Knoch will get a chance to avenge its only Section 1-4A loss Friday when it visits Indiana for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
The Knights (8-2, 7-1) have won five in a row since a 6-0 loss to the Indians (9-2, 8-0) on March 31 in which they managed just five hits off of sophomore Samantha Martin.
Knoch scored 52 runs in the five wins, an average of 10.4, whereas the defense and pitchers Marlee Fraser, Kaila Purcell and Emersyn Jones combined to give up up just eight over that span.
The winning stretch started April 6 with an 8-2 victory over Greensburg Salem that saw the Knights lead 4-0 after four innings, see that advantage cut to two, and then pull away with one in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Jones and Alena Tekely combined to go 5 for 6 with three doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Knoch stepped away from section play Wednesday and scored a 10-3 win at District 9’s Karns City. The Knights put up three runs each in the first, fourth and fifth innings and pounded out 15 hits overall.
Bucs, Lancers battle again
Burrell hopes to create more separation between it and rival Deer Lakes when the two meet Friday at Burrell in a rematch of a 5-0 Bucs win April 2.
The Bucs most recently split with Yough in Section 1-3A and suffered a 12-2 home loss to Mt. Pleasant before rebounding to roll past Ligonier Valley, 13-3, in five innings Wednesday to improve to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the section.
The Lancers hope to keep pace in the fight for the playoffs while they seek to end a three-game losing skid. The first two games were close: 5-4 in eight innings against Southmoreland last week and a 1-0 setback to Yough on Monday.
They then ran into a buzzsaw Wednesday in a 10-0 loss to Mt. Pleasant in six innings that put them at 5-6 overall, 2-5 in the section.
Shelby Novak limited Deer Lakes the first time around, giving up just two hits while walking two and striking out four in the complete game. Addy Wojtczak homered and drove in two to help Burrell get the win in a game originally scheduled to be played at Burrell but moved because of wet field conditions on the Bucs’ home field.
Yellowjackets hoping to fight back
Freeport had a chance to make waves in the fight for the WPIAL playoffs in Section 1-4A, but the Yellowjackets let a 5-1 lead after four innings slip away in Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to Greensburg Salem.
Coach Ron DeJidas spelled it out with four games to go. At least a 3-1 record in its last four games, he said, would be needed to qualify.
Indiana (8-0) and Knoch (7-1) lead the section with Greensburg Salem (4-2) having games in hand. Derry is in fourth at 4-3.
The Trojans and Golden Lions meet Friday, and this week’s series between Derry and Freeport (3-5) — Monday at Derry and Thursday at Freeport — will be crucial for the Yellowjackets.
Catcher Grace Palko (double, two RBI, run) and right fielder Arianna Devlin (two singles, run) were hitting stars for Freeport against Greensburg Salem on Wednesday.
Mustangs, Foxes battle in tight section race
The race for second is tight in Section 1-5A with big games coming up between Plum (5-3), North Hills (5-3), Fox Chapel (5-4) and New Castle (5-4).
Shaler, which breezed past Penn Hills, 16-0 in three innings Wednesday, appears to have full control of the section at 8-0 with four games to play.
Fox Chapel visits New Castle Friday in a rematch of a 15-4 Foxes home rout March 27.
Plum needed just five innings to take down Penn Hills, 14-1, on April 1 at Plum. The Mustangs play Friday at Penn Hills.
North Hills versus Shaler at North Hills rounds out Friday’s section slate. The Indians have won four in a row in the section including a key 4-1 victory over Fox Chapel on Wednesday.
Four teams qualify for the WPIAL playoffs from each Class 5A section.
Vikings have mixed week in section race
Apollo-Ridge took care of Shady Side Academy on Monday and Northgate on Wednesday, scoring a combined 25 runs in those victories to keep pace in Section 2-2A.
But the Vikings were stymied Thursday at Brentwood, 10-4, in the first of two section matchups with the Spartans.
Apollo-Ridge fell to 3-2, and Brentwood increased its hold on second place (5-2) behind section leader South Allegheny (8-0).
The Vikings grabbed an early 2-0 lead on Jocelyn Snyder’s two-run homer in the top of the first. But the Spartans answered with two in the bottom of the first, two more in the second, one in the third, three in the fourth and two more in the fifth to pull away for the win.
Mikaila Ditty added a home run and finished with two RBIs, and Julie Bertino went 3 for 3 with a run scored.
Apollo-Ridge outhit South Allegheny, 11-10, in their April 6 matchup at South Allegheny, but the Gladiators were too much in a 13-7 win. South Allegheny led 4-3 after the first inning and foreshadowed a high-scoring affair.
Kourtney Levesque went 3 for 4 with a double against Gladiators pitcher Carerra Conley, and Ditty added a 3 for 4 afternoon with a double, a triple and three RBIs. Madison Hugley produced a pair of hits in the loss.