So far, so good as Westmoreland County summer baseball league hits season’s midpoint

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 | 9:34 PM

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It’s the halfway mark for most teams in the Westmoreland County American Baseball League, and things are going as smooth as league director Jason Bush could expect.

“We haven’t had any covid-19 cases that I know of in all three leagues,” Bush said. “Bedford/Cambria and the Central Penn leagues are going strong and other than a few field issues, we’ve had no problems.

“No issues with umpires, players or coaches. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue to play baseball.”

Heading into Wednesday’s games, Latrobe was sitting on top of the league with a 10-1 record. Murrysville was second with a 5-1 mark followed by Hempfield East at 5-2.

Latrobe and Murrysville will meet twice in the next eight days — Thursday at Latrobe and July 16 at Murrysville. Latrobe defeated Bushy Run, 9-4, on Wednesday.

“We’re going to meet some of the better teams in the next week,” Bush said. “I’ve been pleased with the competition.”

Said Bushy Run coach Scott Peyman: “We’re about a third of the way through the season and it hasn’t exactly gone the way Bushy Run baseball usually goes. But we have a lot of young players, and they’re getting experience. It’s a good year for it.”

Some of Bushy Run’s better players are splitting time in the AAABA league for mainly college players in Johnstown.

Bushy Run lost the use of Sunrise Elementary School field earlier in the week, but Peyman was pleased to learn they will get it back on Saturday.

“Things haven’t changed much in the league,” Peyman said. “It’s still baseball, and most of the rules haven’t changed. We are more aware of the social distancing and safety concerns, but everything is pretty much the same.”

Bush said he hasn’t heard what protocol changes Gov. Tom Wolf might have in store, but he’s prepared to make adjustments.

“If we have to play games without fans, I’d rather play the games,” Bush said. “Let’s hope that’s not the case.”

Wolf reportedly planned to issue new guidelines regarding public gatherings for Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties on Wednesday, but the announcement was delayed.

“Until we hear differently, we’re planning to play baseball at Legion Keener on Thursday,” Bush said.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Yough