Sports
Coaches Corner – Craig Taliani
June 5, 2017
In this feature titled "Coaches Corner", I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 06/05/2017
With the WPIAL district diamond playoffs behind us, we now focus on the final two weeks of the high school sports campaign with the start up of the baseball and softball state postseason this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have First Round and Quarterfinals action from both the PIAA Baseball and Softball Playoffs along with a PIAA Boys Volleyball Semifinals match, plus another week of Frontier League pro baseball featuring the Washington Wild Things as they hit the road to River City and Florence ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, June 5th: PIAA High School Baseball State Playoffs - Class 6-A First Round: Pine-Richland vs Penn Manor at 6:00pm on MSAsports.netScholastic Notebook – 06/02/2017
June 2, 2017
It doesn't matter whether it's McKenna or Madison. These Lampes have lit up opposing pitchers. McKenna and Madison Lampe are twin sisters and sophomores on the West Greene softball team. You might have a hard time coming up with any WPIAL softball sisters over the years that have made such a big impact on offense at the same time. The Lampes helped West Greene win a second consecutive WPIAL softball title on Thursday. The school had never won a championship in another sport. Mckenna Lampe was 2 for 3 in the title game and is now batting a whopping .662. A center fielder, McKenna's most amazing statistic might be the 44 bases she has stolen this season. Meanwhile, Madison Lampe, a sophomore third baseman, is batting .597. She has stolen 21 bases.2017 WPIAL BASEBALL PLAYOFFS Results
There was one repeat district baseball champion in Riverside, three programs that have won gold before in the last decade in Pine-Richland, Blackhawk and California, and two newbee winners as Latrobe and Jeannette are enjoying their very first baseball crowns. Here are ALL the results from the 2017 WPIAL Baseball Playoffs. You can watch the archive of all six title games at Wild Things Park anytime you want here on MSA Sports. All results marked with (MSA) after are matches you can hear archived here on The Network. 2017 WPIAL CLASS 6-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Pine-Richland Rams 3 - North Allegheny Tigers 2 (MSA)2017 WPIAL SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS Results
It was a great year to be #1...seed that is. All six of you top-seeds qualified for the title games at Cal U and four of them, Hempfield, West Allegheny, Ellwood City and West Greene claimed district championships. In the case of three of those teams, the Spartans, Wolverines and Pioneers, it was a repeat golden performance (three-peat for Hempfield). The other two champions crowned were #2-seeds in the postseason tournament and you could have made an argument that both Belle Vernon and Frazier could have been top seeds. Here are ALL the results from the 2017 WPIAL Softball Playoffs. All results followed by (MSA) are games you can hear archived here on the MSA Sports Network.
Pine-Richland Sweeps Past North Allegheny for First 6-A Baseball Title
June 1, 2017
For the third time this year, the Pine Richland Rams defeated the North Allegheny Tigers. This win came at Wild Things Park and resulted in their 5th WPIAL title and the first-ever 6-A WPIAL Baseball Championship. The Rams got a sterling pitching performance by Ryan Okuda, who got the win the first two times these two teams met as well.
West Allegheny Rolls Past Moon for 5-A Softball Gold
For the first time in school history, the West Allegheny softball team has captured a WPIAL Championship. The top-seeded Indians won the 5-A crown by defeating the #3 seed Moon, 12-2 Thursday night via mercy rule after 6 innings. It was the third time the Indians defeated the Tigers this season, as they won the first two meetings by scores of 5-4 and 10-7 back in mid-April. The third meeting wasn't as tight as the bats and the gloves were working for West Allegheny.
Parshall Shines as Belle Vernon Beats Yough for 4-A Gold
Belle Vernon's Bailey Parshall is well-known for her pitching exploits. Why wouldn't she be' She led the WPIAL in strikeouts this season and has been quite adept as a pitcher since her freshman year, a year in which she committed to Penn State University. But in the WPIAL Class 4A championship softball game, Parshall showed she is pretty skilled with a bat as well. The junior went 3-3 with three doubles and two RBIs in a 4-1 victory over Section 2 4-A rival Yough at California University's Lilley Field. That doesn't mean Parshall didn't shine in the pitching circle. She turned in a sparkling performance with nine strikeouts (which brings her season total to 224) and allowed just four hits and two walks.
West Greene Pounds Monessen to Repeat as WPIAL 1-A Softball Champs
The West Greene Pioneers won their second consecutive WPIAL title on Thursday at Cal U's Lilley Field with a 10-0 win over section-rival Monessen. In two regular season meetings this year, West Greene won much closer games with finals of 6-2 and 1-0, but the Championship Game looked more like the two matchups from a year ago when the Pioneers defeated the Greyhounds 10-0 in the regular season and again, 10-0 in the WPIAL Semifinals on the same field as Thursday's 10-0 win.
Latrobe Wins First WPIAL Baseball Title With Win Over Mars
May 31, 2017
The last time the Latrobe Wildcats played in a WPIAL Championship baseball game, things were much different than they are now, in 2017. On May 30, 1985, Latrobe lost to Bethel Park in the Class AAA title game. Gas was $1.20 per gallon, Ronald Reagan was the President and there were only two classifications in the WPIAL. On May 31, 2017, Latrobe won its first ever baseball crown by defeating another team looking for its first championship, in its first championship appearance, Mars, by a final of 6-2. Coming into the game, both coaches, Matt Basciano of Latrobe and Andy Bednar of Mars, emphasized the importance of their team getting and holding an early lead.
