led off with a single to left, then following two quick outs Dobson doubled to put runners at 2nd and 3rd and Miller in turn drove them in with a single to left for two more RBI’s.  That drove Bethel Park starting pitcher Taylor Andres from the mound and brought in relief pitcher Jessica Cook.  Cook was greeted to the game with a towering 2-run Home Run to straight away center field by Amanda Sartori that made it 9-0.  The Lady Titans were able to close out the victory in the bottom of the 5th on consecutive singles by Dengler and Nichols, a walk to Dobson and bases loaded single by Lauren Miller that plated Dengler with the 10th run and capped the win.  The win runs Shaler’s record to 14-2 as the Lady Titans move on to the semi-finals to face Penn Trafford who defeated Plum 6-4. Bethel Park, who defeated Norwin 6-0 in the first round closes its season at 11-5.

Penn-Trafford Warriors 6 – Plum Mustangs 2 
The Penn Trafford Warriors used a well-balanced scoring attack and solid pitching to take down the Plum Mustangs, 6-2, to advance to the AAAA semifinals. Playing at Fox Chapel High School, the Warriors jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Sarah Coscho singled to lead-off the first inning and Cassie Sumac reached on an infield single to put two runners aboard. Coscho then scored on an error from Mustang pitcher Rachel Admaski and Hannah Dobernic had an RBI groundout to plate Sumac. Later, in the third inning, Jessica Zavolta reached second base on a throwing error and came around to score on an RBI single from Cassie Szymd. Facing a three-run deficit, the Mustangs offense came to life in the top of the fourth inning when Melissa LeClair jacked a two-run homer over the left field fence, plating both herself and Jordan Seneca. Plum found themselves right back in the game trailing by just one run, but the Warriors would respond quickly. In the bottom half of that same inning, Adamski hit back-to-back batters in Tori Lago and Ashley Yanniruberto to put two runners on base. Marrissa Bacco, pinch-hitting for Sumac, then scored both runners with a two-RBI double to center field, which put the Warriors back up by three. PT would add one more insurance run in the fifth as Dobernic tripled to lead off the frame and then tagged up to score on a sacrifice fly from Megan Little. Frankie Ponziani started the game in the circle for Penn Trafford and pitched three and two-thirds innings giving up just two hits and two runs while striking out two batters. She was replaced by Nicole Smith, shortly after giving up the homer to Leclair. In three and a third innings of relief work, Smith shut the door effectively on Plum as she allowed just two hits, no runs, and struck out five. Adamski went the distance for Plum and gave up six hits and six runs, although only four were earned. She also struck out two. With the win, Penn Trafford moves on to face the Shaler Titans this Wednesday afternooon. That game, along with the rest of the WPIAL softball playoffs can be heard right here on the MSA Sports Network.

WPIAL CLASS AAA First Round:

Greensburg-Salem Golden Lions 1 – Central Valley Warriors 0
The top-seed Golden Lions received a scare Monday afternoon at Gateway High School, but they move on to Round Two with a 1-0 victory over the upset minded Warriors. Melissa Wagner picked up the win for defending Triple-A champion Greensburg-Salem by allowing only five hits. She did have to pitch out of a couple of jams later in the game as central Valley threatened but could not dent the scoreboard. The games only run scored in the first inning when after hitting a triple, Claire Oberdorf scored on a Karly Mellinger ground out. The Warriors season ends with a final record of 8-8 while the Golden Lions again survive a first game scare to advance to the Quarterfinals on Tuesday with a record of 14-1.

