Westmoreland baseball playoff preview capsules: Games of May 16, 2019

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 | 7:59 PM

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Thursday’s games

Baseball

First round

Class 6A

No. 8 Upper St. Clair (12-6) vs. No. 9 Hempfield (11-9)

4 p.m. at West Mifflin

Winner plays: No. 1 Penn-Trafford (16-3)

Coaches: Jerry Malarkey, Upper St. Clair; Tim Buzzard, Hempfield

Players to watch: Eli Shedd, Jr., P, Upper St. Clair; Luke Hudson, Sr., CF, Hempfield

Extra bases: Upper St. Clair won six of its last seven games to make the playoffs. … Shedd and Nate Hamel are USC’s top pitchers. … Hempfield lost numerous close games early in the season. … Hudson is a Seton Hill commit, and shortstop Tyler Wiederstein is a Michigan commit. … Hudson is hitting .362 with 21 hits, 20 runs and four doubles. Hempfield’s Reed Hipps is hitting .356 with 21 hits and a team-high 19 RBIs.

No. 7 Norwin (13-6) vs. No. 10 Mt. Lebanon (10-10)

2 p.m. at West Mifflin

Winner plays: No. 2 Pine-Richland (15-4)

Coaches: Mike Liebdzinski, Norwin; Pat McCloskey, Mt. Lebanon

Players to watch: Owen Sabol, Sr., SS, Norwin; Cam Knox, Jr., P, Mt. Lebanon

Extra bases: Sabol is a Seton Hill commit. …. Norwin’s top pitcher, sophomore Jaden Walker, is limited to playing first base because of a shoulder injury. … Mt. Lebanon lost five one-run games, including 3-2 to Upper St. Clair in the season finale.

Class 2A

No. 11 Jeannette (9-7) vs. No. 6 Carmichaels (15-2)

2 p.m. at Seton Hill

Winner plays: Winner of No. 3 Neshannock (16-2) and No. 14 Carlynton (7-10)

Coaches: Marcus Clarkson, Jeannette; Richard Krause, Carmichaels

Players to watch: Drake Petrillo, Sr., 1B, Jeannette; Gavin Pratt, So., P, Carmichaels

Extra bases: Jeannette negotiated its way through a challenging Section 3 and finished third, four games out of first behind Serra Catholic and Seton LaSalle. The Jayhawks reached the Class A semifinals last year before losing to Vincentian. Seniors Seth Howard and Zander Malik have joined Petrillo as run-producers in the lineup. Howard (.585) has four doubles, three triples and 18 runs. Malik has seven doubles and 14 RBIs, and Petrillo has 12 RBIs. … Carmichaels shared the Section 1 title with Chartiers-Houston. Pratt, one of the section’s on-the-rise talents, is hitting .441 with a team-high 21 RBIs. But his prowess is pitching. He is 5-0 with a 2.83 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 12 walks in 34²⁄₃ innings.

— Bill Beckner and Paul Schofield

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

Tags: Carmichaels, Hempfield, Jeannette, Mt. lebanon, Norwin, Upper St. Clair