What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 28, 2021: Class 5A softball supremacy at stake

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, April 27, 2021 | 11:19 PM

Could it be a passing-of-the-torch type of moment when three-time defending Class 5A district softball champion West Allegheny hosts Chartiers Valley?

The Colts-Indians matchup is one of several big softball games on the Wednesday schedule around the WPIAL.

West Allegheny is 6-1 in Section 4-5A, 9-2 overall, has won six in a row and is still a big-time contender for a four-peat next month.

The Indians are looking up in the standings at Chartiers Valley, the only team to beat them in section play this season.

The Colts are a perfect 8-0 in the section, 9-3 overall, and have won seven straight, a streak that began with a 1-0 win over the Indians on Apr. 9.

Four other big softball matchups on Wednesday include:

• Knoch is at Highlands for at least a share of first place in Section 1-4A. The Knights and Golden Rams are tied with Burrell for the top spot in the section.

• Mt. Pleasant visiting Waynesburg is not for first place, but a key battle for second place in Section 3-3A. Both the Vikings and Raiders have one section loss while Southmoreland is 3-0.

• Union will host South Side for first place in Section 1-A. The Rams beat the Scotties 9-2 in the first meeting, which is the difference in the standings at this point. South Side is 5-0 in the section while Union checks in at 5-1.

• Leechburg and Springdale are dead even with 4-0 record in Section 3-A. The first meeting of the year between the two is Wednesday when the Blue Devils visit the Dynamos.

Baseball’s lone section showdown

While Wednesday is a busy day for WPIAL softball, it is a quiet day on the baseball diamond with only a handful of games and only one section contest.

However, that lone game is a key contest in Section 4-5A as Connellsville hosts Bethel Park.

Neither team has lost yet in section play. The Black Hawks are 5-0 while the Falcons are a half-game back at 4-0.

With these two separating themselves from the other four teams in the section, these two games will in all likelihood determine first and second place in the section.

Bethel Park has won four straight while Connellsville has won six in a row.

The rematch on Thursday at Bethel Park can be seen on HSSN.

Double the gold

With a shaky forecast, the championship and consolation matches in the 2021 WPIAL boys doubles tennis championships could be moved indoors Wednesday.

For now, though, those four matches are set for North Allegheny starting at 2 p.m.

In Class AAA, the top-seeded Franklin Regional duo of Anup Nadesan and Advait Kulkami survived a three-set scare in the semifinals to advance to the finals to face Chase Davidson and Shomik Telang of North Allegheny.

In Class AA, Joe Toth and Ethan Bowden of South Park upset top-seeded Henry Veeck and Michael Liton of Quaker Valley, 6-4, 6-2, in the semifinals. They will now face the Quaker Valley duo of Will Sirianni and Thomas Pangburn in the title match.