Local roundup: Lind sparkles again as Leopards advance to semifinals
Ed Thompson
Parker Lind turned in his second consecutive sparkling postseason start as fifth-seeded Belle Vernon took down No. 4 Beaver Area, 5-0, in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal baseball game at Burkett Park on Monday.
The win propelled the Leopards (16-6) into the semifinals for what is believed to be only the second time in program history and first since 2012.
Lind came within one out of a second consecutive shutout, leaving with two outs in the seventh inning after allowing three hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts. Ian Porter came on to record the final out after Lind hit the pitch count, finishing with 107 pitches.
Lind hurled a three-hit shutout in Belle Vernon’s 7-0 win over Derry in the first round on Wednesday and came back on four days’ rest with almost an identical result.
Eight different players had a hit for coach Tony Watson’s squad, including Alonzo Wade who singled twice and drove in a run. Jaden Johnson had a single and two RBIs while Kole Doppelheuer and Lucas Judy each contributed a hit and an RBI.
The Leopards scored the only run they would need in the third inning when Johnson reached on an error, advanced to second on Doppelheuer’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Judy’s ground out.
Belle Vernon made it 3-0 in the fourth on a two-run single by Johnson. Doppleheuer added an RBI single in the sixth and Wade capped the scoring with a run-scoring single in the top of the seventh.
Maddox Tanner had all three hits for the Bobcats (11-9). Losing pitcher Ty Butler surrendered two earned runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
Softball
Mohawk 8, Southmoreland 6 – Kaitlyn Hare’s two-out RBI triple sparked a four-run sixth inning as the second-seeded Lady Warriors rallied from a 6-4 deficit to defeat the seventh-seeded Lady Scotties in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal game at Montour.
Lydia Cole hit a two-run homer and singled for Mohawk (14-5)
Losing pitcher Zoey Murphy hit a two-run homer and Riley Puckey hit a solo shot for Southmoreland (10-8) which also got an RBI double from Makayla Brown.
Addison Moskal earned the win in relief.