The final day of April is also the final day of WPIAL Class 6A baseball.
A Golden Tornado has swept to the top of Section 1 while a tasty sandwich in the Big Mac has clinched a share of the Section 2 title.
On Thursday, we find out if a Tiger, a Blue Devil or a Knight will earn a seat at the 6A section champions’ roundtable with Butler and Canon-McMillan.
There will be co-champs in Section 2-6A.
Canon-McMillan has completed section play with an 8-4 record.
The winner of the Mt. Lebanon visiting Norwin game at 4 p.m. will finish tied for first with the Big Macs at 8-4.
The Knights won at home Monday, 11-4, while the Blue Devils were victorious in their home game Tuesday, 4-0.
The loser of Lebo-Norwin contest likely drops into a tie for third place with Hempfield.
The Spartans are 6-5 heading into their final section game at Woodland Hills (0-11) at 4 p.m.
Butler can win the Section 1-6A crown outright with a victory at Seneca Valley at 4 p.m.
The Golden Tornado are 9-2 in the section and 14-3 overall with seven straight wins.
The Raiders are 5-6 in the section and need a victory to finish alone in third place. A loss drops SV into a third place tie with Central Catholic (5-7).
North Allegheny is one game out of first place with an 8-3 Section 1-6A mark. A win and a Butler loss give NA a share of the section championship.
The Tigers are 11-5 this season and have won eight of their last nine games heading into their section finale at North Hills (1-10) at 7 p.m.
No margin for error
The Western Beaver softball team has lost seven of its 10 Section 3-4A games this season, yet is still alive for a playoff berth.
However, there is no more margin of error for the Golden Beavers.
They must win out and get help starting with a visit to first-place Blackhawk (9-1) on Thursday.
For Western Beaver to qualify for the playoffs, it must beat Blackhawk and Beaver next Tuesday and hope the Bobcats lose their two other section games against North Catholic and Ambridge.
Fight for second
Laurel (10-2) has clinched the Section 1-2A softball crown, but the fight for runner-up will be decided Thursday when Shenango hosts Riverside.
Both the Wildcats and Panthers have clinched a playoff spot and are 8-3 heading into their section finale at 4 p.m.
The winner is guaranteed at least a share of second place while the loser could finish in fourth place.
In the first meeting two weeks ago, Riverside edged visiting Shenango, 3-2.
Neshannock could finish in a tie for second place.
The reigning district and state champion Lancers are 7-3 with two games remaining against Aliquippa.
Key 3A volleyball matches
The WPIAL boys volleyball season is down to the final week and a half.
First place is up for grabs in Section 3-3A when Penn-Trafford visits rival Norwin.
The Warriors are alone on top at 6-1 while the Knights are right behind them at 5-2.
The top four teams in Section 2-3A collide Thursday when first-place Gateway visits Central Catholic and Fox Chapel hosts North Hills.
The Gators are 6-1 in section play and the only team to have clinched as they try to hold on to a slim one-game lead by taking on a Vikings team that is 3-5 and fighting for their postseason lives.
Both the Foxes and Indians are 5-2 in section play with the winner clinching a playoff berth.
Another key contest in 3A on Thursday has Peters Township (5-3) hosting Upper St. Clair (4-3) for second place in Section 4-3A.
The Indians, Panthers and Mt. Lebanon (4-3) are all currently tied for second place behind Baldwin (7-0).
Serving quarters
Due to the rain Wednesday, the WPIAL will serve up the boys team tennis quarterfinals in both Class 3A and 2A Thursday.
Seven of the eight second round matches will begin at 3:30 p.m.
In Class 3A:
No. 8 Peters Township is at No. 1 North Allegheny
No. 4 Fox Chapel hosts No. 5 Shady Side Academy
No. 7 Franklin Regionals visits No. 2 Upper St. Clair in a battle of the Panthers
No. 3 Sewickley Academy is home to No. 6 Mt. Lebanon
In Class 2A:
No. 1 Blackhawk welcomes No. 8 Greensburg Salem
No. 4 Winchester Thurston battles No. 5 Quaker Valley at the Murrysville Racquet Club
No. 10 Hampton looks to upset No. 2 North Catholic at Cranberry Community Park at noon
No. 6 Indiana travels to face No. 3 South Park
The winners advance to the district semifinals Monday.
Thursday on Trib HSSN
There are seven broadcasts you can watch or listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 30th day of April.
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Obama Academy at Upper St. Clair at 7 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Mt. Lebanon at Norwin at 4 p.m. on the Westmoreland County Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Thomas Jefferson at Elizabeth Forward at 6 p.m. on MVI Live at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Union at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at 5:30 p.m. on the OLSH Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Monessen at Geibel Catholic at 4:30 p.m. on WMBS-AM 590, WMBS-FM 101.1 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Audio Stream – Hampton at North Allegheny at 7 p.m. on the North Allegheny Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Boys Volleyball Audio Stream – Pine-Richland at North Allegheny at 7 p.m. on the North Allegheny Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com