Sports
Hometown Softball Recap – Latrobe Wildcats – 05/04/2017
May 4, 2017
Morgan Ryan continues to shine in the WPIAL Class 6-A Section 2 section as she notched her 13th win Thursday evening. Ryan threw a complete game shutout as she allowed just 3 hits, 1 walk with 10 strikeouts as the Spartans of Hempfield knocked off the rival Latrobe Wildcats 3-0. Sophomore Kiley Myers pitched 4 clean innings for Latrobe until allowing single runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th. Myers had 6 strikeouts. Autumn Heasley and Laura Fox homered for Hempfield to provide insurance in the late innings. Fox finished 3-for-4 with a homerun and 2 RBIs. Hempfield moves to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in section. Latrobe is now 8-6 overall with a conference record of 7-3. Both teams have qualified for the upcoming WPIAL Class 6-A playoffs.Hometown Softball Recap – North Hills Indians – 05/04/2017
At McIntyre Elementary School in the North Hills, the host Indians girls softball team took a tough loss to their rival the North Allegheny Tigers by a score of 4-2 Thursday afternoon. The Indians fall to 8-8 overall and 5-5 in the section. They have locked up a playoff berth and will finish 3rd in their section. In Thursday's game, the Indians scored first in the bottom of the first inning. After a walk and a single, Madison Posterivo hit an RBI single to make it 1-0. North Allegheny would score two runs each in the 4th and 5th innings to take a 4-1 lead. In those innings the Tigers would get 4 hits, a walk, and reach on an error.Hometown Softball Recap – Belle Vernon Leopards – 05/04/2017
In a rare outcome of top teams in a Class 4-A vs Class 6-A, the Belle Vernon Leopards emerged victorious in a classic pitchers' duel as Bailey Parshall bested Canon-Mac Abi Michelucci. The Leopards jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st Lexie Church reached on a fielding error. She moved to 2nd on a wild pitch, and then Parshall drove her home with a single. Parshall then scored after hits by the Sokol sisters, Makenzie and Alex, but on Alex's base hit, Makenzie was thrown out in a rundown for the 3rd out. Parshall was in cruise control as she retired the first 12 batters she faced. She struck out 9 of those batters in the first 4 innings.Hometown Softball Recap – West Mifflin Titans – 05/04/2017
Although the section slate has been a struggle for West Mifflin in 2017, the Titans triumphed convincingly on senior recognition day, blasting Carrick 17-2 in four innings at West Mifflin High School. In the victory, the Titans (2-9 Class 4A Section 2, 6-11) collected 16 hits, and scored runs in every inning. Carrick, winless on the season, struck first, as the Raiders scored twice in the top of the first, as Kelly Denk crushed a two-out triple that plated Ashlyn Wilkes. As Denk slide into third, the relay throw went astray, allowing her to score on the error.Hometown Softball Recap – Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers – 05/03/2017
May 3, 2017
On a chilly and windy Tuesday afternoon, Chartiers-Houston hitters heated up as the Buccaneers defeated the Burgettstown Blue Devils 16-0 in three innings. Chartiers-Houston scored 5 runs in the first inning, 8 in the second and 3 in the third to mercy rule Burgettstown. Chartiers-Houston starting pitcher Kaitlyn Dittrich pitched two innings, had three strikeouts and allowed Burgettstown's only hit. Buccaneers Head Coach Tricia Alderson replaced Dittrich on the mound with Karlyn Bayer in the third inning. Bayer struckout the side and solidified two hits at the plate. Chartiers-Houston outfielder Kayla Alderson went 4-4 and tallied 4 runs batted in. Designated player and Buccaneer Junior Jessica Ford went 2-3 and hit the only homerun of the contest.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Softball – 05/02/2017
May 2, 2017
Each week during the 2017 regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top ten softball teams in the WPIAL in all six classifications every Tuesday at www.MSAsports.net Here are this weeks rankings. Log on every day for updated standings and game broadcasts on your exclusive home for the 2017 WPIAL Softball Playoffs, the MSA Sports Network. CLASS 6-A Top Ten: 1) HEMPFIELD SPARTANS (16-0) (Last Week #1) 2) BALDWIN HIGHLANDERS (9-2) (Last Week #2) 3) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (8-2) (Last Week #3) 4) BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS (8-3) (Last Week #4)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Portia McBride
