A two-run error on a misplayed bunt snapped a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning and propelled Bishop Canevin to a 9-5 victory over Leechburg Monday in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 1A baseball tournament played at West Mifflin.
Nate Astor collected three hits for the 12th-seeded Crusaders, including a home run, and drove in three runs. Leechburg was seeded No. 5 in the tournament.
Bishop Canevin, which improved to 7-12 overall with Monday’s win, advances to meet fourth-seeded Western Beaver on Monday, May 18, at a time and location to be determined.
The Crusaders trailed 2-1 going into the third inning before plating a pair of runs to momentarily take a 3-2 lead. Both of those runs scored when a ball hit by Jakob Zahler was misplayed.
Leechburg pulled even at 3-3 on Dylan Whitlinger’s solo homer in the bottom of the third, and that set the stage for a misplayed bunt that allowed Brooklyn Harvey and Jalen Jackson to score, and Jackson Maddix’ RBI single made it 6-3 for the Crusaders. Astor then delivered an RBI double to increase the lead to 7-3. Astor’s two-run home in the sixth made it 9-4.
Maddix also finished with three hits for Bishop Canevin and scored three runs.
John Poppert went the distance, scattering eight hits, four earned runs and three walks while striking out two.
New Brighton 7, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2
A three-run fifth-inning rally erased a 2-1 deficit and sent the Lions on their way to a win over the Chargers in the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs, played at Pullman Park in Butler.
The loss eliminated OLSH from the tournament and left the Chargers with a final record of 13-8.
A year ago, OLSH reached the tournament finals before losing 1-0 to Freedom.
Carter Jackson’s two-run double in the fifth inning put New Brighton on top 3-2 and Dominic Pasquale followed with a run-scoring single to make it 4-2. That was all the Lions needed to secure the win.
OLSH scored its two runs in the third inning on Colby Lane’s RBI single and Wyatt Walsh’s RBI fielder’s choice.
The Chargers managed just six hits in the game and no one had more than one off New Brighton’s Vernon Krepps, who walked just one and struck out five in going the distance for the win.
Bruno Williams worked the first five innings for OLSH and gave up seven hits and four earned runs while walking one and striking out three.
WPIAL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Moon Area 5, Upper St. Clair 4
A run-producing wild pitch proved to be the difference Monday as the Tigers built a 5-0 lead and then held on to defeat the Panthers at Montour High School in a first-round Class 5A tournament game.
The 17th-seeded Tigers, now 9-10 overall, will have little time to savor the win, as they advanced to meet top seed Shaler at 5 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny.
Moon led 3-0 going into the top of the fifth inning when Brooklyn Hall tripled in a run, and courtesy runner Julissa Diaz came home on a wild pitch with Avery Joyce at the plate to make it 5-0.
Upper St. Clair rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth off Moon starter Katie DeMarco and then pulled to within 5-3 in the sixth on Rachel Scharrer’s solo home run.
DeMarco walked the first batter she faced in the seventh and then allowed a one-out single to put runners at first and second. After striking out the next hitter, she yielded a run-scoring single, which put the tying run at third base.
But DeMarco snuffed out the threat by inducing the next batter to ground out to second to preserve the 5-4 victory.
DeMarco gave up eight hits and four runs, three of which were earned, while walking four and striking out 12.
She also enjoyed an outstanding day at the plate, collecting three of the Tigers’ nine hits. Taya Fitzgerald went 2 for 3 while Hall, Alina McMahon, Syd Ray and Abbie Warnagiris each had a hit.
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