What to watch for in WPIAL sports on April 4, 2023: South Hills rivals to square off in 6A baseball

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | 12:19 AM

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What a great day for a ballgame, let’s play two — or at least the second game of the home-and-home section series in WPIAL baseball.

Last spring, Upper St. Clair stunned Class 6A baseball fans by upsetting North Allegheny in the quarterfinals, then beating Butler in the semifinals to reach the WPIAL championship game as a No. 7 seed.

USC’s magic ran out in the title game as it lost to rival Mt. Lebanon, 2-1.

This year, the Panthers have dropped in classification to Class 5A.

In its first Section 2-5A series, Upper St. Clair is battling neighbor Bethel Park.

On Monday at the Boyce-Mayview Complex, the Hawks blanked USC, 3-0.

The Panthers now enter the series finale Tuesday with a 3-2 overall record while the two-time defending PIAA champion Black Hawks are 3-3.

The teams square off at Purkey Field in Bethel Park at 4 p.m.

Other Game 2s

Last year, Section 1-6A rivals Butler and Pine-Richland met in the WPIAL quarterfinals after both had first-round byes.

The Golden Tornado blanked the Rams, 5-0.

Now in the middle game of the Class 6A three-game series, Pine-Richland (1-0, 6-1) visits Butler (0-1, 2-3).

Because there are only 11 teams in 6A, teams in both sections will have three-game series against section foes instead of the two games the other five classes will play.

The Rams beat the Golden Tornado on Monday, 12-2.

Game 3 will be Thursday at Pine-Richland.

Also on Tuesday, Franklin Regional (2-1, 6-1) hosts Gateway (1-0, 4-1) at Haymaker Park in Murrysville.

Both the Panthers and Gators lost in the Class 5A first round last spring.

On Monday, Gateway handed Franklin Regional its first loss of the season, 3-1.

Finally, Neshannock (1-0, 3-0) visits Mohawk (2-1, 4-1) in a matchup of WPIAL runner-up teams from 2022.

The Lancers reached the Class 2A championship game and lost to Serra Catholic while the Warriors fell to South Park in the 3A finals.

Neshannock beat Mohawk on Monday, 10-6.

Final four clashes

In 2022, the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball semifinals were made up of teams from Section 1-2A.

Montour defeated Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the title match to win district gold.

Now those same four teams are set to meet for the first time with the deck shuffled a bit.

In last year’s final four, OLSH beat Ambridge, 3-0, while Montour defeated North Catholic, 3-1.

On Tuesday, Montour hosts Ambridge while OLSH visits North Catholic.

The Spartans and Bridgers will be fighting for first place as both teams have 2-0 section records.

The Trojans are 1-1 and the Chargers are 0-1 in section play.