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Dallas baseball plays a team trying to make history. Hazleton Area softball faces a pitcher who already has.
The only two Wyoming Valley Conference teams left head to the PIAA state quarterfinals on Thursday.
Dallas is the only District 2 baseball team remaining. Susquehanna, Elk Lake, Riverside and Hazleton Area all fell in the first round.
Hazleton Area has some company as District 2 reps Abington Heights, Mid Valley and Old Forge from the Lackawanna League will all be in action Thursday.
Dallas (16-7) vs. Hanover (17-7)
PIAA 4A Baseball Quarterfinals
6:30 p.m. Thursday
Muhlenburg HS
District 3 runner-up Hanover won its first-ever state playoff game with a 6-2 victory over District 4 champion Mifflinburg in the first round. The Nighthawks’ other state appearance came in 2000 where they lost 12-0 to Southern Columbia.
A robust state resume doesn’t really mean much in baseball. Consider this — Dallas won its first state playoff game in 2017 and went on to win the Class 4A championship. Berwick did the same in Class 3A in 2008. Wyoming Area won in states for the first time in 2021 and played for the 3A crown.
So don’t dismiss Hanover, which has the talent to carve a place in program history.
However, Hanover is at a distinct disadvantage in the quarterfinals. Pitching ace Justus Feeger threw 99 pitches against Mifflinburg, meaning the only way he can throw based on PIAA rules is if the game gets rained out and moved to Friday. The weather forecast says otherwise.
District 2 champ Dallas received a very favorable draw in the opening round as the Mountaineers rolled past District 12 runner-up Nueva Esperanza 12-1 in five innings. Gary Weaver and Dusty Shaver pitched and can do so again Thursday along with Sam Barrouk, their No. 1 starter. Barring injuries or inclement weather, Dallas’ pitching is aligned perfectly for as long as the Mountaineers keep playing.
Senior Chase Roberts seems the likely starter for Hanover. His pitching numbers are solid and he is also a very good hitter. He was hitting .524 with 22 RBI entering states. Junior Jaxon Dell was hitting .447 with 31 RBI and 16 extra-base hits, including three homers. Junior Tyler Hansford was batting .377.
The game is the second of two at Muhlenburg, so it’s doubtful it will start on time.
The winner plays Monday against the winner of the game between District 12 champ Archbishop Wood (17-6) and District 4 runner-up Montoursville (17-7).
Hazleton Area (15-7) vs. North Penn (25-0)
PIAA 6A Softball Quarterfinals
1 p.m. Thursday
Patriots Park, Allentown
North Penn’s Julia Shearer is one of the best — if not the best — high school softball player in the state. The senior was named the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 and has surpassed those numbers.
Shearer’s pitching statistics look like the result of a video game cheat code. In 146 innings, the Maryland recruit has struck out 323, allowed just 41 hits and 13 walks and has an ERA of 0.24. She has 622 strikeouts in her two years as the Knights’ main pitcher. She is also a lefty, something that adds to her repertoire.
Oh yeah, Shearer can hit as well. She is batting .645 with 10 homers and 30 RBI in addition to being 18-for-18 stealing bases. Then add in hitters like Sarah Sabocsik (.485, 6 HRs, 26 RBI) and Annabelle Smink (.500, 16 RBI) and it’s easy to see why District 1 champion North Penn is undefeated.
Now for a rebuttal. North Penn lost one game going into the 2022 6A state playoffs, but was eliminated in the semifinals 2-0 by eventual state champion Spring-Ford. The Knights also squeezed by District 3 fourth seed Governor Mifflin 3-1 in the first round Monday and just got past Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-2 in the District 1 semifinals.
District 2 champ Hazleton Area defeated Plymouth Whitemarsh 5-4 Monday for its first state win since 2019. The Cougars scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth after Plymouth Whitemarsh took the lead in the top of the inning.
Hazleton Area has a very strong hitting teams featuring seniors Makenna Balay, Lauren Daniels, Madison Forsythe and Ashley Seiwell. The batting order has a nice combination of average and power.
Now another rebuttal. The two best pitchers Hazleton Area faced during the Wyoming Valley Conference season were Tunkhannock’s Kaya Hannon and Pittston Area’s Gianna Adams. In the final three games against those two pitchers, Hazleton Area was 5-of-62 (.081) batting and scored a total of one run.
Seiwell has pitched better as the season has wore on but won’t have much wiggle room with Shearer in the circle.
The winner plays Monday against the winner of the game between District 3 third seed Chambersburg (21-3) and District 11 champion Nazareth (21-6).