Westmoreland baseball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 14, 2025

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | 3:50 PM

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WPIAL baseball playoffs

Class 5A

First round

6-Penn-Trafford (14-6) vs. 11-Connellsville (13-5)

4 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Shaler (13-6)/14-Montour (12-7) in quarterfinals May 20 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Brayden Stone, Penn-Trafford; Grayden Gillott, Connellsville

Extra bases: Penn-Trafford had an eight-game winning streak snapped by Central Catholic on May 9. The Warriors are the defending WPIAL 5A champions. Junior Logan Matrisch has a team-high 23 RBIs. Stone has a team-high 25 hits. … Connellsville senior Gillott batted .456 with 21 RBIs. Chase Sankovich, grandson of former coach Tom Sankovich, batted .321. Senior Matt Firestone batted .421. The Falcons defeated the Warriors, 3-2, on March 29.

4-Bethel Park (16-4) vs. 13-Franklin Regional (10-8)

7 p.m. Wednesday at Boyce Mayview Park

Winner plays: Winner of 5-Thomas Jefferson (14-4)/12-Upper St. Clair (13-6) in quarterfinals May 20 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Ryan Petras, Bethel Park; Luke Williams, Franklin Regional

Extra bases: Bethel Park has won eight consecutive games. Petras has swiped 18 bases and is hitting .407. Mike Bruckner has a team-high 17 RBIs. Pitcher Dylan Schumacher is 4-1. … NJ Ramchandran is batting .400. Pitcher Jonah Willochell has a 1.85 ERA. Senior Chase Lemke has 22 hits. The Panthers have dropped five consecutive games. They qualified for the PIAA playoffs in 2024.

9-Latrobe (14-6) vs. 8-Fox Chapel (15-5)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Plum

Winner plays: Winner of 1-Pine-Richland (17-3)/16-Trinity (10-9) in quarterfinals May 20 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Eli Boring, Latrobe; Jeremy Haigh, Fox Chapel

Extra bases: Latrobe finished section play with consecutive 3-0 losses to Plum. It also lost a two-game series to Penn-Trafford. The Wildcats won a tournament in Altoona … Fox Chapel infielders Tyler Golembiewski and Antonio LeDonne make a solid pair up the middle. Haigh is hitting .535. Fox Chapel finished third in Section 3 behind Pine-Richland and Shaler.

Class 4A

First round

10- Greensburg Salem (9-6) vs. 7-Central Valley (10-10)

6 p.m. Wednesday at Seneca Valley

Winner plays: 2-West Mifflin (15-5) in the quarterfinals May 20 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Peyton Chismar, Greensburg Salem; Luke Lyons, Central Valley

Extra bases: Greensburg Salem senior Chismar is batting .415, and younger brother Brody hit .372. Pitcher Braedon Leatherman is 5-2 on the hill. … Central Valley has dropped two consecutive games. The Warriors placed third in Section 4. The Warriors won five of their last six section games.

5-Belle Vernon (13-5) vs. 12-Derry (5-9)

2 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin

Winner plays: 4-Beaver (11-8) in the quarterfinals May 20 (time, site TBD)

Players to watch: Parker Lind, Belle Vernon; Jon Wasnick, Derry

Extra bases: Belle Vernon is led by Lucas Judy, who is hitting .481. Cole Matusik has 19 stolen bases and Kole Doppelheuer 17. Lind’s ERA is 0.85. The Leopards have dropped three consecutive games and finished behind Elizabeth Forward and West Mifflin in Section 2. … Derry junior Cason Long is hitting .286 with 12 RBIs. Sacco has 10 RBIs. Pitcher Max Doherty is 2-1. Wasnick has 14 hits. Derry was the fourth-place team in Section 3.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Bethel Park, Central Valley, Connellsville, Derry Area, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford