PT, DA, Burrell advance in both baseball, softball

With just one exception, the same Westmoreland County schools that enjoyed success in the WPIAL softball playoffs last week also thrived in the baseball postseason. Penn-Trafford, Derry Area, and Burrell carried the success of the county, as those schools won in both sports in the opening round. In the softball playoffs, the Warriors advanced in the Class 5A bracket, as the third-seeded Warriors edged No. 14 Connellsville Area 3-2 at Norwin High School last Tuesday. As a result, PT will face No. 11 North Hills in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Plum High School. In 4A, the No. 9 Trojans notched a slight upset against eighth seed Beaver Area, with Derry Area prevailing 8-4 last Monday at Gateway High School. Consequently, the Trojans will battle top-seeded Elizabeth Forward in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway. In 3A, the sixth-seeded Buccaneers ousted No. 11 Charleroi 6-3 on Thursday at Norwin. Thus, Burrell will square off against No. 3 Mount Pleasant Area in the quarterfinals today at 3 p.m. at Gateway. Meanwhile in the baseball playoffs, the second-seeded Warriors moved on in the 5A bracket, courtesy of a 4-1 triumph against No. 15 Fox Chapel Area last Tuesday at Plum. Now, the Warriors will match up against No. 10 South Fayette in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin Area High School. In 4A, the No. 13 Trojans pulled off a stunner, upsetting fourth seed Beaver Area 2-1 last Monday at Deer Lakes High School. As a result, the Trojans will play No. 12 Hampton at 7 p.m. tonight at Plum in the quarterfinals round. Moreover, the Buccaneers engineered their own upset, as No. 11 Burrell knocked off six seed Mohawk 2-0 last Tuesday at Pullman Park in Butler. Thus, Burrell will battle third seed Ellwood City in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pullman Park. The only other Westmoreland County team to win last week was Jeannette softball, which blasted Bishop Canevin 10-0 in six innings in the 1A field. Thus, the No. 8 Jayhawks will play top seed Union in the quarterfinals today at 3 p.m. at North Allegheny High School.

GCC’s Davis three-peats at T&F Championships

Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jerry Davis etched his name into the WPIAL record books last week, as he narrowly claimed his third consecutive gold medal in the Class 2A 400 meter. Competing at Slippery Rock University on Thursday, Davis edged North Catholic’s Logan Schade 48.969 to 48.970 to take first in the event. He’s the first boy to three-peat as WPIAL champion in the event since 2007. A trio of other Westmoreland County athletes excelled at the meet, as Franklin Regional’s Sean Cartwright, Ryan Kent of Belle Vernon Area, and Hempfield Area’s Jonathan Stetchock were all double champions. In Class 3A, Cartwright took first in the high jump (6 feet, 9 inches) and 300 hurdles (39.13). Kent notched golds in the 3A shot put (56-10 ½) and discus (180-1). Stetchock prevailed in 3A in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Alexander tabbed to lead GL volleyball

Meghan Alexander, a Penn-Trafford alum, was recently hired to lead Greater Latrobe girls volleyball. A 2020 graduate of PT, Alexander played collegiately at Carlow University, where she was an all-conference performer and established the program’s career assist record. Currently, Alexander serves as the head coach for Westmoreland Elite Volleyball Club. Previous head coach Drew Vosefski stepped down from his position during the winter. Last season, the Wildcats went 9-5 overall, including 5-5 in Class 4A Section 3. Greater Latrobe made the WPIAL playoffs, but fell to Pine-Richland in the opening round.

Six honored for UPG baseball

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) released its All-Conference teams last week, and the University of Pitt-Greensburg had six players garner recognition. The Bobcats were headlined by Conner Burkey, who was tabbed as a First-Team pitcher, and Tommy Smith, who was named First-Team third baseman. Josh Preston was selected as Second-Team utility, while the Third-Team honorees included Landon Huth (pitcher), Jonah Marks (catcher), and Colby Rearick (outfielder). While UPG went just 13-23 overall, the Bobcats achieved a record of 9-8 in the AMCC, and won a pair of games in the conference tournament.

Griffins bounced in Atlantic Regional

Seton Hill University baseball saw its season end over the weekend, as the Griffins fell in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional at Millersville University. Competing in a three-team pod, the Griffins opened the tournament on Thursday with a 5-2 victory against the University of Charleston. In the triumph, Sean Williams earned the win by pitching six innings, permitting six hits and two runs, issuing four walks with four strikeouts, while Brady McGuire went 2-for-3 with two runs, a walk, and two stolen bases. However, the Griffins lost to the host Marauders on consecutive days. On Friday, the Griffins fell 8-4, as Millersville scored five runs in the seventh to break a tie game. In the setback for SHU, Colin Ahr and Owen Mandler each had three hits. On Saturday, Seton Hill suffered an 8-3 defeat, as Millersville exploded for six runs in the second inning. Jack Whalen had a pair of hits, scored a run, and stole a base for the Griffs. Seton Hill concluded the campaign with a mark of 42-12.