Baseball postseason rundown: Riverside and Avonworth, top two seeds in Class 3A, survive first-round upset bids to advance in WPIAL playoffs

Riverside and Avonworth played for the WPIAL Class 3A championship a season ago and are the top two seeds in this year’s playoffs, but both were pushed to the brink before earning first-round wins Thursday.

It was almost upset city for the two powers, the past two WPIAL champions in the class. However, each showed off its championship pedigree, as No. 1 Riverside rallied from three runs down to beat No. 16 Shady Side Academy, 4-3, at Seneca Valley, while No. 2 Avonworth, despite struggling offensively, held on to defeat No. 15 Keystone Oaks, 1-0, at Fox Chapel.

Riverside (14-2), which lost to Avonworth in last year’s final, fell behind Shady Side Academy (8-14), 3-0, in the top of the first, as Duke recruit Christian Lucarelli struggled with his control and gave up a three-run double to Charlie Wanless.

Zach Hare, a Slippery Rock recruit and Riverside’s other ace pitcher, relieved Lucarelli in the second and dominated Shady Side Academy batters the rest of the game. Hare did not give up a run and retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

After scoring a run on an error in the bottom of the first, Riverside tied the score at 3 in the fifth courtesy of run-scoring singles by John Bowser and Hunter Garvin. Logan Young then provided the winning RBI, knocking in a run after delivering on a suicide squeeze in the sixth.

Avonworth (18-3) also received a gem from an ace, with Cooper Scharding firing a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts to pick up the win. Scharding gave up only one baserunner, that coming on Bryce Altenbaugh’s infield single with two outs in the sixth.

Scharding also provided all the offense Avonworth needed, coming through with an RBI triple with two outs in the third to provide the game’s lone run. The Antelopes collected only two other hits in the game, as pitchers Shane Falcone, Reese Bickel, Max Boehm and Ian Bickel teamed up to keep Keystone Oaks (9-10) in the game.

Waynesburg players celebrate after Alex VanSickle (20) scores during Thursday’s 6-2 win against Freeport in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round game at Gateway. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Other Class 3A

• Winning pitcher Aaron Lake gave up just one hit in five scoreless innings and also went 2 for 3 with three RBIs to push No. 3 Ellwood City (15-5) to a 9-1 win against No. 14 Seton LaSalle (10-7) at North Allegheny. Seton LaSalle won WPIAL Class 2A titles the previous two seasons.

• Cooper Hochendoner gave up just three hits while striking out 16 to power No. 5 South Park (13-6) to a 6-2 win over No. 12 Mount Pleasant (11-7) at Gateway. Hochendoner gave up two unearned runs in the top of the first. South Park then scored the game’s final four runs.

• Tyler Groves fanned 11 over seven innings to earn the win on the mound and lead No. 4 Waynesburg (16-3) to a 6-2 win against No. 13 Freeport (13-7) at Gateway. Grant Pack had a two-run single for Waynesburg, which lost in the first round each of the last four seasons.

• No. 11 Mohawk (11-8) scored three runs in the top of the first before going on to grab a 6-3 win against No. 6 Deer Lakes (9-7) at North Allegheny. Six players scored for the Warriors, who benefited from four Deer Lakes errors. Winning pitcher Briar Crawford went the distance.

• Nolan Wagoner’s three hits and an RBI propelled No. 7 Quaker Valley (13-6) to a 4-2 win against No. 10 Ligonier Valley (10-8) at Fox Chapel. Todd Kagle added two hits and an RBI, his team-leading 33rd of the season. Ligonier Valley had won eight games in a row.

• Ryan Wass had four RBIs, including the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the sixth, to help No. 8 Burrell (13-8) capture a 10-9 win against No. 9 Charleroi (10-7) at Gateway. Burrell trailed, 9-8, in the sixth before Ryan Bates notched an RBI single and Wass added the winning sacrifice fly.

Waynesburg outfielder Jacob Stephenson runs toward the ball during Thursday’s 6-2 win over Freeport. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 5A

• There will be a new champion in Class 5A, this after Noah Zawislan hit a two-run single in the top of the first and No. 11 Connellsville (13-5) hung on to defeat No. 6 and defending champ Penn-Trafford (14-6), 2-1, at Norwin. Ethan Porreca was the winning pitcher.

