Local roundup
Connellsville’s Josh Martin loses in Section 5 singles finals Connellsville’s Josh Martin advanced to the Section 5-AAA finals Wednesday, but the Falcons’ No. 1 singles player fell short of the title, losing in two sets to Hempfield’s Rishi Bajaj. Bajaj defeated Martin 6-2, 6-0 for the section individual title.
Both players will advance to Monday’s WPIAL Individual Championship at North Park. The two recently met at Connellsville in a section match with Bajaj rallying from a set down for a close three-set victory.
“Rishi was hitting so well. He was in a zone. Josh was never able to get started,” Connellsville boys tennis coach Don Campbell said.
Connellsville returns to section action this afternoon with a match at West Mifflin.
High school softball
Greensburg Salem 5, Uniontown 1 – The Lady Golden Lions scored three runs in the top of the third inning, making the most of four hits for a Section 3-AAA road victory.
Greensburg Salem used three walks and an error to score the three runs. The visitors added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Brittany Check (3-4) took the loss, walking five and striking out one. Stacey Riggar, Holly Sisler and Emily Fisher all had a single for the Lady Red Raiders. Uniontown (0-2, 3-4) travels to Connellsville Friday.
Waynesburg Central 2, Belle Vernon 0 – The visiting Lady Raiders scored singles runs in first and fourth innings, and that was all the support Nikki Shriver needed to lead Waynesburg to a Section 7-AA victory.
Waynesburg improves to 2-0 in the section and 5-0 overall. The Lady Leopards lose for the first time this season, falling to 3-1 in the section and 6-1 overall.
Shriver (4-0) struck out four, walked one and scattered three hits in seven innings. Amber Conklin doubled for the Lady Raiders. Angela Kayla and Shriver both hit two singles while Megan Areford, Jessie Schifko and Elizabeth Gregg contributed a single apiece.
Brooke Panepinto’s triple, Jillian Kunka’s double and Corey Baron’s single accounted for the hits Belle Vernon could muster against Shriver. Baron (3-1) struck out one, walked three and allowed eight hits.
Men’s tennis
Waynesburg 9, Bethany (W.Va.) 0 – Only one of six singles matches went to three sets as the Yellow Jackets routed the Bison on the road.
Eric Kaluza, Mike Pamepinto, Guillermo Pradera, Brownsville’s Mark Gates and Ryan Floyd all won in straight sets for Waynesburg. Nate Smucker dropped the second set at No. 5 singles, but rallied 6-1 in the deciding set.
Kaluza and Pamepinto won at 8-4 decision at No. 1 doubles. Gates and Pradera carried an 8-5 score at No. 2 doubles, and Smucker and Floyd completed the rout with an 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles.
Women’s tennis
Slippery Rock 8, California (Pa.) 1 – The Vulcans weren’t able to get going against visiting Slippery Rock, dropping all three doubles matches and five of six singles matches. All six singles matches were two sets with Slippery Rock taking the each of the three doubles matches by an 8-4 score.
California’s Kylie Corsi was the lone victor for the home team with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Christy Michaux at No. 3 singles.
Slippery Rock is ranked first in the NCAA Division II East Region and 29th nationally. California hosts West Liberty on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
College baseball
California (Pa.) 8, Clarion 3; California (Pa.) 10, Clarion 1 – The Vulcans had a successful road trip, returning with a pair of PSAC-West victories. California improves to 4-3 in the conference and 13-11 overall. Clarion drops to 4-4 in the conference and 7-17 overall.
Connellsville’s Nick Damico (3-0) struck out three in winning the first game. Brian Stoecklein went 4-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBI. Justin Pifer smacked a home run for the Vulcans while Jason Smith finished with two hits and two RBI.
The offense came alive in the second game, pounding out 12 hits in the big run-scoring effort. Bernie Smith had a double and single for two RBI. Mike Larsen had a pair of doubles and two RBI.
Kent State 14, Pittsburgh 3 – Kent State scored 11 runs in the bottom of the second inning for a non-conference victory over the Panthers. Eric O’Brien and Chris Welsch provided Pittsburgh’s offense on home runs.
College softball
Notre Dame 5, Pittsburgh 4; Notre Dame 4, Pittsburgh 1 – Nikki Gasti was the victim of poor fielding in the first game and Janelle Pepe received on offense help in the nightcap as the Lady Panthers dropped a Big East Conference home doubleheader.
The Lady Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning in the first game and added to the lead with two more runs in the third. Gasti kept the Fighting Irish off the board through six innings, but the defense fell apart in the seventh. Notre Dame scored five unearned for the win.
The fielding was a bit better in the second game, but Pepe allowed three earned runs on five hits in the second game while striking out three and walking one.
The Pittsburgh offense provided not support with Casey Pickard’s single the lone hit for the Lady Panthers.
Notre Dame is 2-0 in the Big East and 16-11 overall. Pittsburgh falls to 3-5 in the conference and 17-21 overall.