What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 25, 2025: South Hills rivals open section play with doubleheader

By: Don Rebel
Monday, March 24, 2025 | 11:43 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Weather permitting, the first WPIAL baseball section series of the season conclude Tuesday with plenty of action in each classification outside of Class 6A.

As a refresher, the district baseball committee began playing back-to-back home and away section games against the same opponent mostly on Monday and Tuesday of each week during the regular season following the cancelled 2020 season.

Sometimes a section series can go the Ernie Banks route: It’s a great day for baseball so let’s play two.

The Bethel Park at Upper St. Clair game Monday was postponed, so now the Section 2-5A opener between the two South Hills rivals will be section openers Tuesday.

The Black Hawks and Panthers will play a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. with both games being played at the Boyce-Mayview Complex in Upper St. Clair.

A Plum start

The 2024 campaign was a mixed bag for Plum baseball.

Thanks to a victory over Fox Chapel in their section finale, the Mustangs were able to earn a piece of a large pie that led to a tie with Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and the Foxes and four quad-champions in Section 1-5A.

Those four teams finished six games in front of fifth-place Armstrong and Gateway.

While earning a share of the section crown in the regular season, the postseason was not kind to No. 5 Plum as it was ousted in the first round of the 5A playoffs by No. 12 Trinity in an 11-inning marathon, 6-4.

This season, the Mustangs are galloping out of the gates at a great pace.

Plum went 3-0 on its baseball trip to St. Petersburg, Fla., and returned home to knock off 6A Seneca Valley last week, 4-3.

Now Plum wraps up its first section series with a trip to Armstrong on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m.

The Mustangs swept the River Hawks a year ago, winning on the road, 15-4, and then edging Armstrong at home, 6-5.

More on 1-5A

Heading into the start of section play Monday, the baseball section with the most combined wins in the district is Section 1-5A.

The seven teams – Plum, Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford, Latrobe, Armstrong, Kiski Area and Penn Hills – were a combined 12-7, which is one more victory then the next closest, which is Section 2-5A at 11-8.

The Tuesday schedule for those two sections includes:

Section 1-5A

Plum at Armstrong at 3:45 p.m.

Penn-Trafford at Latrobe at 7 p.m.

Penn Hills at Frnaklin Regional at 4 p.m.

Section 2-5A

Upper St. Clair at Bethel Park at 4 p.m.

South Fayette at Moon at 4 p.m.

Trinity at Chartiers Valley at 4:15 p.m.

More southern softball treks

With section play starting in Class 6A on Monday, some district teams from other classifications are getting some games in down south.

Burrell will complete a five-game trip to the Ripken Experience at Myrtle Beach, S.C., with a game against Northmont, Ohio, on Tuesday.

Waynesburg and Brownsville are playing games at the Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., this week.

On Tuesday, the Raiders face New Richmond, Ohio, and the Falcons battle Johnson Creek, Wis.

Another district team heading south Tuesday for a softball game is Charleroi.

However, the Cougars’ trip is a lot shorter as they face Weir High School in Weirton, W. Va., at 5 p.m.