Westmoreland baseball/softball preview capsules: Games of Monday, June 3

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, June 2, 2019 | 6:49 PM

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PIAA playoff previews

Monday’s games

Baseball

Class 6A

First round

Penn-Trafford (18-4) vs. Wilson (18-7-1)

4 p.m. at Earl Wenger Field, Fredericksburg

Winner plays: Winner of Central Bucks South (16-8)/Emmaus (14-12) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Dan Miller, Penn-Trafford; Sal Raccuglia, Wilson

Players to watch: Mario Disso, Sr., SS, Penn-Trafford; Luke Holman, So., P, Wilson

Extra bases: After falling short of winning its first WPIAL title in a 7-2 loss to Pine-Richland on Thursday, Penn-Trafford will start its quest for a first state championship. The Warriors will have to travel more than 400 miles round-trip for their first-round game. Maclean Maund and Disso had RBI singles in the WPIAL final loss. Disso, a Pitt-Johnstown recruit, had a key two-run triple in the Warriors’ 7-2 semifinal win over North Allegheny. Luke Fabac had an RBI triple in the North Allegheny win and a two-run double in Penn-Trafford’s 7-3 win over Upper St. Clair in the quarterfinals … Holman struck out 12 and allowed two hits in six innings to lead Wilson to its first District 3 championship since 1988 in an 11-2 win over Hempfield on Thursday. The last time the Bulldogs won a district title, former NFL quarterback Kerry Collins was the starting pitcher. The Bulldogs are on an 11-game winning streak and were the No. 7 seed in the District 3 tournament. Holman has 91 strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA in 51¹/₃ innings. Sophomore Randy Carlo (.379 average) and Holman (.356) are Wilson’s leading hitters.

Class 5A

First round

Franklin Regional (18-2) vs. Cathedral Prep (14-8)

4 p.m. at Neshannock

Winner plays: Winner of Shaler (15-7)/Lampeter Strasburg (21-4) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Bobby Saddler, Franklin Regional; Joshua Constable, Cathedral Prep

Players to watch: Michael Klingensmith, Sr. OF/P, Franklin Regional; Rockne Seidel, Sr., 3B, Cathedral Prep

Extra bases: Franklin Regional qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time in 18 years with a 4-1 win over Mars in the WPIAL consolation game. Klingensmith had two hits, including a triple, and pitched two scoreless innings to earn a save. Andrew Muraco allowed five hits in five innings and earned the win. The Panthers had won 14 straight prior to their 4-1 semifinal loss to Laurel Highlands. The Panthers have posted five shutouts and have allowed three or fewer runs 13 times. … Cathedral Prep, the District 10 champ, advanced into the state playoff bracket by beating District 6 champion Central Mountain, 11-3, on Friday. Collin Kelly hit a three-run homer and two-run double in the win. Seidel, a Canisius recruit, leads the Ramblers with a .429 batting average, nine doubles, three homers and 30 RBIs. Jimmy Colvin, a Gannon recruit, started against Central Mountain and has a 5-1 record with a 1.31 ERA, 59 strikeouts and four walks in 42²/₃ innings pitched. Two other Ramblers pitchers, Colin Kelly (1.35) and Alex Baldi (1.83) have ERAs lower than two.

Softball

Class 6A

First round

Hempfield (16-6) vs. Chambersburg (17-6)

5 p.m. at Seton Hill

Winner plays: Winner of McDowell (17-5)/Warwick (19-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Bob Kalp, Hempfield; Christian Skultety, Chambersburg

Players to watch: Laura Fox, Sr., CF, Hempfield; Mackenzie Stake, So., P, Chambersburg

Extra bases: Hempfield just won its fifth consecutive WPIAL championship in the state’s largest classification, and the Spartans will try to capture an unprecedented fourth straight state title. After a series of close games in the postseason over the last two years, Hempfield clubbed top-seeded North Allegheny in the WPIAL title game 15-0 in three innings. Fox, a Pitt-Johnstown recruit, doubled and homered, and sophomore pitcher Callie Sowers did not allow a hit, struck out five and walked one. Sowers has won all three of her playoff games and has allowed five hits and struck out 29. … Chambersburg needed nine innings to beat Dallastown, 5-4, in the District 3 third-place game. Senior Kirsten Johnson won the game with a walk-off single. Stake earned the complete-game win with six strikeouts and nine hits but gave up two home runs. The Trojans lost to Hempfield in the 2017 and ’16 state semifinals by scores of 11-4 and 2-0. Both games were played at Mt. Aloysius.

Class 5A

First round

Penn-Trafford (19-2) vs. Central Mountain (11-9)

2:30 p.m. at Penn State’s Beard Field

Winner plays: Winner of West Allegheny (12-7)/Northern York (17-3)/Exeter (15-5) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Denny Little, Penn-Trafford; Fred Caldwell, Central Mountain

Players to watch: Morgan Nedley, Sr., SS, Penn-Trafford; Caitlyn Watson, Fr., 3B, Central Mountain

Extra bases: Penn-Trafford will make its first PIAA postseason appearance since 1990. The Warriors hit their way into the WPIAL title game but fell to Connellsville, 10-4. They rebounded with a 6-2 win over Franklin Regional in the third-place game. Brooke Cleland and Emma Little each had two hits to back pitcher Morgan Hilty. Cleland, Emma Armstrong and Jess Lichota had doubles in the victory. The Warriors have one of the most potent lineups on the state. … Central Mountain clobbered DuBois, 14-5, to win the District 6 championship. Riley Houser had three hits and two runs, Watson and Alyssa Fisher each homered and Morgan Wetzel added a double. Watson is hitting .446. The Wildcats, however, allowed 10 hits in the district final.

Class 4A

First round

Mt. Pleasant (17-1) vs. Bellefonte (13-8)

Noon at Penn State’s Beard Field

Winner plays: Winner of Blue Mountain (17-6)/James Buchanan (15-7) on Thursday in quarterfinals

Coaches: Chris Brunson, Mt. Pleasant; Travis Foster, Bellefonte

Players to watch: Carolyn Alincic, Sr., P, Mt. Pleasant; Lexi Rogers, So., P, Bellefonte

Extra bases: Mt. Pleasant took an unblemished record into the WPIAL championship but was blanked by Elizabeth Forward, 3-0. The Vikings managed three hits, including a double by Lexis Shawley, but left runners stranded at second and third in the fifth inning. The Vikings, who entered the district final ranked No. 13 in the nation by MaxPreps, are trying to win a second state title in three years. They won in 2017 after finishing third in the WPIAL. Strikeout pitcher Alincic was the winning pitcher in the title game as a sophomore. She is 13-1 with an ERA just above 1.00 and 174 strikeouts. … Bellefonte was led by Rogers (11-4, 98 strikeouts) in the District 6 title game as she pitched a one-hitter in a 2-0 win over Tyrone. She struck out 10. Lily Gardner had a triple in the win. Hanna Lauck is a solid third baseman and is hitting over .380 with 25 RBIs. The Red Raiders, who have 21 district titles, started 0-5 while battling injuries but healed nicely to make the state tournament.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford