Washington, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) hosted its championship games for the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Baseball Championships presented by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday and Wednesday at EQT Park. The two days featured a perfect game and no-hitter on the same day, three 1-0 contests, two first-time champions, and two extra-inning games – one ending in a walk-off homer. Emerging as champions were Freedom Area (Class 2A), Indiana (Class 4A), Riverside (Class 3A), Seneca Valley (Class 6A), Serra Catholic (Class 1A), and Shaler (Class 5A).
Riverside and Shaler ended one-year title gaps with their wins at Class 3A and Class 5A, respectively. Both programs moved into a four-way tie for second all-time with seven WPIAL baseball titles, joining Allegheny and McKeesport in that group. The Panthers were previously victorious in 1996, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2017, and 2023, while the Titans also won in 1964, 1980, 1981, 1999, 2019, and 2023.
Serra Catholic and Seneca Valley both joined the five-time champion club with their victories at Class 1A and Class 6A, respectively. The Eagles were also winners in 2009, 2010, 2016, and 2022, while the Raiders claimed titles in 1994, 2011, 2012, and 2014.
Freedom Area and Indiana both became first-time champions with their triumphs at Class 2A and Class 4A, respectively. The Indians became the 89th different WPIAL baseball winner in the second game on Tuesday, and the Bulldogs made it an even 90 champions with their triumph in the second game on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Serra Catholic senior Tyler Skaggs became the fourth pitcher in the last five years to toss a no-hitter in a WPIAL championship game, joining Union’s Jake Vitale (2021), Mt. Lebanon’s David Shields (2023), and North Allegheny’s David Posey (2024). Two games later, that group became five with the heroics of Riverside senior Zach Hare, who posted a perfect game – the first of its kind in a WPIAL title tilt since at least 1940.
With its Class 5A win, Shaler swept the WPIAL baseball and softball championships in 2025 – marking the sixth different time that has happened. The Titans join North Allegheny (2003), Riverside (1996), Sto-Rox (1985), Swissvale (1980), and Union (2022) as the only schools to achieve the feat.
The Class 6A champion, top three teams in Class 2A and Class 4A, and top four teams in Class 1A, Class 3A, and Class 5A have qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Baseball Championships, which begin with first-round games on Monday, June 2, and conclude with all championship games on June 12-13 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Penn State University.
CLASS 6A RECAP
A first-inning run was all that third-seeded Seneca Valley needed in the Class 6A championship game, as it defeated fourth-seeded Norwin, 1-0, in the first game of three played Tuesday.
Seneca Valley (17-6, 8-4 Section I) pushed the winning run across in the first when junior Mason Fisher led the frame off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on another groundout by senior Ryan Piekutoski.
Raiders junior Ryan Rebholz earned the win with 5.2 innings of shutout ball, striking out three against four walks and two hits allowed. Classmate Luis Torrenegra claimed the save with 1.1 clean frames, sitting down two of the four batters he faced.
Norwin (14-9, 8-4 Section II) senior Ethen Culbertson pitched all six innings, allowing the lone first-inning run across four hits and a walk. He struck out five.
Seneca Valley saw juniors Rebholz, Brandon Godleski, and Owen Voelp all record a hit, while senior Nathan Silberman and junior Tristyn Tavares provided back-to-back singles for the Knights in the sixth inning.
Seneca Valley began the postseason with a 4-3 win over sixth-seeded Mt. Lebanon, and reached the championship game with a 4-0 blanking of second-seeded Canon-McMillan. Norwin defeated fifth-seeded Butler, 5-4, in nine innings, and triumphed over eighth-seeded Hempfield Area, 7-4, to make it to EQT Park.
Seneca Valley will begin its PIAA journey against the champion from either District VI or District X. The Raiders are two-time PIAA champions, winning previously in 1995 and 2007.
CLASS 5A RECAP
Second-seeded Shaler saw its 2-1 seventh-inning lead slip away with two outs, but bounced back with three runs in the top of the next frame to defeat top-seeded Pine-Richland, 5-2, in eight innings. The Class 5A championship game was the last of three played Tuesday.