West Allegheny Indians 8 – New Castle Red Hurricane 2 
The second game of a tripleheader at North Allegheny High School pitted the #8 West Allegheny Indians against The #9 New Castle Red Hurricane.  The Indians got on the board first in the bottom of the 2nd as Brooke Bagnell led off with a single.  Rachel McLaughlin’s double drove her in with the first run.  A hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases, McLaughlin scored on a fielder’s choice.  NC cut the lead in half in the ensuing inning as Abba Frengel singled to lead off.  She moved to 3rd on Sarah Antonelli’s base-hit and scored on a fielder’s choice.  West A, however, broke the game in the bottom half of the frame as Emily Cronin walked, McLaughlin singled 2 batters later, and Lexi Cogis walked to load the bases.  A fieldet’s choice scored Cronin, and a bases-loaded walk plated McLaughlin.  An RBI-single by Danna Heh scored Cogis to make it 5-1.  New Castle narrowed the lead to 5-2 as Christina Evans tripled and scored, but West A got 3 big insurance runs in the 6th as Taylor Hottenfeller doubled to lead off and scored on Brooke Wilson’s RBI single.  Wilson stole 2nd and scored on Bagnell’s RBI single, and she scored on an RBI single by Cogis, who reached base 4 times in the game.  Maria Kirkpatrick slammed the door with a 1-2-3 7th, striking out Dudich to end the game.  The Indians move on to the quarterfinal round of the AAA bracket where they have the unenviable task of attempting to upend the top-seeded and defending AAA Champion Greensburg-Salem Lions on Tuesday.  The Indians’ record now stands at 11-5 while New Castle, a proud member of MSA Sports’ Hometown Softball Program, has its season come to an end at 8-4.

Trinity Hillers 7 – Uniontown Red Raiders 4 in 8 Innings 
Emily Smith’s grounder scored the go-ahead run and Delaney Elling singled home two more in the eighth as Trinity topper Uniontown, 7-4, in extra innings.  The 5th-seeded Hillers overcame 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to advance to the quarterfinals Tuesday against #13 Thomas Jefferson. Uniontown jumped in front in the first.  Milissa Lucas’ single was sandwiched between a popout and a flyout.  Jenna Nypaver lifted a fly to center, dropped by Smith, keeping the inning alive.  Back-to-back two-out run-scoring singles by Trista Crise and Jordan Gibson gave the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead.  Trinity (16-2) got one back in the second when Paige Gallentine walked, moving to second two outs later on an errant throw attempting a lineout double play.  Starting pitcher Katelyn Campbell singled, driving in the run. Uniontown padded the margin to 3-1 in the third.  Nypaver singled after two out, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Crise’s second rbi single.  Gallentine took over in the circle and held Uniontown to one run and two hits the rest of the way.  Trinity rallied to tie the game in a wild fifth inning.  Campbell singled.  Pinchrunner Lauren McGavitt moved to second on a passed ball and scored one out later on Olivia Gray’s double.  Brooke Beck singled, scoring Gray.  Elling walked, gave way to courtesy runner Danielle Ashmore, and Hali Justice reached on a fielding error at first, loading the bases.  Gallentine’s grounder to short was fielded but Ashmore was called out for interference for making contact with Tia Forsythe who was shaken up but stayed in the game after a several minute delay. Now, with two out and the bases full, Madi Hornack slap-bunted a ball to third baseman Gibson who flipped home.  The homeplate umpire called safe, then out.  He then conferred with Trinity coach Shawn Gray, called Beck safe.  After a conversation with the first-base arbiter, Beck was again called out and the inning was over and the score remained 3-3. One out in the sixth, Campbell reached on a Forsythe throwing error.  One out and two wild pitches later, Gray tripled home the go-ahead run, putting Trinity in front for the first time.  In the bottom of the seventh, after one down, #9 hitter Lindsey Frey hit a flyball double down the line in right, in and out of the Beck’s glove sliding to the ground.  The Red Raiders sacrificed Forsythe, putting the tying run to third.  Lucas singled to right, scoring Frey.  Losing pitcher Leighlyn Guthrie walked and Nypaver reached on a fielding error on Gallentine, loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh.  Crise came to the plate, already with two hits and two rbi, and drove a ball to rightcenter but Smith tracked it down, sending the game to extra innings. Hornack bunted for a hit in the eighth, stole second and third during a strikeout.  Campbell grounded to third, Gibson held the runner, then held the ball, Campbell reaching on the fielder’s choice.  Smith grounded to short was misplayed, allowing Hornack to score.  After an out and a walk to load the bases, Elling singled to drive in a pair, closing the scoring. Gallentine got the win, working 5 1/3 innings, hold Uniontown to one run, two hits, at one point, retiring 11 of 12 Red Raider batters.  Campbell was charged with all three Uniontown runs, just one earned, in 2 2/3 innings, allowing five hits.  Gray, Beck and Campbell each had two hits, Gray and Elling two rbi each. Guthrie was charged with all seven runs but just three were earned as Uniontown committed five errors.  Lucas and Crise each had two hit, Crise two rbi.

