What to watch for in WPIAL sports for June 7, 2021: Baseball, softball teams start PIAA playoffs

By: Don Rebel
Monday, June 7, 2021 | 8:48 AM

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A total of 38 WPIAL baseball and softball teams hit the ground running for state gold as the Path to Penn State begins Monday.

Weather permitting, the first round of the PIAA baseball and softball playoffs begin throughout the state. The 12 newly crowned WPIAL champions will play somewhere inside the district while all of the other district teams hit the road to points north and east of District 7.

Baseball openers

Of the 19 WPIAL baseball teams playing Monday in the opening round of the PIAA postseason, there is one head-to-head contest.

In Class 5A, WPIAL champion Franklin Regional will battle the fourth seed from District 7, West Allegheny.

It is the first meeting of the year between these two powerhouses who were a combined 36-6 this season.

The last time these two programs met was in the first round of the 2017 WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, a game in which the Indians edged the Panthers, 4-1.

Monday’s game will be played at Latrobe at 6:30 p.m.

The other games are:

North Allegheny vs. Warwick at Latrobe at 10 a.m. and Hempfield vs. McDowell at Mercyhurst at 1 p.m. in 6A.

Bethel Park vs. Northern York at Red Lion at 2 p.m. and Peters Township vs. Central Mountain at Bald Eagle at noon in 5A.

New Castle vs. Harbor Creek at North Allegheny at 5:30 p.m., Montour vs. Clearfield at Showers Field in DuBois at 5 p.m. and Blackhawk vs. Cathedral Prep at Mercyhurst at 3:30 p.m. in 4A.

Hopewell vs. Mercyhurst Prep at Neshannock at 5:30 p.m., South Park vs. Martinsburg Central at PNG Field in Altoona at 6:30 p.m. and McGuffey vs. Hickory at Slippery Rock University at 3:30 p.m. in 3A.

Shenango vs. Mount Union at North Allegheny at 3 p.m., Seton LaSalle vs. Sharpsville at Slippery Rock University at 6 p.m., Serra Catholic vs. Southern Huntingdon at Mount Aloysius College at 3:30 p.m. and Carmichaels vs. Johnsonburg at Kuntz Field in Punxsutawney at 4 p.m. in 2A.

Union vs. Elk County Catholic at Neshannock at 3 p.m., Riverview vs. Kennedy Catholic at Slippery Rock University at 1 p.m. and Eden Christian Academy vs. DuBois Central Catholic at Showers Field in DuBois at 2 p.m. in Class A.

Softball first round

There are two intra-district opening round state softball playoff games involving WPIAL teams Monday.

In Class 5A, WPIAL champion North Hills will battle Fox Chapel at North Allegheny at 6:30 p.m.

The Indians and Foxes were Section 3-5A foes this season with each team winning at home. Fox Chapel was a 3-1 winner on April 12 while North Hills prevailed in the rematch, 6-0 on April 28.

In Class 2A, WPIAL champion Laurel faces a familiar playoff foe when it battles Frazier at North Allegheny at 4 p.m.

The Spartans not only eliminated the Commodores in the district semifinals, 15-4, but Laurel defeated Frazier in the two previous WPIAL Class 2A championship games, 1-0 in 2018 and 9-3 in the 2019 finals.

The other games are:

Bethel Park vs. Penn Manor at Norwin at 4 p.m. and Canon-McMillan vs. Mifflin County at St. Francis at 11 a.m. in 6A.

Armstrong vs. Twin Valley at Lyons Ballpark in Fleetwood at 5 p.m. and Chartiers Valley vs. Bellefonte at St. Francis at 1:30 p.m. in 5A.

Beaver vs. Eastern York at Norwin at 2 p.m., Highlands vs. Clearfield at Heindl Field in DuBois at 2 p.m. and Elizabeth Forward vs. Franklin at Slippery Rock University at 5 p.m. in 4A.

Mt. Pleasant vs. Bald Eagle at Peterswood Park in Peters Township at 3 p.m., Ellwood City vs. Punxsutawney at Heindl Field in DuBois at noon and Avonworth vs. Jamestown at Penn State Behrend at 5 p.m. in 3A.

Shenango vs. Chestnut Ridge at Bedford at 4 p.m. and Ligonier Valley vs. Sharpsville at Slippery Rock University at 3 p.m. in 2A.

West Greene vs. Shade at Peterswood Park in Peters Township at 1 p.m., Union vs. Glendale at Mount Aloysius College at 2:30 p.m. and Leechburg vs. DuBois Central Catholic at Heindl Field in DuBois at 4 p.m. in Class A.