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Sunday, April 28, 2024 | 9:03 PM
christopher horner relive
Pine-Richland's Danny Pedersen throws a ball to first base during a game against Seneca Valley on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Pine.
And there were two.
With only two days left in April, WPIAL baseball teams have two section games or two section series remaining.
The district scheduler gets an A+ as the eight series between the top two teams in the section begins on Monday.
Three of those eight series will be between teams in a stalemate for the top spot in the section.
Last season, Pine-Richland, North Allegheny and Seneca Valley tied for the top spot in Sections 1-6A, creating a triple-winner.
This year, as Pine-Richland (14-3) and North Allegheny (12-3) prepare for the first of three games Monday at Pine-Richland. , there are no simultaneous winners in this section.
Both the Rams and Tigers are 8-1 this season.
Pine-Richland suffered a non-sectional loss to Fox Chapel in its most recent game, ending its winning streak at nine.
North Allegheny won its first nine games of the season and now has won its second straight. During that time, NA lost 3 of 4 games.
The Tigers and Rams begin a three-game set to determine first and second place in the section, while another series in that section begins Monday with third and fourth place at stake.
Seneca Valley (7-6) and Butler (6-8) met in an inter-county series with both teams clinching a playoff berth.
The Raiders and Golden Tornado begin the series on the Seneca Valley turf and are tied at 4-5.
5A frayed
A potential Section 1-5A baseball showdown between two teams tied for first place, Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional, will have to wait until next week, but Class 5A's other two sections will have sectional crowns starting Monday. There are teams competing for the same score.
In Game 2, Bethel Park hosts Trinity in the first of two games that will decide the section title.
The Blackhawks and Hillers are both 5-3 in the section and 7-5 overall.
The two sides will meet Monday at Parkey Field in Bethel Park and Tuesday night at the W&J College Sports Complex in Washington.
Connellsville and South Fayette are back to just one game back in the section at 4-4, while Upper St. Clair and Peters Township are aiming for a playoff spot with a 3-5 record.
Other Section 2-5A series starting Monday include South Fayette hosting Upper St. Clair and Connellsville visiting Peterswood Park to take on Peters Township.
In Section 3-5A, the Indians tied for first place.
West Allegheny is 6-2 in the section, 10-2 overall and on a five-game winning streak.
North Hills is also 6-2 in section play and 8-3 overall. They had won three in a row before losing to Scherer on Tuesday.
Defending district and state champion Shaler (5-3, 11-3) is one game behind North Hills and West A as the Titans close out section play with a back-to-back game against Mars.
Softball 4A Spotlight
Indiana and Elizabeth Forward lead their respective WPIAL softball sections and can take a big step toward section honors with Monday's win.
However, it won't be easy as they are playing two teams that are just one game apart and they want to win at home and tie for first place.
In Game 1, Indiana will visit Knoch as both teams have won 11 of 14 games this season.
The Little Indians are a perfect 9-0 in section play and have won nine straight.
The Knights are 8-1 this season and have won six straight since losing 2-0 to Indiana two weeks ago.
In Section 2, Elizabeth Forward (12-1) travels to Uniontown (8-2).
The Warriors remain undefeated in section play at 9-0 and have won three straight since suffering their only loss of the season to 6A powerhouse Hempfield.
The Red Raiders are 8-1 this season and have won seven of their last eight games.
This is the first of two matches between the two sides this week. The Warriors and Red Raiders will play again Thursday at EF.
Class A perfect matchup
Everyone at Section 3-A Softball has been striving for perfection all season.
Janet and Frazier both won every game in their section, as well as every game they played this spring.
Janet is 9-0 in section play and 10-0 overall, while Frazier is 8-0 in sectional play and overall.
The Jayhawks and Commodores play at Janet on Monday afternoon and will play at Frazier next Monday.
For the postseason
The WPIAL men's tennis team playoffs begin Monday with seven first-round games.
The top seed is defending champion Sewickley Academy, and no game will be played as the Panthers will receive a first-round bye to advance to the quarterfinals.
Other matches are:
No. 9 Chartiers Valley, No. 8 Valley
No. 13 Barrel at No. 4 South Park
No. 12 Blackhawk vs. No. 5 Hampton (Hampton Community Park)
No. 15 Central Valley vs. No. 2 North Catholic at Graham Park.
10th place Montour vs. 7th place Indiana
No. 14 Ringgold vs. No. 3 Winchester Thurston at Schenley Sports Complex
No. 11 Mount Pleasant at No. 6 Quaker Valley
All seven games will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Class 3A first-round games are set for Tuesday, and the 2A quarterfinals will be played Wednesday.
Tags: Bethel Park, Blackhawk, Burrell, Butler, Central Valley, Chartier Valley, Connellsville, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Fraser, Hampton, Indiana, Janet, Noch, Mars, Montour, Mount Pleasant , North Allegheny, North Catholic, North Hills, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Quaker Valley, Ringgold, Seneca Valley, Sewickley Academy, Scherer, South Fayette, South Park, Trinity, Uniontown, Upper St. Clair, Valley, West Allegheny, Winchester Thurston