Portia McBride has enjoyed a memorable softball career, from an unexpected hero on the Elizabeth Forward High School team, to a trio of stops in the college ranks. McBride is now winding down her career at California University of Pennsylvania, and has been stellar in the circle in 2017. She is this week's feature for the WPIAL Alum Q&A.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Baseball – 05/01/2017
May 1, 2017
Each week during the 2017 regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top ten baseball teams in the WPIAL in all six classifications every Monday at www.MSAsports.net Here are this weeks rankings...including a NEW #1 team in Class 2-A. Log on every day for updated standings and game broadcasts on your exclusive home for the 2017 WPIAL Baseball Playoffs, the MSA Sports Network. CLASS 6-A Top Ten: 1) PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (12-3) (Last Week #1) 2) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (9-5) (Last Week #2) 3) NORWIN KNIGHTS (10-3) (Last Week #3) 4) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (10-3) (Last Week #4)
WPIAL Coaches Corner – Bryan Cornell
April 30, 2017
In this feature titled “Coach’s 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 features head baseball coach Bryan Cornell of West Allegheny high school. Coach Cornell is in his 15th season as head coach of the Indians, winning 3 WPIAL championships in 2007, 2008, and 2014. He also won a WPIAL championship as a player at West A in 1994. Coach Cornell is just as busy during the Fall, as he doubles as the defensive coordinator for the Indians football team. Let’s take a look inside Coach Cornell’s corner:This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 04/30/2017
It's the final full week of the regular season in high school baseball and softball as well as the first full week of May this week here on the MSA Sports Network. We have plenty of WPIAL baseball section contests along with WPIAL softball including coverage of several Hometown Softball broadcasts. We also have WPIAL boys and girls lacrosse, plus another edition of WPIAL Diamond Notes ALL here at MSAsports.net Monday, May 1st: WPIAL High School Baseball - Baldwin vs Canon-McMillan at 4:15pm on WJPA-AM 1450 WPIAL High School Baseball - North Allegheny vs Butler at 7:00pm on the North Allegheny Sports Network at MSAsports.netScholastic Notebook – 04/28/2017
April 28, 2017
Dan Oliastro’s head coaching career at Riverside High School is close to turning 50. He is 73 years old. But one thing that never seems to get old with Oliastro and Riverside is winning. The coach and his Panthers just keep churning out the victories. Riverside won the WPIAL 2A championship last year. Oliastro has more championship trophies than any other baseball coach in the WPIAL, with four WPIALs and four PIAAs. This season, the Panthers might be in line for Title IX compliance. Riverside had an 11-1 record heading into Friday’s action. The Panthers are MSA Sports’ No. 1-ranked WPIAL Class 3A team.Hometown Softball Recap – South Side Rams – 04/28/2017
The South Side Rams softball team clinched the Class 2-A Section 4 title Thursday afternoon at home by defeating the Shenango Wildcats 9-3. Senior McKenna Smith, the winning pitcher, pitched a complete and delivered a three run double. Senior Hunter Hand contributed a two-run homer and a run scoring double for the Rams while Junior Regan Hozak had three hits and drove in two as South Side remained undefeated. For Shenango, Jacqui Baker stroked two home runs and drove in all three Wildcats runs. South Sided Beaver is now a perfect 11-0 overall and 10-0 in section play. Shenango falls to 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the section.Fox Chapel & Sewickley Academy Boys WPIAL Tennis Champs Again
