Centre County baseball and softball teams are heading to the state playoffs. What to know
The district playoffs have come to an end and it’s now time to look forward to states. Three county baseball teams and three county softball teams will all advance to play in the PIAA State Championships at their classification level.
Let’s take a look at how each team got there and what comes next.
Note: All stats via MaxPreps unless otherwise noted.
Baseball
AA No. 1 seed Bald Eagle defeats No. 2 seed Mount Union, 11-5
AAA No. 3 seed Philipsburg-Osceola defeats No. 5 seed Tyrone, 1-0
AAAA No. 1 seed Bellefonte defeats St. Mary’s, 14-0
AAAAAA D10 McDowell defeats D6 State College, 9-1
Centre County went 3-1 overall in the final games before the beginning of the PIAAA State Championships this week.
Bald Eagle once again rode Tyler Serb to seven innings on the mound in an 11-5 win. The Eagles finished the game with 11 hits, including a home run from junior Tayten Yoder. Their 11-run barrage came after Serb gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning to put Bald Eagle down 4-0, but he and his teammates rallied from there to close the win and earn the District 6 Class AA title.
Philipsburg-Osceola took on a familiar foe to win its District 6 Class AAA title. The Mountaineers defeated Tyrone 1-0 in large part thanks to one shutout inning from Gavin Emigh and six of them from Danny Prestash. Their third inning run was enough as the team’s pitching closed out the win.
Bellefonte jumped on St. Mary’s early and never look back to win its sub-regional and advance to the state playoffs. The Raiders put up 12 runs in the first two innings to cruise to a five-inning mercy rule victory. Dominic Capperella only gave up one hit in five innings on the mound, while Trevor Johnson went yard as part of a 2-for-3 day at the plate along with two walks.
State College’s season came to an end as it was no-hit by McDowell, according to the Erie Times-News. The Little Lions scored their lone run on a sacrifice fly.
Softball
AA No. 1 seed Bald Eagle defeats AA No. 2 seed Penns Valley, 5-1
AAAA D6 representative Bellefonte defeats D9 representative St. Mary’s, 3-2
All three remaining softball teams will advance to the state playoffs after their showings in districts.
Both Bald Eagle and Penns Valley will advance from AA despite the Eagles defeating the Rams 5-1 in the district title game. The district will send two teams to states, as was determined prior to the beginning of the postseason. Sierra Albright threw seven innings for Bald Eagle and struck out 11 Rams on the way to the team’s District 6 crown.
Bellefonte eked out a close victory in the PIAA subregional against District 9 St. Mary’s. The Raiders built a 3-0 lead and were able to hang on to earn the victory and advance to the state tournament.
What’s next
Baseball
AA Bald Eagle vs. McConnellsburg, Monday, 4 p.m. at Bald Eagle
AAA Philipsburg-Osceola vs. Avonworth, Monday, 4 p.m. at Philipsburg-Osceola
AAAA Bellefonte vs. Greater Latrobe, Monday, 2 p.m. at Bellefonte
Bald Eagle, Philipsburg-Osceola and Bellefonte will now all advance to the first round of the PIAA State Championships at their respective classifications. All three will host home games thanks to their district titles (Bald Eagle, Philipsburg-Osceola) and subregional title (Bellefonte). A win for any of the three would push them to the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Softball
AA Bald Eagle vs. Muncy, Monday, 4:30 p.m. at Bald Eagle
AA Penns Valley vs. Neshannock, Monday, 4:30 p.m. at Neshannock
AAAA Bellefonte vs. Montour, Monday, 4:30 p.m. at Bellefonte Middle School
Bald Eagle and Bellefonte have earned home games in the first round of the PIAA State Championships by virtue of their district and subregional wins, respectively. Penns Valley will head on the road to New Castle to play Neshannock in the first round after losing to the Eagles in the district title game. Wins for any of the three would move them on to the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Tickets for all state playoff games can be purchased on the PIAA website.
