May 17, 2026 By Jerin Steele 5 min read

One out separated California from a win over Fort Cherry in the second game of their section series in April.

The Trojans led 7-6, but a two-out solo homer by Ben Demascal tied the game in the top of the seventh inning and Fort Cherry went on to score five runs in the top of the eighth to win 12-7.

It helped clinch the top seed and a first-round bye for the Rangers.

Now after a week off, the Rangers will meet the Trojans for a third time.

Fort Cherry plays No. 9 California in the WPIAL Class 2A baseball quarterfinals 6:30 p.m. today at Peterswood Park.

It’s one of four rematches involving local baseball teams either from the regular season this year or a playoff rematch from last season.

In Class A, No. 7 Jefferson-Morgan plays Class A Section 1 foe No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic at 4 p.m. at Ross Memorial Park and No. 8 Carmichaels faces top-seeded Eden Christian follows at 6:30 p.m. Carmichaels defeated Eden Christian, 4-3, in last year’s semifinals to earn its spot in the WPIAL Class A championship.

No. 2 Canon-McMillan gets a rematch with No. 7 Seneca Valley in the Class 6A quarterfinals, at 4 p.m. at Boyce Mayview Park. The Raiders beat the Big Macs, 4-0, in last year’s semifinals.

On Tuesday South Fayette plays Penn-Trafford at 6:30 p.m. at West Mifflin.

Fort Cherry beat California 9-0 in the first meeting of their two-game series.

Dylan Lueck, the likely starting pitcher for Fort Cherry today, had a complete game shutout against California.

The rematch was much more competitive, but the Rangers found a way to win.

California is coming off a 3-1 win against defending Class 2A champ Freedom in the first round. Weston Monticelli pitched a four-hitter with three strikeouts to lead the Trojans.

After a 6-2 victory over Union in the first round on Monday, Jefferson-Morgan got a playoff win for coach John Curtis in his final season and a third try to solve Greensburg Central Catholic.

The Centurions swept the two regular season meetings, 4-0 and 8-2 on March 25-26. They went on to finish 15-0 in the regular season and were the only team to enter the playoffs without a loss.

John Woodward pitched five strong innings and Deakyn DeHoet had a two-run inside-the-park home run in the win over the Scotties.

Carmichaels rallied to beat Sewickley Academy, 7-4, in the first round after a strong performance by Dominic Yazzani that included a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning.

Now the Mikes will try to shock Eden Christian for a second year in a row.

The Warriors finished the regular season 13-4 and were a perfect 8-0 in Class A Section 3.

Canon-McMillan plays Seneca Valley at the same time and venue as it did last year, but is hoping for a different result. After Seneca Valley beat Canon-McMillan, it went on to win the Class 6A title.

Softball

Like in baseball, there’s plenty of rematches for local softball teams.

Four of the six teams playing today, Chartiers-Houston, Bentworth, West Greene and McGuffey, faced their opponent in the playoffs last year.

Chartiers-Houston plays Riverside in the Class 2A quarterfinals at 4 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in McMurray.

The Bucs beat the Panthers, 7-1, in the WPIAL semifinals last year. After surviving an upset bid by No. 15 Wash High, 2-1, in the first round Thursday, the second-seeded Bucs get another game with the Panthers, who beat Brentwood, 6-1, in the first round.

Bentworth made a run as No. 12 seed to the Class 2A semifinals last year and beat Shenango, 3-1, last year.

The two teams meet again in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. at Montour. Bentworth cruised to a 5-0 first-round win over Burgettstown behind a 19-strikeout no-hitter by Sydney Gonglik. Shenango beat Apollo-Ridge, 11-1, in five innings.

McGuffey will look to reverse a Class 3A quarterfinal result against Ellwood City when the two teams play at 7 p.m. at North Allegheny.

The Wolverines won last year’s meeting, 8-0.

Miley Main pitched a four-hitter with 12 strikeouts and drove in a pair of runs in a 7-3 win over Hopewell in the first round.

West Greene defeated South Side Beaver 7-6 in an eight-inning thriller last year and the two teams will once again play in the Class A quarterfinals at 5 p.m. at Trinity Middle School.

The third-seeded Pioneers had a bye. South Side Beaver edged Beth-Center 4-3 in the first round.

Two other local Class A teams are in action today. No. 2 Carmichaels plays No. 7 Sewickley Academy, 7 p.m. at Trinity Middle School and No. 5 Jefferson-Morgan meets No. 4 Serra Catholic at 6 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Elementary School.

Canon-McMillan plays top-seeded Hempfield in the Class 6A semifinals, 5 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin. It’s yet another rematch. Hempfield won 8-2 last season on its way to a WPIAL title.