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6 days ago
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Berlin Brothersvalley, Chestnut Ridge prep for PIAA quarterfinal softball contests
Thursday will represent uncharted territory for the Berlin Brothersvalley softball team as it competes in the PIAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history. For Chestnut Ridge, the Lions seek a breakthrough after reaching the same round for the third straight season and for the fourth time in five years. Advertisement District 5 Class 1A champion Berlin Brothersvalley (19-3) takes on District 10 champ Cambridge Springs (16-2) at noon Thursday at North Allegheny High School in Wexford. In Class 2A, District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge (16-6) battles District 7 champ Neshannock (23-0) at 11 a.m. Thursday at Norwin High School in North Huntingdon. Berlin Brothersvalley defeated District 7 runner-up and 2024 PIAA Class 1A runner- up Carmichaels 3-0 Monday. Freshman left-hander Sam Walker fanned six batters in a two-hit shutout. She added an RBI double in the third inning for the game's first run. Sophomore Cayley Poorbaugh scored on an errant throw in the fifth. Advertisement Junior Sydney Walker collected her second hit of the game in the sixth with a solo homer to left field for an added insurance run. Bryn Prosser, Coral Prosser, Elena Ritchey and Sam Walker are members of the softball and 2024-25 state championship basketball team for Berlin Brothersvalley. After fouling off a bunt in the sixth, Sydney Walker homered in the same at-bat, showing the Mountaineers' propensity to create on the fly. 'If something doesn't work, you got to try something else,' Sydney Walker said after she hit her sixth homer of the season. 'That's what we do.' Depth and versatility have helped Berlin Brothersvalley advance this far. Advertisement 'We have a special team this year,' Berlin Brothersvalley coach Brian Slope said. 'I tell my players all the time, no disrespect to any other teams, but our reserves would be starting on a lot of teams. We have some depth. We have a lot of softball ability on that team, whether they're in the starting nine or someone we have to sub in. 'With the injuries and things we had to fight through, I couldn't be more proud of this team.' After losing junior catcher Elsie Barna (.500 average with three homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games) May 8 to injury, freshman Bryn Prosser has filled in behind the plate. Bryn Prosser gunned down a runner at second base on a steal attempt in the fifth. 'She's our starting outfielder,' Slope said of Bryn Prosser. 'Injuries forced her to go behind the plate. Because she was willing and she had the most experience on our team, she's thriving back there. She's rising to the occasion. That was an unbelievable throw. We're on a great run at the moment.' Advertisement Ritchey leads the Mountaineers with a .559 average, .649 on-base percentage, 1.136 slugging percentage, nine home runs and 38 RBIs. She posted a 1.49 ERA with 62 punchouts in 47 innings before suffering an injury. Sam Walker has a 2.36 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 77 frames. She has a .493 average with 13 stolen bases, six doubles, three triples, one homer and 24 RBIs. Coral Prosser is batting .473 with 35 hits, 35 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, one homer, 14 stolen bases and 15 RBIs. Sydney Walker is hitting .412 with two doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs. Poorbaugh has driven in 20 runs. Bryn Prosser has six doubles. Cambridge Springs received two home runs and three RBIs from Jaydan Simmons in Monday's 9-0 victory over District 7 third-seeded West Greene. Kayla Crawford threw a three-hit shutout and totaled 10 strikeouts. Aubri Crawford drove in three runs. Advertisement The Berlin Brothersvalley- Cambridge Springs winner will face either District 9 champion DuBois Central Catholic or District 7 winner Union Area Monday in a semifinal. Chestnut Ridge senior right-hander Britni Motter faced 22 batters and struck out 17 in Monday's 4-0 first-round victory over Redbank Valley. The Mansfield University signee pitched four perfect innings and gave up just one hit in the fifth. Motter started her outing by striking out all nine Redbank Valley batters through the first three innings. The Lions tallied three runs in the first inning. Natalie Short delivered a two-run double. Emma Callihan added a run-scoring knock. In the sixth, Serenity Oeser produced an infield sacrifice fly to set the final. Monday's starting lineup had seniors Grace Lazor, Jenna Mauck, Motter, Nikki Shippey and Short; juniors Bree Harbaugh and Yarnell; sophomore Callihan; and freshman Izabella Datillo in it. Chestnut Ridge advanced to the 2023 and 2024 Class 3A quarterfinals. Advertisement The Lions face a dominant opponent in four-time defending District 7 champion Neshannock. The Lancers have won 49 straight games, the longest streak in District 7 softball history. Neshannock – which won state titles in 2012, 2022 and 2024 – beat District 10 runner-up Sharpsville 10-0 in five innings Monday. Senior right-handed pitcher Addyson Frye, a Providence College