WPIAL Baseball/Softball/Lacrosse Playoff Recaps for Tuesday 5/19

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | 3:25 AM

What a difference 24 hours makes. Late Monday, severe storms swept through Western Pennsylvania, postponing several baseball, softball and lacrosse postseason contests. But under sunny skies, it was time for teams to shine en route to the Final Four on the diamond and the title matches in lacrosse. Here are recaps from those games heard Tuesday here on the MSA Sports Network.

A special thanks to Don Rebel, Steve Nagler, Greg Kuntz, Sean Meyers, Bob Gregg, Scott Majesky, Jason Tennant, Rick Smith, Bob Orkwis, Jess Levo and Lee Mohn for their help on these recaps.

BASEBALL:

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:

Bethel Park Black Hawks 2 – Fox Chapel Foxes 1 
Last year, Seneca Valley won the Quad-A baseball title with the Sweet 16 seed. Could Bethel Park be on a title run with the Lucky 13 seed? The Black Hawks are halfway there after another dominating pitching performance on Tuesday at West Mifflin High School. Senior right hander Joe Zufall pitched a complete game six hitter as Bethel Park edged Fox Chapel 2-1. Zufall allowed one earned run with no walks and seven strikeouts. Zufall outdueled Foxes lefthander Patrick Monteverde, who only allowed four hits over six innings with no walks and three strikeouts. The Hawks scored first in the second inning when Rob Morosetti doubled and scored on an RBI single to center by Lou Ridgeway. BP added to the lead with small ball in the third. Mason Pritchard led off with a single, was sacrificed to second on a bunt by John Scarsella, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly by Tylar Shoemaker. Fox Chapel dented the scoreboard in the fourth on a one out triple by Zack Burkhart to deep right center field, which was followed by an RBI single by Dan Vargo. Jacob Pilarski collected a third straight single to put two on with one out, but Zufall escaped further damage. The Foxes put the tying run on second base in both the fifth and sixth innings, but could not get the equalizer. After breaking a 37-year playoff victory drought with a win in Round One, Fox Chapel ends their season with a 14-8 record. Bethel Park improves to 13-7 and will face Norwin in a Semifinals game at Boyce-Mayview in Upper St. Clair on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 3 – Seneca Valley Raiders 1 
The day before the WPIAL Baseball Playoff pairings were announced, the Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings and the Seneca Valley Raiders had squared off with the Raiders emerging victorious, 6-5.  Postseason fate would bring these two squads back together for a rematch at Fox Chapel Area High School.  The Raiders had the first opportunity to score in the bottom of the 2nd when DH Troy Martin led off with a single and moved to 2nd as he beat the throw on a fielder’s choice hit by Lane Palmer.  Zach Wilson followed with a base hit which seemed to drive in Martin with the first run of the game, but the Vikings contended that Martin never touched 3rd en route to the plate.  They appealed by throwing to 3rd, and Martin was declared out.  SV was held off the board for the remainder of the inning.  Raiders’ starter Brandon Schlick retired the first 10 batters he faced, but things started to unravel for him and the Raiders in the top of the 4th.  With 1 out, both the Vikings’ Ryan Sproule and Dom DeRenzo singled back-to-back, and a double-steal put both of them in scoring position.  Schlick struck out Joel Shaffer and intentionally walked Pat Ferguson to load the bases.  Coach Eric Semega’s defensive strategy would not pay off, however, as Schlick walked Ryan Ray to force in Sproule, giving the Vikings the 1-0 lead.  PCC picked up 2 unearned runs in the top of the 6th thanks to 2 3-base errors by the SV Raiders.  A fly ball by DeRenzo was dropped by RF Lane Palmer, which put him on 3rd.  Shaffer followed with a come-backer to the mound, but Schlick’s throw to 1st was errant, putting Shaffer at 3rd and scoring DeRenzo.  Ferguson’s subsequent base hit plated Shaffer to give the Vikes a 3-0 lead.  Vince Augustine led off the bottom half of the inning with a double.  Matt Wagner’s fly ball was dropped by RF Sproule, scoring Augustine, but Wagner wss thrown out by Sproule as he attempted to get to 2nd.  The SV Raiders were retired the rest of the way in the 6th and 1-2-3 in the 7th to seal the win for the 6th-seeded Vikings.  Nolan Martino started for PCC and got the win after 5 innings of work.  Jack Tumulty came on in relief and pitched the last 2 innings for the save.  SV’s Schlick went the distance and struck out 10 despite the loss.  The Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings eliminated the #3 Seneca Valley Raiders, 3-1, and will move on to face the 10th-seeded Shaler Titans, their Section 3 rivals, in the Quad-A Semifinals Wednesday night at North Allegheny.  The Vikings’ record now stands at 9-7.  The Section 1 Champion Raiders’ season is over at 13-7.