South Fayette Lions 8 – Ambridge Bridgers 3 
What a difference a year makes. In 2013, Ambridge made it all the way to the AAA title game while South Fayette failed to qualify for the postseason. However in 2014, the Lions won their section and eliminated Ambridge on Monday afternoon at Fairhaven Park in Kennedy Township to advance to the Quarterfinals. The Lions jumped out early in the top of the first when freshman Sara Jubas scored on a ground ball to shortstop and sophomore Emily Bryan scored on the same play on a throwing error to first base. Ambridge cut the lead to 2-1 in their half of the first inning on a throwing error and had the bases loaded with one out when Jill Loftus’ bunt was popped up into a 5-6 inning ending double play. South Fayette took control after that, scoring four runs in the second inning and chasing Bridgers starter Kelly Haslett on a two-run double by Jubas, and RBI single by Bryan and and RBI base hit by sophomore Bailey Kormick. Bryan smacked a solo home run in the 4th inning for the Lions, who’s final run came on a run scoring single by winning pitcher Ashley Iagnemma in the sixth inning. Ambridge added singles runs in the fifth and sixth innings on a throwing error and an RBI single by Loftus. Iagnemma, the oldest Lions starter as a junior and daughter of head coach Vic Iagnemma, allowed one earned run on 5 hits with 3 walks and 9 strike outs in going the distance for South Fayette. Haslett suffered the loss for Ambridge pitching 1 1/3 innings and allowing 6 earned runs. Freshman Brooklyn Katula was sharp in relief for the Bridgers, who end their season at 5-7.She allowed only 2 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts.  The top four hitters in the Lions lineup were a combined 9 for 15 with 5 runs scored and 7 RBI. South Fayette improves to 13-1 and will face Elizabeth Forward in the Quarterfinals on Saturday.  

Elizabeth Forward Warriors 3 – Highlands Golden Rams 2 
Lauren Cain delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh as #7 Elizabeth-Forward got by #10 Highlands, 3-2.  The Warriors (13-6) advance to meet South Fayette in the quarterfinals. E-F had hits in every inning, but the three players who combined for the winning run came into the seventh wearing the “o-fer” collar.  Jessica Cartia singled to open the frame and moved to second on sacrifice by Lexi Ribarchak.  Ashley Baker’s basehit to left put Cartia at third and Cain dropped a short fly to center into the grass to get the win.  Winning pitcher Lauren Mathews held the Rams to two runs and four hits. Highlands (7-5) got on the board in the top of the third, Milissa Gustafson singled after one out, went to third on an errant throw on Robin Cebula’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Cassidy Runyan’s single.  Elizabeth-Forward, Section 2 runnerup, tied the game in the bottom of the inning.  Courtney Hrabosky led off with a hit and was sacrificed to second by Jen Keefer.  After Caitlyn Arico walked, McKenna Kern’s basehit scored Hrabosky.  The Warriors’ rightfielder scored again in the fourth, drawing a two-out walk.  Keefer followed with a single, Arico walked, then Kern walked to force in the run, making it 2-0.  Mathews was sailing along, facing the minimum batters after the Runyan hit until one out in the last inning.  Katelyn Kuniak drilled the first pitch of the at-bat well over the left field fence, tying the game.  But the Rams’ excitement was short-lived, lasting four batters into the bottom of the frame. E-F banged out 11 hits, three by Ribarchak. Kern and Keefer had a pair. The Warriors also drew five walks and stranded 13 runners.  Katie Grosholz took the complete-game loss.

