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Sizing up area’s PIAA first-round games

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Six area high schools will be in action for today’s start of the PIAA baseball and softball playoffs.

West Greene and Belle Vernon, in softball, and California, in baseball, enter as District 7 champions in their respective classification. But every team has a theoretical 0-0 record for the first round.

The following is a look at the matchups for each area team.

Game: 7-1 California vs. 10-2 Saegertown

Site: Latrobe High School

Time: 3:30 p.m.

There were many consistencies that led California to a WPIAL Class AA baseball championship. The Trojans have a plethora of dependable arms, make each pitch of every at-bat count and test the battery to see if the pitcher and catcher are up to stopping the overall speed through the lineup. One trait California coach Nick Damico would like to see abandoned in their run to a potential state title is having to play catch-up after falling behind early in games. The Trojans (20-2) will get that opportunity in their first-round game against District 10 runner-up Saegertown. The Panthers, led by senior pitcher Dane Rhoades’ undefeated record (7-0) and low ERA (1.92), began the season losing six of their first seven games. Saegertown (15-7) then rattled off 14 wins in a row before getting shut out in the D-10 title game, 12-0, by Rocky Grove. Rhoades also is in the group of four players for the Panthers with batting averages eclipsing .400, including a team-leading .455 from Alan McGill. McGill also has nine doubles and four triples.

Game: 7-1 Belle Vernon vs. 9-1 Punxsutawney

Site: Hampton High School

Time: 3 p.m.

The prize awaiting WPIAL Class AAAA softball champion Belle Vernon is a team with a better record than its 19-1 mark. The Leopards earned the privilege to stay within District 7 for their first-round game against Punxsutawney (20-0), who was the District 9 champion by default. It’s also bringing together travel-ball teammates Bailey Parshall of Belle Vernon and Kylee Lingenfelter of Punxsutawney. Both play on the Ohio Outlaws fast-pitch team and will be wearing the same uniforms following their senior seasons with commitments to Penn State. Parshall only added to a fantastic junior season with her three doubles and outstanding pitching performance against Yough in the WPIAL championship game. She has 224 strikeouts from the circle this season. Lingenfelter, a junior at Punxsutawney, led the Chucks this year by going 14-0 with a 0.52 ERA. She also has a .377 batting average. Freshman Maddie Stonebraker leads Punxsutawney with a .429 batting average. Kim Shoemaker and Grace Adkins each hit above .400.

Game: 7-4 Chartiers-Houston vs. 9-1 Moniteau

Site: Clarion-Limestone High School

Time: 4 p.m.

Despite losing to eventual WPIAL Class AA runner-up South Side Beaver in the quarterfinals, 10-0, Chartiers-Houston had already qualified for the state tournament by finishing at least fourth. C-H (16-4) goes as its hitters go, scoring more than 15 runs nine times this season. In the Bucs’ four losses – two each to South Side Beaver and section rival Frazier – they have scored a combined seven runs. Chartiers-Houston has a difficult opponent in District 9 power Moniteau (21-0), which has been the district champion for four straight years. Under the leadership of first-year head coach Lennie Claypool, the Warriors lean on the experience of pitcher Kennedy DeMatteis. The four-year starter is 20-0 with a 0.32 ERA this season. The second part of the battery is her twin, Kristina, who is hitting .523 with 11 home runs. Both are committed to Gannon University this fall.

Game: 7-1 West Greene vs. 5-2 Shanksville-Stonycreek

Site: North Allegheny High School

Time: 3 p.m.

The road back to the PIAA Class A championship game at Penn State University begins at North Allegheny for West Greene, where it faces District 5 runner-up Shanksville-Stonycreek (17-5). Continuing the ‘don’t stop hitting, don’t stop running’ model that has worked for coach Bill Simms and the Pioneers, West Greene is looking to avenge a 3-2 loss to Williams Valley in the championship game last year. With five players hitting above .400, including sophomores McKenna Lampe, Madison Lampe and Kaitlyn Rizor, the West Greene lineup has scored nearly 11 runs per game and has a team batting average of .427. The Pioneers will try to rattle freshman pitcher Lexus Wilt early. Wilt is 12-4 with a 2.17 ERA in her first year at the varsity level. The two hitters Shanksville-Stonycreek needs to come through to keep up with the West Greene lineup are Trista Stutzman and Wilt, who hit .413 and .403, respectively.

Game: 7-2 Monessen vs. 10-1 Commodore Perry

Site: Slippery Rock University

Time: 4 p.m.

If Monessen was affected by a lack of experience in its first WPIAL title game in program history Thursday – a 10-0 loss to West Greene – maybe the Greyhounds will be able to benefit from the lack of experience of their first-round opponent. Commodore Perry (13-3) won its first District 10 championship and will be making its first PIAA tournament appearance when it plays the Greyhounds. Monessen (16-6) is hoping to lean on a bounce-back performance from starting pitcher Dana Vatakis to advance.

Game: 7-3 Carmichaels vs. 9-1 Dubois Central Catholic

Site: Brockway High School

Time: 1 p.m.

One-run contests weren’t very kind to Carmichaels until it faced Leechburg for the third and final spot in the Class A softball consolation game. The Mikes, who were 0-3 before battling to continue their season, were on the positive end of their most important one-run game of the season, defeating Leechburg to qualify for the state tournament. Carmichaels (17-6) also was thinking positive after winning nine of the last 10 games before falling to Monessen in the semifinal round of the WPIAL playoffs. The Mikes will travel north to face District 9 champion Dubois Central Catholic (21-1). Led by seniors Macey Hanes and Jordy Frank, the Cardinals are batting .411 to help pitcher Riley Assalone. Assalone is 14-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Dubois Central Catholic fell to West Greene in last year’s PIAA West semifinal, 5-2.

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