One of the longest championship dynasty's in WPIAL history continued on Thursday as Sewickley Academy swept past Indiana 5-0 to win the WPIAL Class 2-A boys team tennis title. The championship is the 13th in a row for the Panthers and 21 of the last 24 2-A crowns since their first district championship in 1993. While it pales in comparison, Fox Chapel won their second straight Class 3-A title with a victory over top-seed Peters Township. Here are ALL of the final results from the 2017 WPIAL Boys Team Tennis Playoffs. 2017 WPIAL CLASS 3-A CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Fox Chapel Foxes 4 - Peters Township Indians 1 WPIAL CLASS 3-A Semifinals:Hometown Softball Recap – Blackhawk Cougars – 04/26/2017
April 26, 2017
The Blackhawk Cougars were rolling to a five game winning streak after a 3-1 win over Ambridge on Monday. But with most teams, there are as many lows as highs in a season and the Cougars suffered their second straight loss and more importantly a key tiebreaker with the 8-6 victory by the visiting New Castle Red Hurricanes on Wednesday. The Cougars rallied from a four run deficit in the seventh to knot the game at 6, but could not stop the Canes from plating two in the 8th. New Castle is now 3-6 overall and 3-4 in section.Hometown Softball Recap – Latrobe Wildcats – 04/25/2017
April 25, 2017
Greater Latrobe finally got back to what they know best. Winning. After a four game slide that dropped the Wildcats to under .500 overall and already two section loses, Greater Latrobe rebounded for a 12-2 victory over Penn Hills on Tuesday in Class 6A Section 2 matchup Graham Sabota Field in Latrobe. Greater Latrobe (5-5, 4-2 in section) had lost consecutive games to Hempfield, North Allegheny, Yough and Norwin, with the most recent loss coming this past Monday and found themselves on a losing streak heading into the game against Penn Hills.Hometown Softball Recap – Elizabeth Forward Warriors – 04/25/2017
Dancing through raindrops throughout the afternoon, Elizabeth Forward (6-6, 5-3) was unable to overcome seven fielding errors and a hot-hitting South Fayette team, dropping a 16-11 shootout in Class 4-A Section 2 action Tuesday. South Fayette (9-5, 5-4) was led by James Madison recruit Sara Jubas, who reached base five times, including four hits, five runs scored and an RBI. Lexi Yates added three hits and a pair of RBI and Delaney Ging blasted a 7th inning grand slam for the Lions.MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Softball – 04/25/2017
Each week during the 2017 regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top ten softball teams in the WPIAL in all six classifications every Tuesday at www.MSAsports.net Here are this weeks rankings. Log on every day for updated standings and game broadcasts on your exclusive home for the 2017 WPIAL Softball Playoffs, the MSA Sports Network. CLASS 6-A Top Ten: 1) HEMPFIELD SPARTANS (12-0) (Last Week #1) 2) BALDWIN HIGHLANDERS (8-2) (Last Week #5) 3) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (6-2) (Last Week #4) 4) BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS (6-3) (Last Week #2)
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Tyler Falk
Riverside has a baseball heritage that is nearly unparalleled in the WPIAL. The Panthers have captured an array of championships and produced even more standout players. Tyler Falk is among those standouts who has not only won multiple titles at Riverside, but is now excelling at the college level at Clarion University. He's this week's feature for the WPIAL Alum Q&A. Falk was a two-sport athlete at Riverside, as he was a three-year letterwinner in both baseball and basketball. He truly excelled on the diamond, though, as he contributed to a pair of record-setting campaigns.
MSA Sports Top Ten – WPIAL Baseball – 04/24/2017
April 24, 2017
Each week during the 2017 regular season, MSA Sports will rank the top ten baseball teams in the WPIAL in all six classifications every Monday at www.MSAsports.net Here are this weeks rankings...including a NEW #1 team in Class 6-A. Log on every day for updated standings and game broadcasts on your exclusive home for the 2017 WPIAL Baseball Playoffs, the MSA Sports Network. CLASS 6-A Top Ten: 1) PINE-RICHLAND RAMS (11-1) (Last Week #2) 2) CANON-McMILLAN BIG MACS (7-4) (Last Week #4) 3) NORWIN KNIGHTS (9-2) (Last Week #5) 4) NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS (9-2) (Last Week #1)Coaches Corner – Tricia Alderson
April 23, 2017
In this feature titled “Coach’s 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.