West Mifflin Titans 6 – Mount Pleasant Vikings 0 
Third-seeded West Mifflin (17-2) got one of the best performances of the year from one of the WPIAL’s best players, advancing to the WPIAL AAA Quarterfinals with a convincing 6-0 win over No. 14 Mount Pleasant (9-8) on Monday afternoon at Gateway High School. Paige Flore, a Slippery Rock recruit, improved her record in the circle to 16-2, striking out eleven batters and walking none, while allowing just two hits in a complete game shutout. In addition to her stellar day in the circle, Flore went 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Before even taking the mound, Flore helped give herself run support by leading off the ballgame with a single and scoring two batters later on an RBI base hit by Alyssa Carins. Carins would later score on an error, giving West Mifflin a 2-0 lead after an inning of play. Flore would then drive in a run in the following inning, singling home Brooke Lowe to give the Titans a 3-0 advantage. Carins then pushed the West Mifflin lead to 4-0 with an RBI double in the fourth inning. Crystal Cook would cap the scoring for the Titans in the seventh inning, bringing home Carins and Amber Cook. Carins went 3 for 4 at the plate with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. For Mount Pleasant, they received their only two hits from Pitcher Ashley Pospisil, with neither hit leaving the infield. Pospisil pitched all seven innings, giving up 6 runs on eleven hits, while striking out one batter and walking two. The top four batters for the Vikings went 0 for 11 with four strikeouts and the bottom four batters went 0 for 9 with seven strikeouts. West Mifflin advances to the WPIAL AAA Quarterfinals for the second straight season, where they will meet the winner of Blackhawk and Mars on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Last year, the Titans defeated Mount Pleasant 16-2 in the WPIAL AAA First Round.

Mars Fighting Planets 5 – Blackhawk Cougars 4 in 8 Innings 
The final game of the first round in the Class AAA Softball bracket emanated from North Allegheny High School as the Blackhawk Cougars, the Section 1 Champion and #6-seed, battled the 2-team out of Section 5, the #11 Mars Fighting Planets.  Blackhawk wasted very little time getting on the board in the top of the opening frame as Heather Barrett singled with 2 outs, and a wild pitch moved her to 2nd.  She scored on Megan Davis’s RBI single.  The Cougars made it 2-0 one inning later as Sofia Papageorge doubled to lead off and scored on a ground-out by Hannah Schally.  The Planets got on the board in the bottom of 2 as Kasey Jones doubled and scored 3 batters later on an RBI single by Mallory Eperesi.  On the play, however, Marina Manuppelli, who walked previously, was caught in a rundown and tagged out between 2nd and 3rd, one of 2 base-running mistakes which could have proved costly, but Mars tied the game at 2 apiece one inning later.  Leading off with a double was Shannon Papik, and she scored on Erin Hershman’s RBI double.  Blackhawk regained the lead in the 4th as Davis and Bridgette Shaffer both singled, and both scored on Papageorge’s RBI double to make the score 4-2.  There was no quit in Mars, however, as they pulled to within a run in bottom of the inning.  Niki Schlegel singled and scored off of Shaffer, who relieved starter Danielle Lovato.  Schlegel scored on Epresi’s RBI double.  Epresi was in scoring position when a comebacker to the mound led to Mars’ other blunder on the basepaths.  Epresi was moving toward 3rd when she was caught in a rundown and tagged out by Papageorge.  After a 1-2-3 top of the 5th.  Mars tied the game as 3 straight hits by Jones, Panuppelli, and Schlegel scored Jones to even the game at 4.  Both teams had their chances in both the 6th & 7th innings, but great defense kept both teams off the board, which forced the game into extra frames.  The Planets got a base hit to lead off the bottom of the 8th from Jeanna Sybert.  She moved to 2nd on a single by Papik, and Blake Kitt drove a Shaffer pitch into right field which drove in Sybert with the winning run.  The Mars Fighting Planets upset the Blackhawk Cougars, 5-4, to advance to the Round of 8 in the Class AAA playoffs with a record of 10-4.  They will face the West Mifflin Titans, a proud member of the MSA Sports Hometown Softball Program, in the quarterfinals, on Tuesday.  Blackhawk put up a valiant effort, but fell just short, and consequently, their season comes to a close at 10-4.

