The quarterfinals conclude with four games each in WPIAL 5A and 3A baseball and 5A and 4A softball along with the Class 6A softball semifinals on another busy Tuesday.
The WPIAL has promised no pyrotechnics show after a second-round doubleheader at Ross Memorial Field as the W&J Sports Complex in Washington, but there could be plenty of fireworks during the 5A quarterfinal between No. 4 Moon and No. 12 Upper St. Clair at 6:30 p.m.
The Section 2-5A foes kept the scoreboard operators busy, combining to score 33 runs in their first-round victories last week as neither game went the full seven innings.
The Tigers pulled off a rare postseason 15-run rule victory over Baldwin, 17-1.
Senior Andrew Cross was 3 for 4 with two home runs, four runs scored and three RBIs, while junior teammate Nick Machusko was 3 for 3 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and seven RBIs.
That explosion by the Moon offense was not a mirage, as the Tigers have scored the most runs in Class 5A with 185 for an average of 9.2 runs per game.
The Panthers were incredibly impressive in pulling off the No. 12 over No. 5 victory in the opening round over Plum, 16-5.
Sophomore Evan Smirniw was perfect against the Mustangs, going 4 for 4 with a triple, a home run and six RBIs.
USC was second in the section with an average of 7.2 runs per game.
Moon won the Section 2-5A title outright with an overall record of 16-4 with wins in 11 of its last 12 games.
Upper St. Clair finished in a three-way tie for third place in the same section with Bethel Park and Peters Township and has a record of 12-9.
Three weeks ago, the Tigers swept the Panthers in a section series with a total of 29 runs scored. Moon won by scores of 10-8 and 7-4.
In the three other Class 5A quarterfinals:
• Top-seeded Pine-Richland faces No. 8 Montour at North Hills at 4 p.m. The Section 3-5A champion Rams are 16-5 after crushing Connellsville in the first round, 15-0, as Ben Husted had two hits and three RBIs. The Spartans are 16-5 after edging West Allegheny in the opening round in nine innings, 6-5. Michael Ivanoff had three hits for the black and gold.
• No. 2 Penn-Trafford goes up against No. 10 South Fayette at West Mifflin at 6:30 p.m. The Section 1-5A winning Warriors enter the game with a 16-5 record following a Round 1 win over Fox Chapel, 4-1, behind winning pitcher Dom Delio. The Lions upended Franklin Regional in the postseason opener, 8-2, to improve to 12-9. Trey Skeen was the winning pitcher and also had two hits, including a home run.
• No. 3 Thomas Jefferson battles former section foe No. 11 Bethel Park at West Mifflin at 4 p.m. The Section 4-5A Jaguars are 17-4 after edging Mars, 3-2, thanks in part to Justin Fry’s walk-off single. The Black Hawks upset Latrobe in the opening round, 6-1. Ben Thomas had three hits as BP improved to 13-8.
Golden rep vs. glass slipper
On one side of the Class 3A quarterfinals matchup, there’s a Riverside program that is tied for the second-most baseball championships in district history with its two most recent titles coming in the last three years.
In the other dugout, there’s a South Allegheny team that pulled off the biggest upset in the opening round of the 2026 WPIAL baseball playoffs and is in full Cinderella mode trying to do it again.
No. 7 Riverside takes on No. 15 South Allegheny at Gateway at 4 p.m.
The Panthers began their defense of the WPIAL Class 3A championship last week with a narrow victory over Shady Side Academy, 3-2.
Jackson Barber was the winning pitcher and had two hits for Riverside.
The Gladiators stunned No. 2 Seton LaSalle, 1-0, thanks to a heroic effort on the mound by Adam Jackowski, who limited the Rebels to three hits and struck out seven.
There teams last met in the playoffs three years ago when Riverside blanked South Allegheny in a 2023 Class 3A semifinals game, 2-0.
There are three other Class 3A quarterfinals Tuesday:
• Top-seeded Avonworth takes aim at No. 9 Charleroi in the second round at Ross Memorial Field at the W&J Sports Complex in Washington at 4 p.m. The Antelopes are 16-5 after shutting out Waynesburg, 6-0, behind Cooper Scharding, who was the winning pitcher and had two hits. The Cougars upended Mt. Pleasant in the first round, 4-2. Jaxson Klinger had three hits as the team improved to 11-8 this season.
• No. 4 Freeport faces No. 5 South Park at Plum at 6 p.m. The Yellowjackets are 18-1 after beating Quaker Valley in the first round, 5-2. Gage Blystone was the winning pitcher with 15 strikeouts. Speaking of pitchers, Cooper Hochendoner had a near-perfect game in Round 1, finishing with a no-hitter as the Eagles shut out Keystone Oaks, 3-0, as they are now 13-5 this spring.
• No. 3 Ellwood City will take on No. 11 Burrell at Pullman Park in Butler at 6:30 p.m. The Wolverines shut out Ligonier Valley last week, 3-0, as both Matt Kelly and Gordon Bocker had two hits for an EC team that sits at 16-3 this year. The Buccaneers also pitched a shutout, as Brayden Mell threw a two-hitter in the upset win over Mohawk, 2-0.
6A softball final four
With the quarterfinals taking place in 11 of the 12 postseason baseball and softball tournaments Monday and Tuesday, the lone exception is Class 6A WPIAL softball.
There, the semifinals are set for Tuesday.
It will be two weeks exactly since defending champion Hempfield has played a significant game when it takes the field against Canon-McMillan at West Mifflin at 5 p.m.
The Spartans are 19-1 this season and have won 17 games in a row.
Two of those wins were against Canon-McMillan.
Hempfield won on the road on April 8, 13-0 in five innings, and then won big again on April 24 at home, 14-1, again in five innings.
The Big Macs blanked Mt. Lebanon last week in the quarterfinals, 7-0.
