The Stretch Drive meets Crunch Time. Players, coaches, athletic directors, groundskeepers and fans have all had about enough bad weather. Softball section games have to be completed by Wednesday, baseball by Thursday in preparation for the upcoming WPIAL Playoffs. The top six teams in 6A softball qualify. Every other section in softball and baseball will advance the top four teams plus unbreakable ties to the post-season. WPIAL brackets are due to be released late this week with playoff games starting next Monday.
Weather permitting, we’ve got a pair of impact games for you on-air and online at WJPA-AM (1450) or Listen Here! Our coverage starts with Burgettstown at Bentworth softball (airtime 3:50 pm). The Blue Devils have a playoff spot in hand. The Bearcats need one win to qualify. We’ll follow that with Waynesburg vs. McGuffey baseball (airtime 6:50 pm) from Wild Things Park. The Highlanders clinch with a win. The Raiders have four games this week and need to win twice to make it. Following is a rundown of the teams from Washington/Greene Counties and their playoff status heading into the final week, plus Monday’s game schedule.
Softball
Clinched: Trinity (section title), Waynesburg (section title), Charleroi, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, Carmichaels (share of title), West Greene
Eliminated: Avella, Beth-Center, California, Peters Township, Ringgold, Wash High
Alive: Canon-McMillan (likely needs two wins facing bottom-tier teams in final three games); McGuffey (needs one win against Waynesburg or winless Keystone Oaks); Bentworth (needs one win facing qualifiers Burgettstown and Charleroi, finishing with winless Beth-Center); Ft. Cherry (needs two losses by Burgettstown or Bentworth); Jeff-Morgan (clinches with one win or two Mapletown losses); Mapletown (must beat Jeff-Morgan and Californina).
Baseball
Clinched: Canon-McMillan (share of title), Peters Township, Ringgold, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Bentworth, Avella, California, Carmichaels
Eliminated: Beth-Center, Wash High, Mapletown, West Greene
Alive: Trinity (needs South Fayette to beat Upper St. Clair in the section finale) Monday; McGuffey (needs one win vs. Waynesburg); Waynesburg (needs two wins from two games each with McGuffey & Mt. Pleasant); Ft. Cherry (needs one win, playing J-M twice and Mapletown once); Jeff-Morgan (must sweep Ft. Cherry).
| Monday’s Results Softball Pine-Richland 3, Canon-McMillan 2 Peters Township 6, Connellsville 5 Ringgold at Uniontown Waynesburg at McGuffey PPD Charleroi 5, OLSH 2 Burgettstown 7, Bentworth 3 Wash High at Beth-Center DH PPD Carmichaels 11, Avella 0 Jeff-Morgan 8, Mapletown 4 West Greene at California DH PPD Carmichaels 18, Mapletown 0 Chartiers-Houston 16, Jeff-Morgan 0 |
Baseball
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