North Journal notebook: North Allegheny, North Hills teams start spring season

By: Bill Hartlep
Saturday, April 3, 2021 | 11:01 AM

The high school sports spring season kicked into full swing last week. Here’s a look at how some of the North Allegheny and North Hills teams opened the campaign.

Baseball

Danny Gallon doubled and drove in three runs and winning pitcher Brady Palmer struck out seven to lead North Allegheny baseball to a 9-3 nonsection win over Canon-McMillan last week.

The Tigers (2-0) also picked up a 10-0 nonsection win over Connellsville to start the season. Joe Manesiotis had two hits and four RBIs. Kyle Demi and Joe Lang combined on a one-hitter.

• North Hills opened the season 1-1 after a pair of nonsection games. The Indians beat Thomas Jefferson, 11-1.

Robert Dickerson homered and had three RBIs, and Josh Dreyer had a two RBIs.

They lost to Central Catholic, 14-1, on March 30. Dickerson doubled for North Hills.

Softball

North Hills softball temporarily paused March 10 after a player tested positive for covid-19. The Indians softball season can resume March 20.

• North Allegheny is off to a 1-2 start after three nonsection games. Alaina Whipkey was 4 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, Kendall Trunzo had two triples, and Ashley Solenday was 3 for 4 with two RBIs in a 6-0 win over Baldwin.

Whipkey and Sydni Junker homered in a 9-7 loss to Connellsville.

Lauren Haywood drove in two runs for North Allegheny in a 10-2 loss to Canon-McMillan.

Boys volleyball

North Allegheny shut out North Hills, 3-0, last Tuesday in a Section 2-AAA boys volleyball match, 25-12, 25-15, 25-10. Senior Gavin Owens had 10 kills to lead the Tigers (1-0, 1-0).

• North Hills (1-2) also lost to Thomas Jefferson, 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23) in a nonsection match last week. The Indians opened the season with a 3-0 nonsection win over Moon.

Girls lacrosse

North Allegheny girls lacrosse improved to 2-1 after a 22-3 win over Oakland Catholic last week. Senior Skye DePrado had six goals, including the 100th of her career. Senior Lola Wilhite also had six goals.

• North Hills opened its season with a 17-4 win over Butler in Section 2-AAA.

Boys lacrosse

North Allegheny boys lacrosse started the season with a 14-9 victory over Upper St. Clair. Marc Barolomucci had four goals for the Tigers.

• North Hills opened with a 12-0 loss to Hampton.

Boys tennis

North Allegheny boys tennis moved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in Section 2-AAA after a 4-1 win over Moon last week. Shomik Telang and Raj Ginde won singles matches, and Srivatsa Bellamkonda/Krishna Naik and Milun Jain/Greg Phillips won doubles matches.

• North Hills improved to 3-3 after a 3-2 win over Pine-Richland last week. Josh Kim, Brandon McEwen and Colin Kozlowski/Ethan Borsh earned wins.

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: North Allegheny, North Hills