Hempfield earns No. 3 seed in WPIAL Class 6A baseball playoffs

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, May 11, 2018 | 7:30 PM

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Hempfield knew it could compete with the best baseball teams in Class 6A this season because its schedule seemed to grow stronger each week, and the team embraced the competition.

The Spartans played eight of the other 12 teams in the WPIAL playoff field to the tune of a 15-5 record and a Section 2 title. Their reward was a No. 3 seed and a first-round bye when the brackets were revealed Friday.

Tim Buzzard thinks his team has as good a chance as any of the qualifiers in what looks to be a wide-open tournament.

“We have played the majority of the teams, and I think everyone has a shot to win it if they get hot,” the Hempfield coach said. “It's a very strong field. It's hard to really rank teams because everyone is so similar.”

Hempfield has a 7-4 win over No. 1 Central Catholic.

Teams with byes will sit until May 21, when the next round begins.

“It's nice to be rewarded with a trip to the quarterfinals, but with a week off it gives all teams a chance to use their top pitcher,” Buzzard said. “So it evens it out.”

Greensburg Central Catholic (12-5) also found the advantages of winning a section championship: The Centurions received a free pass to the Class A quarterfinals.

“Sometimes that can be bonus. We'll see how it goes,” said GCC coach Denny Reist, whose team also is a No. 3 seed. “It gives the kids some rest. Our prom is Friday … they'll have a little break. I thought the WPIAL did a nice job of separating the (top) teams.”

Defending Class A champion Jeannette (11-3) is a No. 5 seed and will play No. 12 Leechburg (4-10) at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Fox Chapel.

No. 7 Monessen (10-6), which finished tied for second with Jeannette in Section 2, opens against No. 10 Western Beaver (9-7) at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Burkett Complex in Robinson.

Jeannette was seeded seventh when it won last year. The Jayhawks defeated rival Greensburg Central in the final.

“It's pretty fair,” Jeannette coach Marcus Clarkson said. “We put ourselves in that position so now we have to prove ourselves on the field that we are one of the top teams in single-A.”

Section 3-5A runner-up Franklin Regional (14-4) is a No. 6 seed and faces No. 11 Montour (11-9) at 2 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin. That game is the first of a local doubleheader. The second game features defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champion Latrobe (11-9), the No. 10 seed, against No. 7 Chartiers Valley (8-7) at 4:30. The teams also met last year at West Mifflin in the semifinals.

In Class 4A, Greensburg Salem (11-5) will set out for its first playoff win since 2012 when it plays South Park (14-6) at 4 p.m. at Gateway in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game.

“We thought we would be there,” Golden Lions coach Bill Wisniewski said of his team's seeding. “It is encouraging that the next round isn't until the following week.”

The 6A bracket also includes Penn-Trafford and Norwin, both of which finished behind Hempfield in Section 2.

Penn-Trafford is seeded No. 7 and will open against No. 10 North Allegheny (10-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday on the turf at Latrobe.

No. 13 Norwin (7-7) plays No. 4 Canon-McMillan (13-5) at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Boyce-Maview Complex in Upper St. Clair.

Norwin won the WPIAL Class AAAA title two years ago as a No. 14 seed.

Other local matchups:

• Class 4A: No. 7 Belle Vernon (11-5) vs. No. 10 Hopewell (11-9), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hempfield.

• Class 3A: No. 11 Mt. Pleasant (8-7) vs. No. 6 Burrell (9-3), 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Latrobe; No. 5 Valley (10-6) vs. No. 12 Beaver Falls (6-8), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Shaler.

Mt. Pleasant made the title game last season.

The top seeds are Central Catholic (14-4) in 6A, Moon (13-3) in 5A, Blackhawk (16-1) in 4A, Riverside (15-1) in 3A, Serra Catholic (19-1) in 2A and Vincentian (12-4) in A.

The WPIAL championship games will be May 29-30 at Wild Things Park in Washington.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Valley