What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 17, 2024: Softball powers wage battle for 2nd place

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 | 11:41 PM

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In WPIAL Class 6A softball, everybody is looking up at Seneca Valley, which sits in first place in the nine-team classification with a section record of 6-0.

The two teams with the best chance to catch the Raiders meet Wednesday when North Allegheny (3-1) hosts defending champion Hempfield (5-1) in prime time at 7:30 p.m. in a game you can listen to on Trib HSSN.

Both the Tigers and Spartans have only one loss in the section with Hempfield at 4-1 and NA with a section record of 3-1.

This will be the second and final meeting of the year between the two diamond powers.

Spartans junior Allie Cervola hit the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning over the fence to give Hempfield a lead they never lost. Junior pitcher Riley Miller allowed five hits, one walk and struck out five as Hempfield blanked NA, 6-0.

Another big game Wednesday is a rematch of a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal from a year ago when Burrell visits Avonworth.

The Bucs currently sit in first place in Section 1-3A with a 4-0 record in the section and 6-2 overall.

They are one game ahead in the loss column of both Deer Lakes and Avonworth.

The defending district champion Antelopes are 1-1 in the section and 3-3 overall.

A year ago, Avonworth swept the two games against Burrell in the regular season, then ousted the Bucs in the district semifinals, 3-0. Then-junior pitcher Alivia Lantzy allowed only one hit and struck out five in the shutout win.

More softball

Bragging rights in Fayette County are at stake Wednesday when Uniontown visits Albert Gallatin.

The Red Raiders are tied for first place in Section 2-4A with Elizabeth Forward at 4-0 in the section and 4-1 overall.

The Colonials are tied for third place with Belle Vernon with a section record of 1-3 and an overall mark of 1-4.

In a big Class 2A matchup, a share of first place is up for grabs in Section 2 when Serra Catholic (4-1) visits Greensburg Central Catholic (2-1).

The Eagles lead the section with a 3-0 record, one game ahead of both the Centurions at 2-1 and Apollo-Ridge.

Squeezed in the middle

There are a handful of makeup WPIAL baseball games slated for Wednesday, including a battle in the middle of the pack in Section 4-3A.

Waynesburg is alone in first place at 4-0, while Mt. Pleasant is 3-1 and four teams are tied with 2-2 section records.

Two of those four teams collide on Cougar Mountain when defending section champion Yough (3-2, 3-5) hosts Southmoreland (2-3, 2-5).

The two teams played on Tuesday with the Cougars blanking the Scotties, 10-0.

Doubles qualifiers

Wednesday is the final day of the WPIAL boys tennis doubles sectionals as the top three duos in each Class 2A section tournament and top four in each Class 3A section will qualify for next week’s WPIAL doubles championships.

Weather permitting; the sectionals will take place at:

Section 1-3A at Franklin Regional

Section 2-3A at North Allegheny

Section 3-3A at Fox Chapel

Section 4-4A at Bethel Park

Section 1-2A at Valley

Section 2-2A at Thomas Jefferson

Section 3-2A at Hampton Community Park

Section 4-2A at Beaver

Section 5-2A at Nichols Courts at Sewickley Academy