A-K Valley WPIAL playoff baseball preview capsules for May 19, 2022

By: Bill Hartlep
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 | 5:20 PM

Purchase Photo Options

WPIAL baseball playoffs

Class 3A

Quarterfinals

1-Hopewell (14-6) vs. 8-Deer Lakes (10-11)

6:30 p.m. Thursday at Burkett Field

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Mohawk (14-4) vs. 5-Yough (11-7) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Anthony LaSala, Hopewell; Justin Brannagan, Deer Lakes

Extra bases: Justin Brannagan doubled in a run and tossed a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in leading the Lancers to a 1-0 first-round win over McGuffey. Danny Geis and John Lisotto added two hits apiece. Deer Lakes, which tied for second in Section 3, has won four of its past six games. … Hopewell beat Deer Lakes in the WPIAL quarterfinals 5-2 last season en route to winning the WPIAL Class 3A title. Hopewell rolled past South Allegheny, 13-2, in the first round. Anthony LaSala and Couper Stala each knocked in three runs. Ty Eberhardt had two RBIs. LaSala also struck out eight and earned the win. He has a 0.64 ERA this season. First baseman/pitcher Lucas Arington is batting .448 with three home runs and 29 RBIs.

Class A

Quarterfinals

2-Union (9-4) vs. 10-Riverview (6-9)

2 p.m. Thursday at Shaler

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Rochester (9-7) vs. 6-Sewickley Academy (9-5) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Mark Stanley, Union; Enzo Lio, Riverview

Extra bases: Riverview opened the playoffs with a 13-6 victory over Bishop Canevin. Johnny Bertucci was 2 for 4 with four RBIs, and Luke Migely knocked in two runs. Enzo Lio was 2 for 4 with a triple and RBI and also earned the pitching victory with 10 strikeouts. The Raiders qualified for the playoffs as the fourth-place team in Section 3. … Union, the Section 1 champion, was awarded a first-round bye and has been idle since a 3-2 loss to New Brighton on May 10. The Scotties are led by pitcher/outfielder/first baseman Mark Stanley, who hit a two-run homer against New Brighton. Tyler Staub is another key contributor on the mound and at the plate.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Hopewell, Riverview, Union