A-K Valley softball playoff capsules: Games of Monday, May 23, 2022

By: Michael Love
Sunday, May 22, 2022 | 4:57 PM

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Class 4A quarterfinals

6-Belle Vernon (12-7-1) vs. 3-Burrell (11-1)

5 p.m. at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of 10-West Mifflin (12-9) vs. 2-Elizabeth Forward (14-2) on Wednesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Ashley Joll, Belle Vernon; Katie Armstrong, Burrell

Extra bases: Belle Vernon registered its first playoff win since 2018 with a 10-5 victory over New Castle. A big-hitting lineup continued to produce offense. Lexi Daniels homered and drove in four runs, and Joll and Mia Zubovic had two hits and two RBIs apiece. Talia Ross was the winning pitcher with 10 Ks. The Leopards’ last semifinal trip came in 2018 when they captured back-to-back WPIAL titles. … Burrell returns to action after a first-round bye. The Buccaneers, who have two WPIAL titles (2000, ’11) have posted eight shutouts behind Armstrong and a solid defense. The Bucs have allowed just nine runs in 12 games. Their lone defeat came against Highlands, 4-1, on May 2. A limited schedule only allowed for two nonsection games. Pyper Ferres is an offensive weapon in a steady lineup. The Bucs have a 6-1 win over Mt. Pleasant. They are 6-0 on the road this season.

8-Freeport (10-6) vs. 1-Beaver (16-0)

3 p.m. at Mars

Winner plays: Winner of 4-Yough (13-3) vs. 5-Montour (13-4) on Wednesday in semifinals (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Payton List, Beaver; Sydney Selker, Freeport

Extra bases: Beaver, the defending WPIAL and PIAA champ, has won 37 games in a row. The Bobcats’ last loss came against South Park in the quarterfinals of the 2019 WPIAL playoffs. Beaver was one of three teams to earn a bye past the first round. No. 2 Elizabeth Forward and No. 3 Burrell were the others. Beaver, the Section 3 champion, allowed 14 runs in 16 regular-season games and pitched eight shutouts. List, a Virginia Tech recruit, has struck out 200 and walked 26 while fashioning a 0.22 ERA (three earned runs) over 95 1/3 innings. She also leads the team in batting with a .583 average (28 of 48), RBIs (21), extra-base hits (15), home runs (seven) and runs scored (28). Freshman Samanthan Springman (.477 avg.) is one to watch at the plate … Freeport snapped a two-game WPIAL first-round losing streak with an 8-1 win over No. 9 Central Valley in the first round. The Yellowjackets made the WPIAL semifinals in 2018. Natalie King, Savanna Urik and Selker each produced a pair of singles as part of an eight-hit attack against Central Valley. Abby DeJidas added a double, and Autumn Powell and Aimee Heasley each drove in two runs. Selker was strong in the circle as she allowed just one run on five hits while striking out nine and walking three over seven complete innings.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Beaver, Belle Vernon, Burrell, Freeport