Ellwood City Dominant in WPIAL Softball Repeat
Elwood City's softball team has been a dominant force over WPIAL opponents in recent years, as it carried a 37-game winning streak against such foes into Wednesday's Class 3A championship game. That dominance continued as the Wolverines scored a convincing 10-0 victory in five innings against Deer Lakes at California University's Lilley Field. To get that win, the Wolverines (18-0) had to be extremely patient. A rain delay of about 90 minutes during the Class 6A game caused the 3A title tilt to start a little more than 2 1/2 hours after originally scheduled.
Hempfield Cruises Past Latrobe for 3rd Straight WPIAL Title
They say in sports, one of the hardest things to do is defeat the same team three times in a season. Things seemed to be heading that route for the top-seeded Hempfield Spartans against their sixth-seeded section rival Latrobe Wildcats, but the Spartans settled in and claimed its third consecutive WPIAL softball championship winning by a final score of 13-2, becoming just the sixth school to win three consecutive WPIAL Softball Championships. Latrobe opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning and scored without a hit. Designated player Meredith Carr opened the frame with a lead-off walk and was sacrificed to second. On a pitch in the dirt, Carr moved to third and while sliding in, a wide throw by Spartan catcher Madison Stoner allowed Carr to score making it 1-0.
Jeannette Stuns Rival Greensburg CC for 1A Baseball Gold
On Wednesday, May 31, 2017 history was made for the Jeannette High School baseball program. The Jayhawks won their first WPIAL Championship in program history defeating the Greensburg Central Centurions 7-3. Greensburg Central Catholic struck first in the bottom of the 3rd inning scoring two runs. Centurion Nicholas Ruggeri led off the inning by walking and working his way to second on a stolen base. Neal McDermott scored Ruggeri from second with a RBI triple and later scored on a throwing error. Jeannette would strike next in the top of the 4th inning. Eric Hall tallied a one-out single and Blaze Tran followed suit notching a single to advance Hall from first to third. Seth Howard drove in Hall from third with a RBI single.
Frazier Shuts Out South Side for 2-A Softball Title
A handful of freshman pitchers have led their teams to WPIAL softball titles in recent memory. Frazier hurler Logan Hartman added her name to that list on Wednesday at Lilley Field at California University of Pennsylvania, as she tossed a three-hit shutout. In the process, the No. 2 Commodores defeated top-seeded South Side 2-0 to win the WPIAL 2A Championship, the first in program history. The Commodores (18-2) wasted little time in gaining the upper hand, as they scored a run in the bottom of the first. Hartman drew a leadoff walk against South Side's McKenna Smith, and then advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice by Megan Celaschi. After a groundout moved Hartman to third, Emi Curcio delivered an RBI single to right field.WPIAL Baseball Recaps From Wednesday, May 31st
What started with three play-in games Tuesday continued with two more district consolation games on Wednesday. State playoff berths were earned by Serra Catholic and Union while the 2017 campaign came to an end for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Jefferson-Morgan. Here are recaps from those two games played at the Washington & Jefferson College Sports Complex. A special thanks to Mark Schaas and Bobby Fox for their help on these recaps. WPIAL CLASS 2-A Consolation Game:
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Maddie Holmberg
Maddie Holmberg was one of the most accomplished competitors in the history of WPIAL track and field during her time at Hempfield Area, winning more than a dozen gold medals between district and state competitions. Holmberg, now a standout for Penn State's track and field team, is this week's feature for the WPIAL Alum Q&A. Holmberg was a four-year varsity letterwinner for the Spartans track and field team, including her freshman season in 2012. That year, she and the Lady Spartans captured the WPIAL team championship in Class AAA. Individually, Holmberg took first in the long jump, while finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles.
Blackhawk Blanks South Park for 4-A Baseball Crown
As is the case with tightly contested title games, one inning can be the difference between championship gold and being left behind as the WPIAL runner up. South Park starter Kyle Thompson took a no hitter into the fourth inning and appeared to be en route to a gem of a performance, but not before Blackhawk got to him in the bottom of that very inning en route to a 3-0 victory on Tuesday night at Wild Things Park in Washington (PA). Blackhawk's Nick Cerani and Michael Turconi had back-to-back hits in the bottom of that fourth inning, before Mark Engel bunted them over to secure runners on second and third.
California Outlasts Freedom to Win WPIAL 2-A Title
May 30, 2017
All year, the California Trojans baseball team has relied on their pitching and defense to win games. A solid defense keeping the score low has allowed the Trojans offense to scatter runs over seven innings of play. On Tuesday, it took more than seven innings. California scored two runs in the top of the tenth inning to claim a 3-1 victory over Freedom in the WPIAL Class 2A Championship on Tuesday at Wild Things Park in Washington. The victory gave the Trojans their fifth WPIAL Championship in program history, ranking fifth all-time.WPIAL Baseball Recaps From Tuesday, May 30th
A second chance. That is what the consolation game is in the district playoffs. Yes, your dreams of a WPIAL title have been dashed with a Semifinals loss, but there is still gold to be had on the state level if you can win and advance to the PIAA postseason. Here are recaps from the three WPIAL consolation playoff games from Tuesday at Ross Memorial Park at the W&J College Sports Complex in Washington including a gem in the 4-A fray. A special thanks to Sean Meyers, Steve Nagler and Rob McKinney for their help on these recaps. WPIAL CLASS 5-A Consolation:
Golden Panthers Again as Riverside Wins 3-A Title
Last year, it took nine innings and only one run to give the Riverside Panthers the Class AA crown with a 1-0 win over Neshannock. In 2017, it was a new class and opponent but the end result was still the same as the Panthers cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Mount Pleasant Vikings at Wild Things Park to take the 3A baseball trophy back to North Sewickley Township. It is the fifth WPIAL title for Dan Oliastro's team, he has racked up four state titles as well in an amazing 49 year career. Christian Cicchinelli was the winning pitcher, allowing a run and three hits over the first six innings. The senior also got the job done at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI singles.
