What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 3, 2022: Team track semifinals set

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 | 12:23 AM

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Rain may affect a busy day of WPIAL baseball and softball Tuesday, but barring storms, the district postseason should begin for one spring outdoor sport.

The 2022 WPIAL team track and field semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday with each classification holding championship qualifiers at four sites.

Boys 3A

At Butler: Blackhawk vs. Butler vs. Franklin Regional

At Norwin: Baldwin vs. Canon-McMillan vs. Connellsville vs. Norwin

At North Allegheny: Hempfield vs. Kiski Area vs. North Allegheny

At South Fayette: Chartiers Valley vs. Hampton vs. Mt. Lebanon vs. New Castle

Girls 3A

At Butler: Blackhawk vs. Butler vs. Franklin Regional

At Norwin: Belle Vernon vs. Bethel Park vs. Canon-McMillan vs. Norwin

At North Allegheny: Hempfield vs. Kiski Area vs. North Allegheny

At South Fayette: Knoch vs. Laurel Highlands vs. Mt. Lebanon vs. South Fayette

Boys 2A

At Greensburg Central Catholic: Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Ligonier Valley vs. Riverview vs. Washington vs. Yough

At Riverside: Carlynton vs. Deer Lakes vs. New Brighton vs. North Catholic vs. Riverside

At Shenango: Fort Cherry vs. Hopewell vs. Shady Side Academy vs. Shenango vs. South Side

At South Park: Mt. Pleasant vs. South Park vs. Southmoreland vs. Waynesburg

Girls 2A

At Greensburg Central Catholic: Burrell vs. Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Riverview vs. Winchester Thurston

At Riverside: Carlynton vs. Eden Christian Academy vs. North Catholic vs. Riverside

At Shenango: Derry vs. Hopewell vs. Shady Side Academy vs. Shenango

At South Park: Brownsville vs. Quaker Valley vs. South Park vs. Southmoreland vs. Waynesburg

The winning team at each site will qualify for the 2022 WPIAL team track and field championships on May 11 at West Mifflin.

Softball showdown

The top two teams in their section and two of the top three teams in their classification hope to square off in a big softball 4A fray.

If the weather cooperates, No. 3 Elizabeth Forward will host No. 2 Yough.

Both teams are tied for first place in Section 2-4A with 8-1 records and they are a combined 21-3 overall.

It’s a matchup of the 2011 WPIAL champion Cougars against the 2019 district winning Warriors.

The first contest was a wild one won by host Yough, 9-8.

The Cougars led 9-1 after five innings before a furious Warriors comeback with five runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh just fell short.

Volleyball section crown at stake

With two weeks left in the regular season, teams are scrambling for playoff spots, postseason positioning and section crowns.

The Section 1-2A title may be at stake Tuesday when Our Lady of the Sacred Heart visits North Catholic.

The visiting Chargers are 6-1 in the section and only have two section matches left after this key contest.

The Trojans are 5-1 and with three section matches left after Tuesday.

North Catholic won the first meeting this season at OLSH, 3-1.

You can watch this match at 7:15 p.m. on Trib HSSN.

Team tennis continues

Last spring, Franklin Regional was the top seed in the WPIAL 3A boys team tennis tournament and reached the finals, only to lose a heartbreaker to Shady Side Academy, 3-2.

For the second straight year, the Panthers have earned the No. 1 seed and are set to begin their quest for tennis gold when first round action begins Tuesday.

The defending champion Bulldogs are the No. 4 seed and could face Franklin Regional in the semifinals this year instead of the title match.

Mt. Lebanon is the No. 2 seed while Fox Chapel, the four-time champion from 2016-2019, is the No. 6 seed.

The first round matches are:

• Moon at Franklin Regional

• Kiski Area vs. Central Catholic at Norwin

• Allderdice at Upper St. Clair

• Pine-Richland at Shady Side Academy

• Chartiers Valley at North Allegheny

• Norwin at Fox Chapel

• Peters Township at Sewickley Academy

• Penn-Trafford at Mt. Lebanon

All the matches begin at 3 p.m.