WPIAL baseball playoffs
Class 4A
Third-place game
13-Derry (9-10) vs. 6-Hopewell (16-6)
7 p.m. Tuesday at Ross Memorial Park, Washington & Jefferson
What’s at stake: The winner qualifies for the PIAA playoffs, while the loser’s season is finished.
Players to watch: Carson Long, Derry; James “Booboo” Armstrong, Hopewell
Extra bases: Derry reached the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since 1994 but fell to top-seeded Indiana, 3-0. The Trojans were silenced as only Liam McMahen managed a hit off of Shane McHugh and Charlie Manzi. Long, a Shippensburg commit, is hitting .511 with four home runs, 17 RBIs and 15 runs scored. Pitcher Max Doherty is 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings. … Hopewell lost to Elizabeth Forward, 4-3, in the semifinals. Charles Smetana drove in a run in the loss. Armstrong (.409, 27 hits, 21 runs, 14 stolen bases) is a coveted quarterback recruit who has 25 Division I offers. Smetana is hitting .409 with 18 RBIs, and Ben McDonald has six homers and 19 RBIs. Pitcher Kingston Krotec has been exceptional with a 9-0 record, 0.85 ERA and 49 K’s in 57 2/3 innings.