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Chartiers Valley Colts 2 – Central Valley Warriors 1 
In a well-pitched game that lasted only 80 minutes, the top-seeded Chartiers Valley Colts outlasted the Central Valley Warriors at the Burkett Complex in Robinson Twp. Both starting pitchers, Cole Horew for the Colts and Scott Hughes for the Warriors, were brilliant on the afternoon as both scattered five hits and struck out four opposing hitters. The Warriors would break through first as they were able to scratch a run across in the top half of the 5th inning. With two outs, Dallas Jamery singled. Jamery would advance to 3B on the opposite-field single by Joey Shively. Jamery would eventually score when Horew uncorked a wild pitch. But, the Colts responded immediately as they played both of their runs in bottom half of the inning. Freshman Connor Corchado singled to lead-off the inning. Nick Kane then worked a 6-pitch walk. After the next two Colts hitters were retired, Brady Gulakowski singled home Corchado to tie the score and then senior Dante Panucci came up with the biggest hit of the ball game, a two-out run-scoring 2B which brought home Kane which would end up being the game-winning run. The Warriors would be able to get the tying run into scoring position with two outs in the 7th inning but Horew struck out Joey Shively to end the game and secure the win. The Colts will now advance and play West Allegheny in the semi-final round.

West Allegheny Indians 3 – Hopewell Vikings 0 
The West Allegheny Indians dashed the championship hopes of the Hopewell Vikings by getting an outstanding pitching performance by Tyler Eritz at the Burkett Complex on Tuesday evening. Eritz didn’t relinquish his first hit until the bottom half of the 5th inning, a one-out single to Chris Skelton. With the game scoreless through four innings, the Indians were able to score three runs against Vikings’ starter Tim Sabo. With one out, Matt Starkman singled and Barndon Pouch walked. Nick Wiethorn then grounded out to 1B and, on the play, both runners advanced into scoring position. Colin Claus, hitting for Tyler Amadeur, then singled into right field scoring both Starkman and Pouch. Mike Cummings then followed with a two-out RBI double which plated Claus. West Allegheny’s Eritz pitched a complete game to get the victory, scattering a pair of hits while striking out nine. With the win, the West Allegheny Indians will face familiar section foe, Chartiers Valley, in the Class AAA semi-final round of the boys baseball playoffs.

Knoch Knights 4 – Blackhawk Cougars 3 
A back and forth contest in Class AAA Baseball Playoffs between Knoch and Blackhawk.  The Knights won 4-3 over Blackhawk.  The Knights were lead by pitcher Cole Shinsky who tossed 6IP 2K 3ER for the win.  Alex Stobert earned the save with a game ending 6-4-3 Double Play.  Stobert also put the Knights ahead in the bottom of the 6th with a 2RBI single.  The Cougars were paced by pitcher Dante Parente who pitched 6IP 7K 4ER.  Blackhawk scored all of their runs in the 5th inning and couldn’t record a hit in the last two innings.  Knoch will play Montour in the WPIAL AAA Semi-Finals May 20th.

