What to watch for in WPIAL sports on June 10, 2021: PIAA baseball, softball playoffs resume

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 10:49 PM

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Thursday is the second round of the 2021 PIAA baseball and softball playoffs, weather permitting.

Nineteen WPIAL baseball and softball teams qualified for the state playoffs, and after one round, the district still has 12 teams left in the baseball postseason and 11 teams remaining in the softball playoffs.

Softball quarterfinals

It was the game most people thought would happen in the WPIAL finals at Cal U: No. 1 seed Elizabeth Forward against No. 2 seed Beaver in a dream pitchers’ duel for Class 4A gold.

However, Highlands had other plans, and the Golden Rams stunned EF in the WPIAL semifinals to derail the dream matchup.

Now in the second round of the PIAA playoffs, the Bobcats and Warriors finally meet.

Beaver remains undefeated, the only District 7 teams that can still say that. After beating Highlands in the 4A title game, the Bobcats opened up the state playoffs Monday with a 11-0 rout of Eastern York.

Elizabeth Forward rebounded from the semifinals loss to Highlands to beat West Mifflin in the consolation game to earn a berth into the state playoffs.

On Monday, the Warriors crushed District 10 champion Franklin, 15-0.

The powers now meet at Norwin at noon Thursday.

Here are the other PIAA quarterfinals softball games involving district teams:

• Canon-McMillan vs. Neshaminy at Big Spring at 3:30 p.m. in 6A

• North Hills vs. Bellefonte at St. Francis in Loretto at 3 p.m. and Armstrong vs. Exeter Township at Bedford at 3 p.m. in 5A

• Highlands vs. Bishop McDevitt at Mt. Aloysius College at 4 p.m. in another 4A game

• Mt. Pleasant vs. Avonworth at Norwin at 2 p.m. in 3A

• Laurel vs. Union City at Slippery Rock University at 2 p.m. and Ligonier Valley vs. Chestnut Ridge at Mt. Aloysius College at 1:30 p.m. in 2A

• West Greene vs. Cambridge Springs at Slippery Rock University at noon in Class A

Baseball second round

Back in 2019, Serra Catholic and Seton LaSalle began a baseball postseason rivalry.

The Rebels crushed the Eagles, 11-2, in the WPIAL championship game, but in the PIAA semifinals, Serra Catholic got their revenge with a 4-3 triumph that sent them to the state championship game.

This season, the two met in the WPIAL 2A semifinals and again Seton LaSalle got the better of Serra in the district playoffs, 12-0.

The Rebels and Eagles meet Thursday in the state quarterfinals. Can Serra avenge its loss to Seton again with a state playoff win?

The two collide at 2 p.m. at Latrobe High School.

Here are the other PIAA quarterfinals baseball games involving district teams:

• North Allegheny vs. Philadelphia Central at Bald Eagle Area at noon and Hempfield vs. Spring-Ford at Bald Eagle Area at 4 p.m. in 6A

• Bethel Park vs. Southern Lehigh at Big Spring at 3:30 p.m. and West Allegheny vs. Central Mountain at Showers Field in DuBois at 2 p.m. in 5A

• New Castle vs. Eastern York at Mt. Aloysius College at 3 p.m. and Montour vs. Erie Cathedral Prep at Slippery Rock University at 4:30 p.m. in 4A

• Hopewell vs. Tyrone at First Commonwealth Field in Homer City at 4:30 p.m. in 3A

• Shenango vs. Johnsonburg at First Commonwealth Field in Homer City at 1:30 p.m. in another 2A game

• Union vs. Southern Fulton at Latrobe at 4:30 p.m. and Eden Christian vs. Kennedy Catholic at Slippery Rock University at 2 p.m. in Class A