signee, allowed three singles and struck out seven in five innings. Frye, who fanned 15 in a semifinal victory, blasted a two-run homer to left in the first inning. She is 20-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 102 innings, allowing just 12 walks and 11 earned runs. Junior Jaidon Nogay, who has two older sisters playing Division I softball at Fordham and Kent State, was 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Freshman Brenna Frengel added a run-scoring double. Senior and Kent State commit Miley Anderson produced a three-run double. Neshannock, which is 20-4 in PIAA play over its history, has outscored its opponents 263-24 this season. Since the start of the 2022 season, Neshhanock is 97-1. The Lancers' lone loss was to Everett in the 2023 state final. Advertisement Nogay is batting .589 with 33 hits, six doubles, two triples, 12 stolen bases and 33 RBIs. Frye is hitting .564 with 31 knocks, 12 doubles, seven homers, 36 RBIs and a 1.164 slugging percentage. She has drawn 19 walks compared to one strikeout. Freshman Gabriella Antuono has a .533 average with two triples and 10 RBIs. Frengel is batting .524 with three doubles and 15 RBIs. Senior catcher Gabby Quinn is committed to Kent State. She is batting .435 with six doubles, three triples, eight homers, 29 RBIs and a 1.016 slugging percentage. Anderson is hitting at a .522 clips with 41 runs, 36 hits, 13 doubles, nine triples, 14 stolen bases and 36 RBIs. Junior Payton Newman has four homers. The Chestnut Ridge-Neshannock winner will face either District 7 runner-up Chartiers-Houston or District 10 champ Seneca Monday in a semifinal. Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
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Riverside bats adjust to South Park ace to advance to the PIAA baseball championship
HARMONY — Back on May 23, Riverside and South Park matched up in the WPIAL 3A semifinals, with South Park junior pitcher Cooper Hochendoner having his way with the Riverside bats. But when the two teams met again on Tuesday, June 10, in the PIAA semifinals, Riverside (20-2) made adjustments and got to Hochendoner, defeating the Eagles 4-1 to punch its second ticket to the PIAA championship game in three years. Advertisement Riverside head coach Dan Oliastro knew his team wasn't ready for Hochendoner the first time around as the hard-throwing southpaw went 9 ⅓ innings while compiling 14 strikeouts. After putting in substantial work using a pitching machine at high velocity, the Panthers struck out only seven times to the South Park (17-8) ace while collecting six hits, with four coming from Zach Hare and Dylan Meyer. Required Reading: The streak continues: Riverside baseball's Zach Hare throws another no-hitter in PIAA quarterfinals 'With the work that we put in practice on the machine, I knew what we were going to get facing him [Hochendoner] a second time around,' Hare said. 'I knew that he likes to get ahead early, so I just wanted to put a short and quick swing on the ball.' Advertisement Throughout the PIAA playoffs, Meyer has come up clutch in the bottom third of the order for Riverside, tallying five hits and four RBIs across two games. Riverside shortstop Dylan Meyer (1) reacts after driving in his RBI of the game during the PIAA Class 3A semifinal game between South Park and Riverside at the AHN Baseball Complex in Harmony, Pa. on June 10, 2025. Against South Park, he came up big again going 2-for-3 with two big insurance RBIs in the second and fourth innings. 'I just love my team to death and want it as much as they do, so I just try my best to go out there and put a good swing on the ball each time,' Meyer said. To pair with the strong timely hitting, Riverside ace Christian Lucarelli made his second start of the PIAA playoffs after pitching a three-hit shutout against Huntingdon in the opening round. Advertisement The senior Duke signee shook off a shaky start to the game after throwing around 60 pitches in three innings. After allowing an unearned run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly, Lucarelli set down eight of the last nine batters he faced in his final three innings. Riverside pitcher Christian Lucarelli (10) gets set to release a pitch during the PIAA Class 3A semifinal game between South Park and Riverside at the AHN Baseball Complex in Harmony, Pa. on June 10, 2025. Required Reading: Trio of Riverside baseball senior pitchers anchoring staff in 2025 Lucarelli finished the day throwing six innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. 'I felt like I was in control the whole game, so I just needed to make a slight adjustment from the first three innings,' Lucarelli said. 'I didn't feel like I was too out of the game, so I just kept repeating to myself that I was in this game and never doubted myself. To take that extra step to get after it in the final three innings pushed me through.' Advertisement Riverside will now take the familiar trip to Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to face District IV champion Mount Carmel Area at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, as it will play for its sixth PIAA baseball championship. 'I feel like a little kid again,' head coach Dan Oliastro said. 'It is so much fun to go back there again, but you want to go back there and win.' This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: PIAA 3A baseball semifinals: Riverside defeats South Park