WPIAL CLASS AA Quarterfinals:

Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles 3 – New Brighton Lions 1 
After 8 wins in a row, the streak was bound to end at some point for the 8th seeded New Brighton Lions.  “Two-out magic” for the top-seeded Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles seemed to be the formula for their win. Keystone Oaks defeated New Brighton 3-1 at North Allegheny High School in AA WPIAL quarterfinal playoff action.  R.J. Debo for the Lions pitched well, only allowing 1 hit in the first 2 innings. However, the Golden Eagles’ Stephen Kazalas-Kelley’s two-out single would score Timmy Ali after he was hit by a pitch and reached second on an error. The Golden Eagles would score again in the 4th. Devin Rosato singled then scored, with help from Nick Riggle and Ali’s two-out singles. In the 5th inning, Kazalas-Kelley would lead off with a walk then steal a base. Debo would retire the next 2 batters with a pop-up and a strikeout, but once again the Golden Eagles soared with another two-out single, this one from Dylan Procopio, scoring Kazalas-Kelley.  Riggle, pitching for Keystone Oaks, was comfortable through 5 innings, only allowing 4 hits. He began the 6th inning striking out the first two batters, but Kurt Dierdoff reached on a walk then scored on a single from Debo. The Lions would threaten again in the 7th, after leading off with back-to-back singles from Colin Loehle and Drew Mittner. Riggle ended the inning by strikeout, pop-up, strikeout.  Riggle pitched a complete game, going 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, 1 run and striking out 7.  Debo took the loss, pitching 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs and striking out 4.  Keystone Oaks advances to 13-3 and will face Quaker Valley tomorrow, May 20th in the semi-finals at North Allegheny High School.

WPIAL CLASS A Quarterfinals:

Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions 10 – Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 0 
The Centurions of Greensburg Central Catholic certainly looked the part of a #2 seed as they breezed into the WPIAL Semifinals with a 10-0 mercy rule win over Carmichaels.  The Centurions started quickly with a 4-spot in the bottom of the first inning. Cole Reese got it started with a 1-out single and then a stolen base. After a walk to Tommy Pellis, the Centurions went with a double steal attempt and Reese scored when the throw to third went into left field. A Collin Liberatore triple on a fly ball that should have been caught in right field drove in Pellis.  An RBI double by Nick Roperti followed and then Roperti scored when Jack Liberatore, who had singled, was caught in a run down between first and second base.  With the way Collin Liberatore was pitching, the first inning runs were more than enough, but the Centurions tacked on two more in the third inning and four more in the fourth inning highlighted by an RBI double from Reese followed by a 2-run homerun by Pellis. On the hill, Collin Liberatore, despite giving up a couple of hits, faced just 1 batter over the minimum as the game ended after the top of the fifth.  Carmichaels sent four batters to the plate in the top of the first after Bill Bowlen reached on a 1-out error, but it was the minimum after that. The Mikes got leadoff singles from Tyler Martin in the second inning and Bowlen in the fourth, but in each instance they were followed by a strikeout and a double play. Collin Liberatore got the win, striking out 8 without allowing a walk.  The loss went to Jacob Kinsell who pitched 3.1 innings giving up 9 earned runs on 9 hits, walking 3 and striking out just one.  The Centurions will play Bishop Canevin in the Semifinals on Wednesday.

SOFTBALL:

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:

Baldwin Highlanders 11 – Gateway Gators 1 
Katie Knezevich and Samantha Wampler each drove in three runs as Baldwin moved to the WPIAL Quad-A semifinals with an 11-1 win over Gateway.  Ashley Brady, Charlotte Nieman and winning pitcher Jamie Schleicher also drove in runs for the Fighting Highlanders in the win.  Schleichter allowed just three hits and one walk until Gateway (11-6) put four singles together in the fifth.  Baldwin (13-3) jumped in front early.  Taylor Dadig and Mallory O’Brien singled, putting runners on the corners.  Brady’s sacrifice fly scored Dadig.  Schleicher and Knezevich singled, scoring O’Brien and Wampler drove in courtesy runner Isabella Rossa.  In the second after two out, O’Brien singled, Brady reached on a fielder’s choice, Schleicher singled home one run.  Knezevich drove in a run with another coming home on an error.  Nieman’s hit plated Knezevich, making it 7-0.  The Gators started the fourth with a walk and a Madison Lewis double.  A popout and back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.  Schleicher doubled with two out in the Baldwin fourth to start another big inning.  Knezevich grounded to second but the throw to first wasn’t caught, allowing Schleicher to score. Nieman singled and a passed ball advanced both runners and Wampler drove them in with a single, building the lead to 10-0.  Gateway got consecutive two-out hits by Leah Vranka, Ufuoma Ogagan, Cali DiLucente and an rbi hit by Lewis to force the Highlanders to bat in the bottom of the fifth.  Dadig and O’Brien singled.  Two outs later, Knezevich singled home the game-ending run, sending Baldwin to a semifinal matchup with #2 North Allegheny.  Schleicher, O’Brien and Knezevich each had three hits.  Lewis had three hits for Gateway.