Addy Jackson had three hits and two RBIs for Canon-McMillan, which is now 9-10.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Seneca Valley is challenged by No. 6 Pine-Richland at North Allegheny at 5 p.m.
It has been a 12-day wait for the Raiders, who are 14-5 this season but have lost three of their last four games.
Seneca Valley swept the season series against Pine-Richland, winning a wild one April 8 on the road, 13-10, and then earning a victory at home over P-R on April 24, 5-2.
The Rams upset Norwin last week in the quarterfinals to earn a spot in the final four, 11-9.
Sydney Bezila had three hits to lead Pine-Richland, which has a record of 9-12.
Recent champs
There is something to be said for, “been there, done that”.
Having gone through deep postseason runs can be valuable when players take the field toward late May.
The two most recent WPIAL Class 5A champions are ready to collide Tuesday when No. 1 Shaler goes up against No. 8 Armstrong at Plum at 5 p.m.
The top-seeded Titans defeated Connellsville, Trinity, West Allegheny and Penn-Trafford to claim 2025 district gold.
The River Hawks ousted Western Beaver, Connellsville, Penn-Trafford and Thomas Jefferson to win the WPIAL title in 2024, two years after winning it all in 2022 as well.
The great Brea Bosiljevac did her thing in a first-round shutout of Moon.
The Shaler senior threw a no-hitter while striking out 11 Tigers in the 10-0 win.
In Round 1, Anniston Andryka had three hits with a home run and three RBIs to lead Armstrong past Fox Chapel, 8-6.
There are three other quarterfinals in Class 5A Tuesday:
• No. 4 West Allegheny battles No. 5 Baldwin at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Peters Township at 4 p.m. The Indians are 13-3 and coming off a convincing first-round victory over Latrobe, 11-1, thanks to a three-hit, two-RBI performance by Charlie Resetar. The Highlanders were in a much closer opening-round contest but improved to 17-4 with a win over Kiski Area, 4-3. Melina DeFelice was the winning pitcher with 12 strikeouts.
• No. 2 seed Thomas Jefferson faces No. 10 Plum at Gateway at 5 p.m. The Jaguars are 16-3 now after edging South Fayette in the opener, 3-2. Jemma Danko had two hits for TJ. The Mustangs surprised Trinity with a six-inning win, 12-2. Liana Yusko had three hits, a home run and four RBIs as Plum improved to 14-5.
• No. 3 Penn-Trafford takes on No. 11 North Hills at Plum at 3 p.m. The 2025 runner-up Warriors just got by Connellsville in the first round, 3-2, with Aria Smith leading the way with two hits and an RBI as P-T improved to 18-3. The Indians are now 10-7 after upending Montour last week, 5-1. Abby Sutton was the winning pitcher and had three hits and two RBIs.
U-town aims for the champs
As the No. 12 seed in a 13-team tournament, Uniontown was a long shot in the WPIAL Class 4A softball playoff field.
One win later, the surprising Red Raiders now have their eyes on the defending champions in the second round Tuesday.
Uniontown goes up against No. 4 Hampton at West Mifflin at 3 p.m.
The Red Raiders improved to 11-8 with a victory over No. 5 Indiana in the opening round last week, 5-3.
Winning pitcher Emmaleigh Noah helped herself with two hits and an RBI.
The Talbots flexed their muscles in Round 1 with a win over Greensburg Salem, 14-4.
Addi Hanna was 3 for 3 with a double and a home run for Hampton.
After a slow start, the 2025 district winners have won 12 of their last 14 games.
There are three other quarterfinals games in Class 4A:
• Top-seeded Elizabeth Forward clashes with No. 9 Derry at Gateway at 3 p.m. The Warriors enjoyed a first-round bye after winning the Section 2-4A crown with an overall record of 17-2. The Trojans are 11-4 after disposing of Beaver in the opening round, 8-4, thanks to three hits by Kamryn Dunlap.
• No. 3 Knoch will face No. 7 North Catholic at North Allegheny at 3 p.m. The Knights open up the postseason with a record of 16-2 after winning Section 1-4A and earning a bye. The Trojans needed 10 innings to eliminate West Mifflin in the first round, 6-5, thanks to a two-run walk off double by Dakota Hicks.
• No. 6 Laurel Highlands battles No. 3 Blackhawk at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Peters Township at 6 p.m. The Mustangs are 11-5 and advanced to the quarters with a 10-0 whitewash of Freeport as Payton Senge threw a no-hitter with 11 Ks. It was Laurel Highlands’ first postseason victory since 1999. Blackhawk won the Section 3-4A crown with a 10-4 mark and enjoyed a Round 1 bye.
Tuesday on Trib HSSN
There are nine broadcasts you can watch or listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 19th day of May.
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 5A Quarterfinals: Bethel Park vs. Thomas Jefferson at 4 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 5A Quarterfinals: Montour vs. Pine-Richland at 4 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 5A Quarterfinals: Upper St. Clair vs. Moon at 6:30 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 5A Quarterfinals: South Fayette vs. Penn-Trafford at 6:30 p.m. on the Westmoreland Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 3A Quarterfinals: Riverside vs. South Allegheny at 4 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 3A Quarterfinals: Burrell vs. Ellwood City at 6:30 p.m. on Lawrence County Sports Net at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 3A Quarterfinals: Charleroi vs. Avonworth at 4 p.m. on WJPA at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Video Stream – Class 4A Quarterfinals: Laurel Highlands vs. Blackhawk at 6 p.m. on WMBS-AM 590, WMBS-FM 101.1 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Softball Playoffs Audio Stream – Class 6A Quarterfinals: Canon-McMillan vs. Hempfield at 5 p.m. on WJPA-AM 1450 at TribHSSN.TribLive.com