What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 31, 2022: Section clashes on softball diamond

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, March 31, 2022 | 12:28 AM

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The final day of March could mark the final day district softball and baseball teams play under warm conditions for a while.

With a chance of rain, temperatures are expected to be near 70 degrees before we hit a patch of steady temps in the low to mid 50s.

There are 23 section softball games scheduled for Thursday.

Some of the top softball section games include:

• Franklin Regional at Plum in Section 1-5A. The Panthers finished third in the section last year, three games behind the section champion Mustangs.

• South Fayette at Trinity in Section 4-5A. Both teams qualified for the 5A playoffs last season only to lose in the first round.

• Elizabeth Forward at Yough in Section 2-4A. Two traditional softball powers collide on Cougar Mountain. The Warriors are the defending section champs after finishing five games in front of the third-place Cougars in 2021.

• Blackhawk at Montour in Section 3-4A. The Cougars finished in fourth place and the Spartans in second place last spring but both were bounced in the opening round of the 4A playoffs.

• Apollo-Ridge at Ligonier Valley in Section 2-2A. These were the top two teams from the section last year. The Vikings lost in the first round while the Rams reached the WPIAL semifinals and the PIAA championship game in their first softball season since coming over from District 6.

There are three WPIAL section baseball games slated for Thursday as well.

Quick starts

WPIAL Class 3A boys volleyball schools wrap up their first week of section play Thursday as several teams try to feed off wins in their section opener Tuesday.

While there are no head-to-head matches among 1-0 teams, there are three matches pitting 1-0 schools against teams opening up their section schedule Thursday.

Moon, Shaler and Penn Hills will all play their first section matches at home on the final day of March.

In Section 1, Moon will host Canon-McMillan (1-0), in Section 2, Shaler is home to defending champion North Allegheny (1-0), and in Section 3, Penn Hills welcomes Penn-Trafford (1-0).

Class 2A district boys volleyball teams will open up section play next week.

Going for the century mark

One of the top district girls lacrosse players is hoping to make a little history Thursday.

Upper St. Clair senior captain Haley Newton has 98 career goals, two shy of the century mark.

She has already scored 11 goals in the Panthers’ first two games, both wins over North Allegheny and Norwin. Newton will try to score that landmark goal at home against Penn-Trafford. The Warriors are coming off a season-opening loss to Peters Township on Tuesday.

As Newton winds down her scholastic career, she will move on from USC and head to USC.

Newton will play her college lacrosse on the left coast at the University of Southern California.