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Belle Vernon Leopards 1 – South Fayette Lions 0 
Emily Frederick stroked a thigh-high fastball over the fence in right-centerfield for Belle Vernon’s only hit and the game’s only run as the Leopards downed South Fayette, 1-0.  The win extends Belle Vernon’s winning streak to 15 games heading into a WPIAL semifinal matchup with #13 Southmoreland.  Bailey Parshall struck out 13 batters, two in each inning but the sixth, on the way to a three-hit shutout win.  Belle Vernon (18-2) had very few other chances to add on against hard-luck loser Ashley Iagnemma.  Two-out runners in the second, third and fourth and a leadoff hit-batter in the fifth were the only Leopards to reach after the Frederick home run.  South Fayette (13-8) got runners on but could not cash in against the Belle Vernon lefthander.  The Lions had a runner at third with one out in the first before back-to-back strikeouts.  With two on and two out in the fourth, a screaming line drive was snared by second-baseman Erica Amoroso to quell that chance and a leadoff double by Marissa France in the fifth went nowhere with two strikeouts and an infield pop-out.

Trinity Hillers 20 – West Allegheny Indians 3 
Olivia Gray, Delaney Elling and Hali Justice each drove in four runs, Riley Riotto added three more rbi, as Trinity eliminated West Allegheny, 20-3, in five innings.  The Hillers (16-4) move to the semifinals to take on Yough.  The Indians (13-5) were eliminated with the loss.  Elling and Justice each stroked two-run home runs in the 9-run second for Trinity.  Shelby Clemens, Gray and Riotto had doubles in the frame.  Elling hit a solo homerun in the third to make put Trinity up 10-0.  In the fourth with Clemens at second and two out, Trinity got rbi hits from Kim Dunst, Madi Hornack, Gray, Justice and an error to score seven times.  West Allegheny had a number of chances to get on the board early but failed, then finally plated three runs to avoid the 15-run rule.  Danna Heh and McKenzie Johnson singled to open the inning.  Taylor Hottenfeller singled to drive in one run.  Lexi Cogis doubled home two more to extend the game into the fifth.  Five straight Trinity hits closed the scoring with three more runs coming across.  The Indians got two hits in the first but ended the inning having only batted three players.  Brooke Wilson singled hard off the knee and glove of Clemens but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.  After Johnson singled one out later, she tripped extending her lead and was caught stealing.  A pop-up double-play in the second and a line-out double-play in the third took two more runners off the bases.  Gray, Elling and Riotto had four hits apiece for Trinity, making the semifinals after losing in this round each of the past two years.

