It’s the midway point of the WPIAL baseball and softball seasons with three weeks of section play in the books and three weeks remaining.
Monday begins showdown week in Class 5A baseball with section series that will determine first place in all four sections.
Two of the top teams in 5A collide with first place at stake in Section 3-5A when West Allegheny hosts Pine-Richland at 4:30 p.m.
The Rams have won all four of their section games following sweeps of Mars and Fox Chapel.
Pine-Richland is 7-3 overall and coming off a wild, 18-17 loss Friday to Class 3A top-ranked Avonworth.
The Indians opened section play last week and swept defending champion Shaler.
West Allegheny is 2-0 in the section and 4-3 for the season with victories in four straight games.
A year ago, Pine-Richland tied Shaler for the section crown while it was a rare playoff miss for West Allegheny after it finished in fifth place.
The Rams outscored the Indians, 16-4, in their 2025 section sweep.
More 5A showdowns
First place is not only up for grabs in Section 3, but also Sections 1, 2 and 4 in Class 5A this week.
• In Section 1-5A, Latrobe, Franklin Regional and Plum all sit with one section loss, a game in front of Penn-Trafford.
Two of the tied teams meet this week as Latrobe hosts Franklin Regional at 4 p.m.
The Wildcats are 5-1 in the section and 9-1 for the season having just moved up to No. 1 in the latest Trib HSSN 5A baseball rankings.
Latrobe has won five straight, including a section sweep of Kiski Area last week.
The Panthers are 8-2 this season and 3-1 in section play.
Franklin Regional has won five of its last six games, including two straight nonsection extra-inning victories over Seneca Valley and Connellsville last week.
• In Section 2-5A, it is crowded at the top as five teams can lay claim to a share of first place.
Bethel Park and South Fayette are 4-2 through three section series while Moon, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair are 2-2 through two series.
All five have section series beginning on Monday.
Bethel Park (6-2) is home to Peters Township (4-4) at 4 p.m., South Fayette (7-4) travels to nearby Upper St. Clair (3-3) at 7 p.m., and Moon (7-3) visits Chartiers Valley (3-6, 2-4) at 4:15 p.m.
Watch the Lions vs. Panthers game under the lights on Trib HSSN.
• In Section 4-5A, the top three teams are separated by only one game, and two games is the margin between first place and fourth place.
The top four teams go head to head this week.
On Monday, Gateway hits the road to Wallace Field to play Baldwin at 4 p.m.
The Gators are in fourth place with a 2-2 section record and an overall mark of 4-6.
The Highlanders are tied for second place at 3-1. They are 6-2 for the season.
Montour hosts Thomas Jefferson at 7 p.m. under the lights at Burkett Park in Robinson Township,
The Spartans are alone in first place at 4-0 in section and 6-3 for the season.
The Jaguars are 7-3 overall and tied for second place with a 3-1 record.
Manic Monday on the softball diamonds
There are plenty of key games around the WPIAL on a busy Monday of district section softball.
• In Class 6A, Canon-McMillan (5-3) looks to stop a three-game skid, but it won’t be easy as it visits Norwin (3-3).
The Big Macs are 4-3 in Class 6A play while the Knights sit at 3-1.
Canon-McMillan defeated Norwin in the first meeting last month, 4-3.
• In Section 1-5A, Shaler (9-1) has opened up a two-game lead for first place with the closest opponent being Plum (7-2).
On Monday, the Mustangs look to pull to within a game when they host the Titans.
Plum is 5-2 and alone in second place behind Shaler, which sits at 7-0.
In the first meeting, the Titans blanked the Mustangs, 4-0.
• In Section 1-4A, the top two teams meet when Indiana (7-2) is home to Knoch (6-2).
The Little Indians are perfect in section play at 6-0, a game in front of the Knights, who are 6-1.
Knoch’s lone section loss was to Indiana last month, falling 6-0.
• In Section 2-4A, everybody is looking up at Elizabeth Forward.
Second place is at stake when West Mifflin (8-2) visits Uniontown (5-3).
The Titans have dropped two straight in the section to fall to 4-2 while the Red Raiders are a game back at 3-3.
• In Section 1-3A, Mt. Pleasant (7-1) has a two-game lead over both Burrell (5-4) and Yough as the Vikings visit the Buccaneers.
Mt. Pleasant is 5-0 atop the section while Burrell is 3-2.
The Vikings defeated the Bucs, 8-2, last month.
• In Section 3-A, first place is up for grabs when Jeannette (6-1) hosts Serra Catholic (3-4).
The Jayhawks come into the game with a section record of 4-0 while the Eagles are 2-0.
Monday on Trib HSSN
There are eight broadcasts and two podcasts you can watch or listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 13th day of April.
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast with the WPIAL Softball Player of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
Video Stream: Rebel Yell Podcast with the WPIAL Diamond Team of the Week on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Pine-Richland at West Allegheny at 4:30 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – South Fayette at Upper St. Clair at 7 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Thomas Jefferson at Montour at 7 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Elizabeth Forward at Belle Vernon at 4:30 p.m. on MVI Live at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Mt. Pleasant at Yough at 4 p.m. on the Westmoreland County Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Video Stream – Canon-McMillan at Norwin at 4 p.m. on the Westmoreland County Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Audio Stream – Butler at North Allegheny at 5:30 p.m. on the North Allegheny Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Girls Flag Football Video Stream – Nazareth Prep at New Castle at TBD on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com