WPIAL CLASS AA Quarterfinals:

Beaver Bobcats 2 – Burrell Buccaneers 0
The Bobcats Casey Farkasovsky did it with both her arm and her bat as the top-seed Bobcats advance to the district Final Four with a 2-0 whitewash of the Buccaneers Monday afternoon at Hampton Township Park. Farkasovsky drove in one of two beaver runs with an RBI double, while limiting Burrell to only six hits. The other Bobcats RBI was driven in by Bella Valent. Beaver improves to a perfect 14-0 and will now battle the Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles in a Class AA Semifinals game Wednesday at North Allegheny High School. The season comes to an end for Burrell, as they finish at 13-4.

Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles 6 – Waynesburg Raiders 0 
The combined efforts of a balanced, consistent batting order and the work of a budding star at pitcher allowed Keystone Oaks to end the Waynesburg Central softball team’s season in the quarterfinal round of the 2014 WPIAL Class AA tournament on Monday. The Raiders managed to collect just two hits, both of which came in the seventh inning, while giving up 13 base knocks to the Golden Eagles in a 6-0 loss to the Golden Eagles at California University of Pennsylvania’s Lily Field. The victory moved the Eagles into the WPIAL semifinals, where they will face top-seeded Beaver Area on Wednesday. The loss ended a season for the Raiders what had to be considered a success. The Red and Black won the Section 2-AA title after missing the playoff in 2013. Keystone Oaks (13-4), the co-champion of Section 1-AA, set the tone early by taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Freshman pitcher Lauren McMillan retired the top of the WCHS (13-9) in order with three ground-ball outs. In the bottom of the opening frame, shortstop Meghan Staab led off with a single and two batters later, she was driven in on a one-out double from centerfielder Eryn Caragein that made the score 1-0. The Raiders were put down in order for a second-straight inning, while the Golden Eagles tacked on their second run of the game in the bottom of the frame. Waynesburg starting pitcher Emma Ricciuti gave up a leadoff single, but posted back-to-back strikeouts to slow Keystone Oaks down. Unfortunately, third baseman Laura Poliziani came up with a two-out RBI single to double her team’s lead to 2-0. The pattern of Waynesburg Central’s offense being shut down by McMillan and Keystone Oaks slowly building its lead throughout the sun-drenched afternoon continued in the third inning, when the victors tacked on two more tallies to go up 4-0. The Golden Eagles added a run in the fourth and one more in the sixth to seal up the victory. The Raiders finally broke up a McMillan no-hit bid in the top of the seventh with a pair of singles. WCHS put runners on second and third with no outs on the board, but the freshman righty closed out the game with three-straight outs, two of which were strikeouts. Ricciuti pitched the first two innings of the loss and gave up two runs, neither of which was earned, on four hits. She struck out two batters and didn’t issue a walk. Senior Jordan Moore tossed the final four innings. Not only did McMillan lead the Eagles from the circle, where she piled up 10 strikeouts, she also went two-for-four at the dish. Caragein stroked three doubles in four at-bats. She added two RBI and scored the game’s final run.

Deer Lakes Lancers 2 – McGuffey Highlanders 0
The Lancers broke open a scoreless game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday to edge the Higfhlanders 2-0 at Lilley Field at California University of Pennsylvania. The late runs made a winner of Deer Lakes pitcher Tiffany Edwards, who allowed only four hits and struck out nine in the victory that keeps the Lancers undefeated now at 17-0. McGuffey see’s their season come to an end with a final mark of 14-4.

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 10 – Riverside Panthers 1
The Rebels jumped all over the Panthers early and cruised to a 10-1 victory Monday afternoon at Hampton Township Park that eliminated the defending WPIAL Class AA champs. Seton-LaSalle jumped out to an 8-0 lead after three innings, which was more than enough for Lauren Zola, who ended up with 13 strike outs in the victory. Danielle Dadig and Taylor Mercurio led the way offensively for the Rebels with two RBI each as Seton-LaSalle improves to 12-2 and will face second-seed Deer Lakes Wednesday in the Semifinals. Riverside will not repeat, as they end their season with a record of 11-3.

