Westmoreland WPIAL baseball playoff capsules for May 24, 2021

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, May 23, 2021 | 4:07 PM

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Class 6A

Semifinals

Tuesday

2-Norwin (14-3) vs. 3-Hempfield (14-7)

6:30 p.m. at Latrobe

Coaches: Mike Liebdzinski, Norwin; Tim Buzzard, Hempfield

Winner plays: Winner of 1-North Allegheny (18-3)/5-Butler (14-6) on June 1 or 2 at a time to be determined at Wild Things Park, Washington in the finals

Players to watch: Eric Chorba, Sr., OF, Norwin; Phil Fox, Sr., OF/P, Hempfield

Extra bases: Norwin and Hempfield finished as co-champions of Section 2-6A, and they split their season series with the Knights winning 3-0 at home and the Spartans returning the favor three days later, 4-1. Norwin used a two-run home run by Jayden Walker, and Ty Stecko added a two-run single as Norwin defeated Seneca Valley, 4-2, in the quarterfinals Saturday at West Mifflin. Pitcher Jake Bazala earned his eighth win of the season. … Hempfield used a three-run home run from sophomore Gage Wheaton to rally the Spartans from a 3-1 deficit in a 6-4 victory against Central Catholic. Christian Zilli pitched the final two innings to earn the win. He also went 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Hempfield has never reached the finals.

Class A

Quarterfinals

2-Greensburg Central Catholic (13-4) vs. 7-Riverview (9-6)

2:30 p.m. at Haymaker Park

Coaches: Tom Appleby, Greensburg Central Catholic; William Gras, Riverview

Winner plays: Winner of 3-Rochester (10-4)/6-Jefferson-Morgan (12-5), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Plum.

Players to watch: Zach David, Jr. P, Greensburg Central Catholic; Ryan Aber, Sr. INF, Riverview

Extra bases: Greensburg Central Catholic lost four of its final five games heading into the playoffs. The Centurions earned an 11-7 win over Apollo-Ridge in their regular season finale. They also won 12 of their first 13 games and scored double-digit runs in 10 of those. The Centurions are looking for their first WPIAL title since 2015. … The Raiders made the playoffs for the first time since 2015, and their first-round victory over Avella was their first playoff win since 2014. Taylor Zellefrow hit a monster home run over the left-field fence at Plum during Riverview’s win against Avella, and Vince Shook put together a solid performance on the mound in their 7-2 victory.

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: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Norwin, Peters Township, Riverview