PIAA Class 5A baseball quarterfinals preview: Penn-Trafford vs. Hollidaysburg

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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PIAA baseball playoffs

Class 5A

Quarterfinals

Penn-Trafford (21-3) vs. Hollidaysburg (15-6)

4 p.m. Thursday at Sargents Field at Point Stadium, Johnstown

First round: Penn-Trafford 3, Lower Dauphin 2; Hollidaysburg 4, Franklin Regional 2

Winner plays: Winner of Monsignor Bonner (18-8)/Bethel Park (16-7-1) Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Coaches: Lou Cortazzo, Penn-Trafford; Jon Szynal, Hollidaysburg

Players to watch: Carmen Metcalfe, Penn-Trafford; Cayden Gibbons, Hollidaysburg

Extra bases: Penn-Trafford posted its second straight PIAA first-round win Monday at Plum as catcher Ian Temple knocked in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Warriors and North Catholic (4A) were the only WPIAL champions to win in the first round. Junior Hunter Brown picked up his seventh save for the Warriors, who have played in seven one-run games. Metcalfe and Temple had two hits each in the state opener. Temple is 4 for 6 in his last two games. The Warriors have 34 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs. Cortazzo is 37-10 in two seasons. … Hollidaysburg had only five hits, but it was enough to produce the first PIAA playoff win in program history. Gibbons delivered a two-out, two-run double in the victory for the District 6 champions. Jake Hileman was leading the Tigers with a .486 batting average, 34 hits and 28 runs, and Carson Kensinger, a Frostburg State commit, had a team-high six home runs and 26 RBIs. Kensinger also was 8-0 as a pitcher with a 1.06 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. He was the winner Monday. Paul Wedel is 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 26 innings. Hollidaysburg has allowed only one home run all season.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Hollidaysburg, Penn-Trafford