• No. 9 hitter Joey Levis had three hits and drove in five runs to lead No. 4 Bethel Park (17-4) to its ninth straight win, 11-1, in six innings against No. 13 Franklin Regional (10-9) at McDowell Field in Connellsville. The Black Hawks scored all of their runs in the final three innings.

• James Tygard’s home run in the fourth propelled No. 7 Peters Township (14-7) to a 5-4 win against No. 10 Baldwin (9-8) at McDowell Field. Baldwin, which went 1-19 a season ago, was making its first playoff appearance since 2014.

Class 2A

• After blowing a three-run lead, No. 12 Laurel (9-10) scored the winning run courtesy of a double steal in the seventh to upset No. 5 Fort Cherry (13-6), 4-3, at Hardy Field in Brighton Township. Luca Santini pitched six innings to earn the win, and Connor Mackrell got the save.

• Joey Campoli pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts to lead No. 4 Shenango (15-5) to a 1-0 win against No. 13 Chartiers-Houston (7-10) at Burkett Park. Campoli added a pair of hits for the Wildcats, while Noah Deem scored the game’s lone run in the second inning.

• Winning pitcher Vernon Krepps tossed a shutout while Jaxson Zahn and Casey Bloom each knocked in runs to propel No. 10 New Brighton (10-8) to a 3-0 win against No. 7 South Side (10-7) at Shaler. Brock Budacki reached base three times for New Brighton.

• Eli DeVita’s three-run home run highlighted a four-run second inning that carried No. 6 Riverview (13-5) to a 6-2 win over No. 11 California (8-10) at Norwin. Johnny Bertucci earned the pitching win and added an RBI for the Raiders, who closed the regular season with four straight losses.

• Mason O’Donnell homered and drove in five runs to drive No. 8 Freedom (12-8) to a 12-2 five-inning win against No. 9 Apollo-Ridge (8-7) at Plum. Tommy Ward went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs scored for the Bulldogs, who have won five of their past six games.

Class 1A

• Kole Olszewski struck out 10 over seven shutout innings to help No. 4 and two-time defending champion Bishop Canevin (11-6) to a 5-0 win over No. 13 Rochester (9-8) at Burkett Park. Olszewski also had two hits and an RBI for the Crusaders, while Nate Astor drove in two runs.

• Bryce Wright tossed a two-hitter to vault No. 10 Avella (11-7) to a 5-0 win against No. 7 Western Beaver (14-5) at Boyce Mayview Park. Avella scored all of its runs in the fifth inning and snapped Western Beaver’s nine-game win streak. The Eagles had lost six straight.

• Joe Bair had two hits and two RBIs to drive No. 8 Jefferson-Morgan (14-3) to an 11-4 win over No. 9 Winchester Thurston (11-7) at Norwin. Winning pitcher John Woodward struck out 11 in 5⅔ innings and also knocked in a pair of runs.

• Tyler Samide threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and Anthony Grippo’s grand slam highlighted a 10-run first inning as No. 5 Greensburg Central Catholic (15-2) rolled to its 10th consecutive win, 14-0, in five innings against No. 12 Sewickley Academy (5-12) at Plum.

• Robbie Wilson-Jones hit a three-run double in the second to fuel No. 6 Carmichaels (13-4) in a 9-1 win against No. 11 Union (7-10) at Boyce Mayview Park. It was the seventh consecutive win for the Mighty Mikes, who eliminated Union from the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Scores

Class 5A first round

Bethel Park 11, Franklin Regional 1 (6)

Connellsville 2, Penn-Trafford 1

Peters Township 5, Baldwin 4

Class 3A first round

Avonworth 1, Keystone Oaks 0

Burrell 10, Charleroi 9

Ellwood City 9, Seton LaSalle 1

Mohawk 6, Deer Lakes 3

Quaker Valley 4, Ligonier Valley 2

Riverside 4, Shady Side Academy 3