Baseball, softball teams advance in WPIAL playoffs
Peters Township and Upper St. Clair battled back from elimination to play another day in the WPIAL baseball playoffs.
In first-round action, the Indians came from behind to beat West Allegheny, 5-4, on May 17 at W&J’s Ross Memorial Park. Peters Township scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to seal the victory.
Carter Shanafelt singled home Steve Laurence before Joey Bedillion drilled a two-run double that scored Jack Natili and Will Somers. With the score tied, Vinny Sarcone tagged the walk-off base hit.
With the win, Peters Township (14-6) advanced to the quarterfinals to face No. 3 seed Penn-Trafford at 2 p.m. May 22 at the West Mifflin High School sports complex.
USC’s rally was equally impressive as the Panthers erupted for seven runs in the sixth stanza and dispatched North Hills, 9-7, in a contest also played May 17 at Shaler.
The Panthers (10-11) fell behind, 7-2, before rebounding on two-run hits by Michael Albert, Eli Mandler (double) and Owen Mandler.
Brayden Wells and Pete Janoski combined for the win on the mound for USC, which will face rival Bethel Park in the quarterfinals. The game is set for 6:30 p.m. May 22 at Peterswood Park.
In other Class 5A baseball playoff action, South Fayette shut out Armstrong, 6-0, at North Allegheny.
Tyler Pitzer excelled on the mound, scattering three hits over 6 1/3 innings. The South Carolina recruit fanned eight batters. At the plate, Pitzer cranked out a solo home run and stroked an RBI double.
The Lions (16-4) will play Plum at 6:30 p.m. May 22 at Gateway in the quarterfinals.
In Class 4A playoff action, Chartiers Valley (14-6) overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Central Valley, 8-4, at Boyce-Mayview Park.
Charlie Caputo and Brenden Cruz led the comeback, each socking three hits. Caputo drove in three and Cruz had two RBI for the Colts, who will face Greater Latrobe at 4 p.m. May 22 at Gateway in the quarterfinals.
In softball action, the Lady Colts blanked Knoch, 10-0, in five frames at North Allegheny.
Lily Duffill carried the big stick for CV (17-2). She cranked out a home run and a two-bagger to drive in three runs.
CV faces No. 2 seed Montour in the semifinals. The winner advancing to the finals to be played May 31 or June 1 at Lilley Field at PennWest University in California.
Seeded 12th in the Class 5A tournament, South Fayette toppled the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds to advance to the semifinals to face No. 1 Armstrong.
In the quarterfinals, the Lions edged West Allegheny, 4-3, snapping the Indians’ 10-game winning streak.
In the game played May 17 at Boyce-Mayview Park, Rylee Roebuck collected three hits at the plate including a double while Emma Early picked up the win on the mound, striking out 13.
In the playoff opener, SF (12-9) knocked off Knoch, 6-5. Maddie Cavenaugh smacked a home run on the first pitch of the game and Liv Bonacci followed with a round tripper in the fourth frame. Bonacci finished with three hits. Cavenaugh also doubled in the win.
SF scored the game-winning run in the sixth stanza after a wild pitch, sacrifice fly by Addie Vierra and RBI ground ball by Charlotte Dziki.