WPIAL CLASS A Quarterfinals:

Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers 9 – Monessen Greyhounds 1 
It took just one pitch for Monessen to take the lead in the Class A quarterfinals contest against Chartiers-Houston, but the top-seeded Buccaneers controlled the play for the next seven innings, as they prevailed 9-1 at North Strabane Intermediate School. Cara Grogen put the No. 8 Greyhounds in the lead early, as she belted the first offering from Chartiers-Houston’s Kaitlyn Dittrich over the right field fence. Dittrich, a freshman, kept the Greyhounds scoreless for the rest of the game, though, after the Buccaneers offense provided her with the lead by scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. Megan Kraushaar and Kayla Alderson both scored, providing Chartiers-Houston with a lead it would not relinquish. The Buccaneers added two more runs in the second, as Macie Kesneck and Jalynn Myers began the frame with consecutive hits, and were plated on a sacrifice fly by Kraushaar and a single from Sabrina Stankus, respectively. In the fourth, Chartiers-Houston took complete control by adding five more runs. With one out, six straight Buccaneers reached base, with the most damage coming on a two-run double off the bat of Casey Craig. In total, Chartiers-Houston collected 13 hits against Monessen’s freshman hurler Dana Vatakis. With the triumph, the Buccaneers advance to the semifinals, where they will face Bishop-Canevin on Thursday.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders 5 – Serra Catholic Eagles 3 
Three consecutive hits with two outs in the fifth inning proved the difference, as Bishop Canevin secured a 5-3 victory against Serra Catholic in Class A quarterfinals play North Strabane Intermediate School. Serra Catholic, the No. 12 seed, and Bishop Canevin, seeded 13th, both scored first-round upsets, setting up the unlikely battle to advance to the semifinals. The Eagles plated the first run of the contest, as Mikayla McCombs drew a one-out walk in the top of the first, and Allie Taylor followed with a single. Another single, off the bat of Sam Andrekanic, allowed McCombs to score. Bishop Canevin responded on the bottom of the frame, however, as Kylee Sonson, the Crusaders pitcher, delivered a solo home run. With the score still tied in the bottom of the third, the Crusaders gained the upper hand, as Alexis Pilch led off with a single and scored on a two-out hit by Rachel Rittelmann. Bishop Canevin added an insurance run in a similar fashion in the next inning, as Rianna Conway singled and later scored on an RBI single from Caroline Clarke. Trailing by two, the Eagles knotted the contest in the fifth on a two-run homer crushed by shortstop Allie Taylor. Deadlocked at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame, Rittelmann delivered a two-out single to keep the inning alive for the Crusaders. Hayley Pilch followed with a double to right, which scored the eventual game-winning run. Conway followed up with a double of her own, allowing Pilch to score a key insurance marker. Sonson kept the Eagles off the scoreboard for the final two innings to seal the victory for her squad. Andrekanic was the tough-luck loser, as she recorded nine strikeouts in the defeat. As a result of the victory, the Crusaders advance to face top-seeded Chartiers-Houston on Thursday.

LACROSSE:

WPIAL BOYS DIVISION I Semifinals:

North Allegheny TIgers 8 – Shady Side Academy Indians 7
The North Allegheny boys lacrosse team defeated Shady Side Academy 8-7 in triple overtime on Tuesday night to advance to the championship game.  The Tigers trailed all night but was able to tie it midway through the fourth period to send the game into overtime.  Shady Side Academy scored the first two goals of the night in the first five minutes getting goals from Alec Bernstein and Max Jaffe.  The Tigers would respond with the next two goals when Jake Zemet and Kyle Rullan would score 47 seconds apart to tie the score.  The Indians would open up a three goal lead in the second period getting two goals from Max Jaffe and another form Bernstein but Kyle Rullan scored the second of his four goals midway through the second period and the Indians lead 5-3 at the half.  The Indians would lead 7-5 early in the fourth before Zach Smith got behind the defense and scored to cut the lead to one and then Kyle Rullan scored his fourth of the night with a wrap around to tie the game.  The first overtime goalies Blake Goodman for Shady Side and Will Rahenkamp made key saves to extend to the second overtime.  North Allegheny fought off a penalty in the second overtime to send the game into the third overtime.  Shady Side had an opportunity to win it early but failed to score and that set up the heroics for the Tigers.  Kyle Rullan would run the right side and the defense collapsed to him and he found a wide open Ted Egnaczyk in front of the goal who then beat Goodman for the winner.  Shady Side will now play Pine Richland in the PIAA play in game on Thursday night while the Tigers will play Mount Lebanon Friday night at 8pm for the championship.  It is tough to go against Kyle Rullan but Zach Smith was named the Wright Automotive player of the game for his all around effort.  Smith won 14 of 18 faceoffs plus was outstanding in the defensive end.

