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Photo Credit: @Shaler_Baseball

by: Don Rebel

BASEBALL QUARTERFINALS ON TAP

Welcome to quarterfinals Monday in the 2024 WPIAL baseball playoffs.

For most teams, it’s a second taste of postseason baseball following a victory in the opening round last week.

However, for 19 district teams, it is the second-season opener after a long layoff.

Which begs the question, rest or rust?

All eight teams in 6A, four each in 5A and A and three teams in 2A hope to be sharp for their quarterfinals game Monday, or in the case of West Allegheny and Bethel Park in 5A, they have to wait an additional 24 hours before their playoff debut.

Here are the layoffs with which these first-round-bye teams are dealing:

15 days between games — Central Catholic

13 days between games — Mt. Lebanon

11 days between games — Hempfield, Norwin, Bethel Park, West Allegheny

10 days between games — Butler, North Hills

9 days between games — North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Fox Chapel

The biggest layoff between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason belongs to Pine-Richland.

It will be 17 days between the Rams beating North Allegheny on May 2 and when they take the field for their quarterfinals contest.

Speaking of which, Section 1 champion No. 2 Pine-Richland (16-4) will face No. 7 Central Catholic (10-10) at 3 p.m. on Monday at Matulevic Field in Shaler on Trib HSSN as the 6A playoffs finally begin.

It’s the first meeting of the season between the Rams and the Vikings.

Elsewhere in the 6A quarters, dozens of major-league baseball scouts are expected to converge on the Boyce-Mayview Complex in Upper St. Clair as two-time defending champion No. 1 Mt. Lebanon (16-4) is challenged by No. 8 Butler (6-12) at 4 p.m. on Trib HSSN.

They will be there to see Miami (Fla.) commit David Shields as the senior left-hander gets the call for the Blue Devils.

Immediately following that game at Boyce-Mayview, No. 3 North Allegheny (14-6) will go up against No. 6 Norwin (11-9) at 7 p.m. on Trib HSSN.

The teams met in late March with the host Tigers edging the Knights, 5-4.

Finally, No. 4 Hempfield (14-6) will battle No. 5 Seneca Valley (11-8) at Plum High School at 7 p.m.

The Raiders are 4-1 in their last five games, whereas the Spartans struggled down the stretch, going 2-5 in their last seven regular-season games.

THEM AGAIN

Three of the four Class 5A quarterfinals games are rematches of section contests, including the two games set for Tuesday when No. 1 West Allegheny (16-3) faces No. 8 Shaler (16-5) and No. 4 Bethel Park tangles with No. 12 Trinity (9-8) for a third time.

On Monday, Section 1-5A foes No. 2 Fox Chapel (14-6) and No. 7 Penn-Trafford (17-3) square off for a third time in the rubber match of their season series at 7 p.m. at Gateway High School on Trib HSSN.

The Foxes and Warriors tied for the section crown with Franklin Regional and Plum in a rare four-way split.

Fox Chapel won the first game of their section series on March 25, 4-3, while Penn-Trafford won the rematch two days later, 3-2.

The one second-round game that is not a rematch has No. 3 North Hills (12-4) playing No. 6 Franklin Regional (13-7) at 4:30 p.m. at Fox Chapel High School on Trib HSSN.

The Panthers came back to win their first-round game over Connellsville, 2-1, while the Indians enjoyed an opening-round bye.