Avonworth returns to Class 1A final
Kuban’s three-run triple key blow in 3-0 victory against rival Burrell
Alivia Lantzy has had the number of pretty much every team she’s faced this season.
But the Avonworth junior just seems to ramp it up a notch every time she faced Burrell.
And she’s faced the Bucs a lot.
Lantzy may have pitched to contact against Burrell as she struck out only five, but she also gave up only one hit to lead top-seeded Avonworth (20-1) to a 3-0 victory against the No. 4 Bucs in a WPIAL
Class 3A semifinal at North Allegheny. It will be the third finals appearance in the past four contested seasons for the Antelopes. There was no tournament in 2020 because of COVID-19.
It is the third time this season Avonworth defeated its Section 1 rival. Burrell (13-6) allowed 26 runs all season and nine of them came in its three losses to Avonworth.
Lantzy may have been dominant, but Burrell senior Katie Armstrong nearly matched her pitch for pitch for much of the game. The Gannon recruit struck out seven and only allowed three hits. But Avonworth got to her with three runs in the sixth.
Junior Leah Kuban did all the damage for the Antelopes with a three-run triple.
There is a chance the two teams could meet again in the state tournament in either the quarterfinals or the semifinals. The top four finishers in the WPIAL earn spots in the Class 3A tournament, which will open on June 5.
Other Class 3A Southmoreland 8, Waynesburg 0:
The Scotties (16-2) didn’t need a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat the Raiders (16-4) like they did against
Yough in the quarterfinals. They took care of business early as Riley Puckey went 4 for 4 with a double and drove in a run and Gwen Bassinger was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Maddie Brown scattered seven hits and struck out three in the win as Southmoreland earned its first trip to the finals since 2018.
Class 1A Carmichaels 3, Frazier 0:
The Commodores ( 14- 2) scored double-digit runs in all 14 of their wins this season and had not been shut out since a 6-0 loss to Laurel on June 7, 2021, in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. But Mikes (18-0) freshman pitcher Bailey Barnyak took care of that as she tossed a two-hitter and struck out 13 to lead Carmichaels to its first WPIAL championship game since losing to Neshannock, 10-4, in 2013. The Mikes had also not been to the semifinals since losing to Monessen in 2017. Carmichaels’ other top freshman, Carys McConnell, hit a solo homer and singled home another run to provide all the offense the team needed.
Union 13, Chartiers-Houston 5:
The Bucs (13-6) put a quick scare into the defending WPIAL champions when they plated two runs in the top of the first. From that point on, though, it was all Scotties. Union ( 16-3) scored five runs in the bottom of the first to take command.