Four county baseball teams in first place

As most WPIAL baseball teams reach the midpoint of the section slate, a quartet of Westmoreland County teams sit atop the standings. In Class 6A Section 2, Hempfield Area is 5-1, which equals Canon-McMillan. Last week, the Spartans swept their three-game set against Baldwin, prevailing 8-6 and 10-0 at home, and winning 11-1 on the road against the Highlanders. Hempfield Area and Canon-McMillan square off this week. Greater Latrobe is also deadlocked atop its section, as the Wildcats and Uniontown Area each hold a 3-1 record in Class 4A Section 2. The Wildcats split their section series last week against Ringgold, falling on the road 3-2 but rebounding with a 6-0 home triumph against the Rams. GL will battle Albert Gallatin in the section this week. At 6-0, Greensburg Salem leads Class 3A Section 4. The Golden Lions notched a sweep against Mount Pleasant Area last week, besting the host Vikings 10-5, and then following with an 8-5 triumph at Greensburg Salem. The Golden Lions, who are riding an eight-game winning streak overall, will face McGuffey in section play this week. Additionally, Ligonier Valley shares section supremacy with Riverview in Class 2A Section 3. A week ago, the Rams swept their series against Apollo-Ridge, winning 5-2 at home and following with a 10-2 triumph on the road. Riding a six-game surge, LV will battle Serra Catholic in a section showdown this week.

Scholar-Athlete banquet to honor county standouts

The annual Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete banquet this week will honor nearly 40 area standouts. Scheduled for Tuesday at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield Township, the event will recognize a male and female student athlete from each of the 18 Westmoreland County high schools. One of each gender will be selected as the 2023 winners. The following candidates were chosen: Belle Vernon Area’s Evan Pohlot and Maren Metikosh; Ian Quinn and Katie Armstrong of Burrell; Hunter Jurica and Isabella DePalma from Derry Area; Franklin Regional’s Aiden Bunker and Sierra Todero; Carlo Denis and Sara Felder of Greensburg Central Catholic; Greensburg Salem’s Cody Rubrecht and Laurel Uhlinger; Owen DeMatt and Elizabeth Tapper from Hempfield Area; Jeannette’s Dean Farraj and Autumn LaVella; Kiski Area’s Nathaniel Coleman and Sydney Joyce; Corey Boerio and Lily Fenton of Greater Latrobe; Noah Lawson and Ruby Wallace from Ligonier Valley; Dante DeFelices and Aaliyah Rice from Monessen; Mount Pleasant Area’s Lane Golkosky and Tiffany Zelmore; Adam Bilinsky and Madie Kessler of Norwin; Daniel Tarabrella and Kate Schall from Penn-Trafford; Southmoreland’s Tristan Ice and Olivia Cernuto; Elisabeth Ervin and Leah Taliani from Valley; and Yough’s Aiden Werner and Laney Gerdich. Additionally, Hempfield Area track and field assistant coach LaRoyal Wilson will be honored as the winner of the Mike and John Ferrante Memorial Award.

Warriors, Spartans climb volleyball rankings prior to exciting match

A pair of Westmoreland County squads moved up in the latest boys volleyball rankings. Last Monday, the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its weekly rankings, as Penn-Trafford and Hempfield Area each ascended one spot in Class 3A. The Warriors moved to the No. 2 ranking, while the Spartans elevated to the seventh spot. The two teams played an exciting match on Thursday with Penn-Trafford prevailing 3-1 by scores of 26-24, 25-27, 25-17 and 28-26. In Class 2A, Greater Latrobe maintained its spot atop the rankings, while Derry Area held steady at seventh. Additionally, Wildcats junior outside hitter Sam Kiesel was recognized as one of the Class 2A Players of the Week.

Griffins MLAX wins first-place battle

In a showdown between the top two men’s lacrosse teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC), Seton Hill University scored a wire-to-wire victory against Mercyhurst University on Saturday. The host Griffins used a dominant first half to defeat the third-ranked Lakers 11-8. SHU netted the first three goals in the opening six minutes of the match, and never relinquished the lead. Vinny Cogliandro tallied three goals for the Griffins, while Kaden Granberg posted a goal and three assists, and Josh Miller notched 16 saves in net. As a result, SHU moved to 5-0 in the GMAC, clinching a postseason berth. The Lakers, conversely, dropped to 3-1 in the conference.