Ligonier Valley baseball claims first WPIAL playoff win

For the first time in program history, the Ligonier Valley Rams captured a victory in the WPIAL baseball playoffs. The No. 11 Rams upset Chartiers-Houston 9-8 in extra innings in the Class 2A first round last Thursday at Gateway High School. Logan Johnston served as the hero, as his RBI single in the top of the eighth carried LV past the No. 6 Buccaneers. Additionally, Adam Moreland doubled and plated three runs in the contest. Ligonier Valley will play No. 3 New Brighton in the quarterfinals on Monday at Fox Chapel Area High School. The Rams were one of three Westmoreland County baseball teams to advance to the quarterfinals last week, as third-seeded Yough ousted Keystone Oaks 12-2 to move on in the 3A bracket, while No. 5 Greater Latrobe edged Kiski Area 7-6 to advance in 4A. The Cougars will face No. 6 Neshannock on Monday at Highlands High School, while the Wildcats will battle fourth-seeded Chartiers Valley at Gateway High School, also on Monday. Meanwhile, both Norwin and Hempfield Area will open their postseason in the quarterfinals in 6A on Monday, as the No. 7 Knights play second-seeded North Allegheny at Boyce Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair, while the eight seed Spartans play top-seeded Pine-Richland at Plum High School. Furthermore, No. 3 Penn-Trafford will play in the quarterfinals in 5A after earning a first-round bye, as the Warriors will face six seed Peters Township on Monday at West Mifflin Area High School.

Greater Latrobe, P-T advance in volleyball playoffs

Both Greater Latrobe and Penn-Trafford maintained their title hopes in the WPIAL boys volleyball playoffs, as the Wildcats reached the semifinals in 2A, while the Warriors accomplished the same feat in 3A. After earning a bye in the first round, the top-seeded Wildcats swept No. 8 Hopewell 3-0 in a home victory last Thursday. As a result, GL will face fourth-seeded North Catholic on Tuesday at Gateway High School. The Warriors, who also received a first-round bye as the third seed in the 3A field, notched a home win against No. 6 Butler Area 3-1 last Thursday. Thus, PT will battle second seed North Allegheny in the semis on Tuesday at Fox Chapel Area High School. The three other county teams were all ousted last week, as Norwin fell to Canon-McMillan 3-1 in the quarterfinals and Hempfield Area dropped a 3-2 match against Upper St. Clair in the first round of the 3A bracket, while Derry Area lost in straight sets to Ambridge in the 2A first round.

Warriors boys LAX reaches semis

Penn-Trafford represents the last Westmoreland County team remaining in the WPIAL boys lacrosse playoffs, as the Warriors claimed a victory last week to advance to the 2A semifinals. Playing at home, the third-seeded Warriors outlasted No. 6 Shaler Area 15-14 to advance in the bracket. As a result, PT will face second seed South Fayette Monday at Martorelli Stadium in West View. The other county boys teams were ousted in the first round, as the Panthers lost to Shaler Area 16-8 in 2A, while in the 3A field, Norwin fell to Pine-Richland 17-3 and Hempfield Area was eliminated by Seneca Valley 15-9.

PIAA to sponsor girls wrestling

The PIAA will sponsor girls wrestling as a sport beginning next year, per a vote of the board of directors last week. That vote culminates a multi-year effort that commenced when the PIAA recognized girls wrestling as an emerging sport in 2021. This past year, the state eclipsed 100 schools fielding a girls team, including Kiski Area and Southmoreland in Westmoreland County. Kiski Area also hosted a regional tournament this past season. With official sponsorship, the PIAA intends to hold girls wrestling state championships in Hershey to coincide with the boys competitions.

Bearcats baseball standouts earn PAC honors

A quartet of baseball standouts at Saint Vincent College have garnered all-conference accolades. Last week, Billy Perroz, Jordan Sabol, Michael Klingensmith, and Jeremy Kreuzwieser received All-PAC distinction. Perroz, a first baseman, Sabol, a center fielder, and Klingensmith, a pitcher, were recognized as First-Team honorees, while Kreuzwieser, a pitcher, was Honorable Mention. Perroz, a Kiski Area graduate, hit .427 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs. Sabol, who graduated from Penn-Trafford, batted .352 with 24 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Klingensmith, an alum of Franklin Regional, went 6-2 with an ERA of 2.98. The Bearcats compiled a record of 22-18, including 13-7 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, and reached the PAC Championship.