Seventy-five percent of the WPIAL baseball champions are out of the state playoffs.
Three WPIAL champs lost first-round games today in the PIAA playoffs. Class AAA champion West Allegheny lost to Punxsutawney, 3-2. Punxsutawney scored a run in the top of the seventh to pull out the win.
Class AA champion Steel Valley lost to Bedford, 10-4.
In Class A, WPIAL champion California lost to Cranberry, 2-1. It was the first loss of the season for California. Cranberry pitcher Dylan Cyphert pitched a three-hitter and struck out 10.
On top of that, WPIAL runner-up Baldwin lost to DuBois, 10-3.
The only WPIAL champ to win was Seneca Valley. The Raiders beat Moon, 4-2, as pitcher Alex Hajduk tossed a four-hitter. Seneca Valley had only five hits. The Raiders scored one run on no hits in the first and another run on no hits in the fourth. Here's a funny line: Seneca Valley has now reached .500 for the season. The Raiders were the first team to win a WPIAL title with a losing record.
In the first inning for Seneca Valley, John Harper and Johnny Brittner walked against Colton Hower. They moved up on stolen bases and Harper scored on a wild pitch.
In the third, Seneca Valley scored two runs on three hits. Brittner and Vince Augustine had RBI doubles. The Raiders added a run in the fourth when Matt Wagner walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on a bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly,
Blackhawk wins
Blackhawk advanced to the quarterfinals in Class AAA with a 4-3 victory against Somerset.
It looks like Brendan McKay is over the loss to West Allegheny in the WPIAL title game. Against Somerset, he came on in relief for Blackhawk in the fifth inning and faced 10 batters. He struck out eight.
McKay also hit a triple in the game and was then intentionally walked three times.