WPIAL CLASS A First Round:

Vincentian Academy Royals 8 – Sewickley Academy Panthers 5
Trailing in the sixth inning, the Royals rallied for four runs to come back and beat the Panthers 8-5 Monday afternoon at Hampton Township Park. The comeback by Vincentian Academy made a winner out of Kim Corcoran, who had 13 strike outs. Sewickley Academy falls to a final mark of 10-3 while the winning Royals improve to 11-3 and now must face top-seed Neshannock in the Quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Burgettstown Blue Devils 11 – Frazier Commodores 2 
For the second consecutive year, the Blue Devils have ended the Commodores softball season. In 2013, Burgettstown beat Frazier in the WPIAL Class A Consolation Game to earn a spot in the PIAA state playoffs. On Monday at Fairhaven Park in Kennedy Township, the scene played out the same way, except this time it was a First Round postseason contest. The Blue Devils ended all hope of a #12 over #5 upset early by plating two runs each in the first two innings. In the first, senior Bryanna Lonick hit a two out, two run single. Then in the second inning, sophomore Kate Tarr missed by inches of hitting a grand slam home run, settling for a two run single that made it 4-0 Blue Devils. Lonick’s sac flu made it 5-0 Burgettstown in the 4th inning before Frazier finally scratched home a run on an RBI two-out single by sophomore Miranda Shepler that scored Hannah Kline to make a 5-1. The Blue Devils blew the game open with two runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Tarr and sophomore Morgan Elleck. Burgettstown stretched their lead to 10 runs in the 7th inning on a two run double by junior Caley Ritts, a sac fly by Sami Scopel and Lonick’s third run batted in on a fielder’s choice. An RBI ground out by sophomore Alexis Eicher scored Caitlyn Brown for the game’s final run. Burgettstown, now 15-4 and moving on to play Shenango in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday, get a rock solid performance from winning pitcher Kate Tarr, who allowed only one run in seven innings on 6 hits with 2 walks and 5 strike outs. On offense, five Blue Devils had two hits including Cassie Carnes, Taylor Cullison, Sami Scopel, Ritts, Tarr and Elleck. Paige Hotz suffered the loss for Fraizer, allowing 7 earned runs on 15 hits through 7 innings. The Commodores season ends at 10-6.

South Side Rams 9 – Leechburg Blue Devils 1 
The South Side Rams move on to the quarterfinals of the Single A WPIAL softball playoffs with a 9-1 victory over the Leechburg Blue Devils. Leechburg would score first in the top of the 3rd as Lindsay Rowe singled and Brooke Blumer doubled to give the Blue Devils the 1-0 lead. The scoring started in the bottom of the 3rd for the Rams as they had 3 hits and a walk scoring 3 runs to lead 3-1. The big blow was a 2 RBI double by Alexis Dhayer. They would get a single run to lead 4-1 after 4 innings as Cheyenne Siek hit an RBI single. South Side made it look easy in the 5th inning with 3 more Runs as Dhayer had another RBI, this time with a walk, and Capri Sullinger had a 2 RBI single and the Rams led 7-1. They would put the game away in the bottom of the 6th making it 9-1 as Toni Yacoviello had a 2 RBI double to end a fantastic day. She was on base 4 times going 3-3 with 2 singles, a double, 2 RBI and a walk. Leechburg ends their season at 10-5. Miranda Reesman had two hits for the Blue Devils. South Side improves to 14-3. They will face the number 2 seeded Carmichaels  Mighty Mikes Tuesday afternoon at California University of Pa in the quarterfinals. In addition to getting 2 hits and scoring 2 runs, Freshman Mckenna Smith was the winning pitcher for the Rams. She went 7 innings, giving up 1 run, 4 hits, walking 5, and striking out 5.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 2 – Jeannette Jayhawks 1
Amy Calabrese had two hits for the Crusaders as they advanced to the Class A Quarterfinals with a 2-1 triumph over the Jayhawks Monday afternoon at Hampton Township Park. Kyle Sonson picked up the victory for Bishop Canevin as she allowed only one run on six hits, improving the Crusaders to 9-4 and advancing to the Quarterfinals on Tuesday against third-seed Jefferson-Morgan. A great season for Jeannette ends with a record of 11-5.