WPIAL GIRLS DIVISION II Semifinals:

Blackhawk Cougars 10 – Latrobe Wildcats 6 
The Blackhawk Cougars ended Latrobe’s perfect season tonight and in the process earned their first ever trip to the WPIAL Girls Lacrosse Division 2 finals with a 10-6 win at North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium. The 4th seeded Cougars jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals by juniors Emma Verrett, Nicole Cuddy and sophomore Casey Taylor. But the Wildcats answered back with two free position goals from Jocelyn Cawoski and Bailey Quinn to pull within a goal. Abby Shope scored the first of her two goals on the night for Blackhawk at (21:03) of the first half to give the Cougars a 4-2 lead. But junior midfielder Jessica Kostic scored twice in: 41 to tie the game at 4-4. Blackhawk had the answer in what turned out to be a crucial and short stretch to take a 6-4 lead heading into halftime. Cuddy netted her second goal of the game at (23:48), just: 15 after the second Kostic goal and: 10 after that goal, Shope added her 63rd goal of the season to put Blackhawk up by two goals. Verrett put the Cougars up 7-4 (3:06) into the second half converting a feed from Jordan Taylor. But the top seeded Wildcats fought back. Cawoski scored her second goal on a free position at (5:35) and Kostic notched the hat trick one-timing a pass from Naomi Schwaiger passed Blackhawk goalie Aleena Milinski to make the score 7-6. But Casey Taylor countered fro Blackhawk just: 43 later to make the score 8-6. Things got interesting at the (12:12) mark of the second half when Shope appeared to score a hat trick on a free possession opportunity for Blackhawk. The goal however was waived off because Shope’s basket was declared illegal. Shope, who had already received a yellow card in the first half, was visibly agitated and fouled a Latrobe player immediately on the ensuing Wildcat possession and was carded for the second time. What was initially thought to be a red card was just a second yellow, but Shope’s evening was done nonetheless. To the Cougars credit, they showed great composure and scored the game’s final two goals, one by Jordan Taylor and Verrett scoring the hat trick at (17:21) on a free position goal. Verrett now has 30 goals on the season for Blackhawk. Milinski made 5 saves in goal for Blackhawk who improved to (15-2) with the win. The Cougars defense, which allowed only 3.9 goals per game coming into the contest, was strong again. Especially in the second half allowing only two Latrobe tallies. Sophomore Emily Sobota made 8 saves in a losing effort for Latrobe as the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season to finish the campaign at (16-1). The Cougars, who made the WPIAL Division 2 Semifinals for the third time in four seasons, will now head to the championship match for the first time. Blackhawk will now face second seeded Shaler, who defeated Moon 20-11 in the opening match at North Allegheny to reach the title game for the third consecutive season. The two-time defending champion Titans and Cougars will face-off Thursday night at 6 P.M. at Highmark Stadium in Station Square.

Shaler Titans 20 – Moon Tigers 11 
Following a 20-11 semifinal win over Moon at North Allegheny High School on Tuesday night, Shaler now has the opportunity to earn its third straight WPIAL Girls Division II lacrosse crown. The second-seeded Titans (18-1) advance to face Blackhawk in the final Thursday night at 6:00pm at Highmark Stadium. Moon built an early 4-3 lead, but quickly fell victim to an extraordinary offensive onslaught by Shaler senior midfielder Shannon Lynch. An NCAA Division I University of Albany recruit, Lynch exploded for ten first half goals and three assists to lead the Titans to a 14-7 halftime lead. Lynch would add an eleventh goal and a fourth assist during the second half of action as the Tigers, seeded sixth in the bracket, never managed to get closer than six goals of the lead. Senior midfielder Neely Regan was also impressive for Shaler, tallying five goals of her own. Moon (15-4) was paced by four goals each from seniors Samantha Beddings and Hayley Mazreku.