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
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The streak continues: Riverside baseball's Zach Hare throws another no-hitter in PIAA quarterfinals
HARMONY — After having an "off day" for the first time in several weeks in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, Riverside standout pitcher Zach Hare looked to continue his historic postseason against Mohawk in the Class 3A baseball quarterfinals on June 5. Hare used an extra day of rest to his advantage, extending his no-hit streak to 31⅓ innings, throwing a no-hitter Thursday to defeat Mohawk, 6-0. Advertisement 'I have been wanting to live in the moment and take things one game at a time because I get to keep playing with guys I have played with since I was 10,' Hare said. 'I am still at a loss with this streak because I just want to go out there and throw my best and not add pressure to myself.' Coming off of his perfect game in the WPIAL championship against Quaker Valley on May 28 ― when Hare struck out 15 batters ― he struck out 13 batters while walking three against Mohawk. In the postseason, Hare has allowed no runs and eight walks while striking out 55 batters. 'He is different from any other pitcher that I have coached before,' Riverside coach Dan Oliastro said. 'Zach's command is unbelievable and is putting the ball exactly where we want it, fields his position and our biggest concern today was our fielders getting tired waiting for a ball to come to them.' Advertisement Required Reading: 'Supernatural': Zach Hare's historic postseason continues with perfect game in championship In addition Hare's masterpiece on the mound, the Riverside bats did their job, finishing with 11 hits by chipping away at Mohawk pitcher Briar Crawford. With a 1-0 lead entering the fourth inning, Riverside (19-2) got some much-needed insurance. Jackson Barber scored on a wild pitch before Sean Hayes and John Bowser drove home runs with an RBI single and double. Shortstop Dylan Meyer drove in two more in the two of the seventh with a single, scoring Hare and first baseman Christian Lucarelli. Riverside pitcher Zach Hare (27) delivers a pitch during the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal game between Riverside and Mohawk at the AHN Baseball Complex in Harmony, Pa. on June 5, 2025. 'We have been very aggressive at the plate recently,' Meyer said. 'I think some of the guys earlier in the season weren't as aggressive but now we are attacking pitches. I want to keep my approach simple and look for something early and build off of that.' Advertisement Riverside will have a rematch with South Park in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals, on Monday, June 9, at a site and time to be determined. The Panthers won their previous matchup, 1-0 in 12 innings, in the WPIAL tournament semifinals. This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: PIAA baseball quarterfinals: Riverside's Zach Hare throws no-hitter
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
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PIAA 3A baseball championship preview: What to know as Riverside faces Mount Carmel Area
Riverside will appear in its second PIAA Class 3A championship game in three seasons when it faces off against Mount Carmel Area in a battle of district champions for the state title. Here is what you need to know about the championship matchup. When is the PIAA Class 3A championship game? The PIAA Class 3A championship game will mark the second game of the 2025 PIAA baseball championships on Thursday, June 12, with the first pitch slated for 1:30 p.m. at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. What's at stake? Riverside is vying for its sixth PIAA title under longtime head coach Dan Oliastro, who is in his 57th year as the skipper. Each of the previous five times that Riverside has made the trip to State College, it has captured PIAA gold. Its last state championship victory came in 2023 when it shut out Camp Hill 4-0 to cap off a perfect season. Advertisement Required Reading: 'Supernatural': Zach Hare's historic postseason continues with perfect game in championship Mount Carmel will be making its first trip to the state championship game in its second appearance in the PIAA playoffs after making a run to the quarterfinals in 2024. How they got here Riverside has hit its stride in the state playoffs after playing in several tight one-run games in the WPIAL postseason. It began its state playoff run with a dominant 9-0 win over Huntingdon with Christian Lucarelli throwing a complete game three-hitter. In the quarterfinals, it posted its second consecutive shutout of the state tournament defeating section foe Mohawk 6-0. Riverside pitcher Zach Hare tossed a no-hitter, striking out 13 in the win. Advertisement Most recently in the semifinals, the Panthers defeated South Park 4-1 for the second time this postseason in a rematch from the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals. Lucarelli threw six innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Sophomore shortstop Dylan Meyer has been one of Riverside's hottest hitters in the state postseason, compiling seven hits and six RBIs in three games. Riverside pitcher Zach Hare (27) delivers a pitch during the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal game between Riverside and Mohawk at the AHN Baseball Complex in Harmony, Pa. on June 5, 2025. Hare, who is slated to pitch in the championship game, has thrown 31 ⅓ consecutive no-hit innings for Riverside across the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs. In his past two outings for the team, he threw a perfect game in the WPIAL championship game against Quaker Valley followed by the aforementioned no-hitter against Mohawk. Advertisement The senior Slippery Rock signee has posted a 9-0 record in 12 appearances, throwing 66 innings and striking out 127. On the other side, Mount Carmel knocked off two district champions en route to the championship game. In the opening round, it beat District II champion Dunmore 5-0 as pitcher Drew Yagodzinskie pitched a one-hitter, striking out 14 and allowing just one walk. The team then faced District III runner-up Bermudian Springs, taking the game 3-1 with first baseman Clarke Cartwright driving in a pair of runs. In its semifinal matchup against District III champion Berks Catholic, Yagodzinskie pitched a complete game, allowing three runs while striking out 11. The bottom of the order for Mount Carmel came up big by driving in three RBIs. Riverside shortstop Dylan Meyer (1) watches his ball's flight during the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal game between Riverside and Mohawk at the AHN Baseball Complex in Harmony, Pa. on June 5, 2025. Projected starting lineups 7-1 Riverside (20-2) 1. Sean Hayes, C Advertisement 2. John Bowser, RF 3. Hunter Garvin, CF 4. Zach Hare, P 5. Christian Lucarelli, 1B 6. Drake Fox, 3B 7. Dylan Meyer, SS 8. Jackson Barber, LF 9. Logan Young, 2B 4-1 Mount Carmel Area (20-4) 1. Brayden Brinkash, C 2. Jason Klokis, RF 3. Jon Morgante, SS 4. Drew Yagodzinskie, DH 5. Lukas Carpenter, P 6. Gabe Yuskoski, 3B 7. Clarke Cartwright, 1B 8. Walker McGinley, LF 9. Brody Brinkash, 2B This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: PIAA 3A baseball championship: Riverside, Mount Carmel meet in finals
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
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SCASD settles lawsuit with parochial students who were barred from extracurriculars
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) —The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has confirmed that the State College Area School District has settled a lawsuit claiming that it discriminated against children from parochial schools. Court documents show that the district and the board of directors were being sued over accusations that extracurricular activities and education programs provided by the school to students, homeschool students and charter school students were not open to students from parochial schools. However, on June 10, the district agreed to settle with the students and guardians who were suing. Along with the announcement, court documents showed that several things were agreed upon and will be in place moving forward. Penn Highlands Community College's dual enrollment program helping local students The district agreed to make extracurricular activities and programs available to all eligible students in the district while also imposing student selection criteria. However, parochial students whose schools sponsor interscholastic sports will not be eligible to participate in the same sports at the State College Area School District. Similarly, the same rules will apply to any after-school program or club. If the parochial school offers the program itself or one of a similar nature, then the student will only be eligible for the one offered by the parochial school. WTAJ reached out to the State College Area School District for comment on the settlement, and the school solicitor gave the following in response. 'In the context of the issue of whether students who reside in the school district and attend parochial schools can participate in school district sponsored sports activities and teams, the school district had always believed that the school district could not permit such participation because, among other reasons, PIAA disfavored it. Through the litigation, the school district determined that this is not always the case. Because PIAA's position on this subject is not clear, the Consent Order provides essentially that PIAA must first approve of parochial school student participation on school district sports teams before there is any obligation on the part of the school district to permit the participation,' Scott Etter said. They also noted that when it comes to sports, if the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) declares a parochial student ineligible, then the school may also declare them ineligible without violating the agreement. The court also ordered the school district in the next 30 days to pay the 'agreed upon sum' and that the case is now closed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