After three innings of scoreless ball, Shaler (17-6, 8-2 Section III) struck in the top of the fourth with two runs. Senior Landon Schiffhauer worked a lead-off walk, then raced home on a one-out RBI triple by classmate Colby McGuire. McGuire scored with two outs on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Pine-Richland (20-4, 8-2 Section III) responded with a run in the bottom half. Senior Sam Heckert and junior Ben Husted opened the frame by getting on base via hit-by-pitch and walk, respectively, and eventually the bases were loaded for senior Tanner Cunningham with one out. Cunningham hit a fly ball deep enough to left to score Heckert to cut the gap in half.
The Rams’ tying run came with the bases loaded and two outs, as Heckert reached on an error to score Cunningham from third, sending the game to extra innings.
Shaler bounced back by scoring three times in the top of the eighth. senior Troy Leas stood in with the bases loaded and no outs and wore a pitch to bring in a run, then classmate Brendan Fitzgerald worked a one-out walk to make it 4-2. Schiffhauer added an extra insurance run with two outs by coming home on a wild pitch.
Titans senior Colby Weber was terrific in six innings, striking out 13 against three walks, two hits, and one run allowed. Classmate Dante DeLeonibus eventually claimed the win with two innings in relief, allowing an unearned run with four strikeouts and four walks.
Pine-Richland senior Keegan Deihl went 7.1 innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and two runs, while striking out seven.
Senior Kaleb Jockel went 2-for-5 leading off for Shaler. The Rams received hits from senior Anthony Annichine and junior Drew Boivin.
Shaler started the WPIAL tournament with an 8-0 win over 14th-seeded Montour, then topped 11th-seeded Connellsville, 6-1, and seventh-seeded Peters Township, 2-1, to reach the title game. Pine-Richland punched its ticket to EQT Park with three one-run wins – 1-0 over 16th-seeded Trinity, 8-7 versus ninth-seeded Greater Latrobe, and 5-4 against fourth-seeded Bethel Park.
In the third-place consolation game played on Tuesday at Washington & Jefferson College’s Ross Memorial Park, Bethel Park defeated Peters Township, 17-2, in four innings.
Shaler starts the PIAA championships against the District III fourth-place team, while Pine-Richland gets the champion from either District IV or District VI. Bethel Park takes on the champion from District VIII, District IX, or District X, and Peters Township plays the District III winner. Among the four qualifiers, Bethel Park is a three-time champion (1988, 2021, 2022), Shaler has won twice in 1980 and 2023, and Pine-Richland captured PIAA gold in 2006.
CLASS 4A RECAP
After battling back to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, top-seeded Indiana saw junior Charlie Manzi blast a two-run, opposite field homer in the bottom of the 11th to lift the Indians to their first WPIAL title with a 4-2 victory over third-seeded Elizabeth Forward in the Class 4A championship game, which was the second game of three played Tuesday.
Indiana (22-1, 10-0 Section III) opened the game with a run in the first inning, as senior Tim Birch came home on a balk. Elizabeth Forward (16-4, 10-2 Section II) responded with runs in the third and fourth frames to take a 2-1 lead. The Warriors used a sacrifice fly from senior Cy Herchelroath to score freshman James Crovak in the third, then Crovak’s RBI single through the right side brought home junior Jack Crovak.
Down to their last at-bats in the seventh, the Indians opened the frame with a Manzi lead-off double, followed by a bunt single by senior Rocco Cosentino. With one out, Birch beat out a double-play ball to score Manzi, sending the game into extra innings.
Both teams stranded runners in the eighth and ninth innings, and went down in order in the 10th. Indiana avoided trouble in the top of the 11th by working around a lead-off single, setting the stage for its offense in the bottom half. Junior Sullivan Vanhoose reached on an error to begin the frame, and after a flyout to center, Manzi hammered an offering to right-center field, dispatching it over the fence for a championship winner.
Senior Mark Collinger received the win for the Indians, pitching four shutout innings in relief with three hits and two walks allowed, and four strikeouts. The trio of Collinger, classmate Ryan Okopal, and sophomore Brady Oakes provided 7.1 combined scoreless frames.
Herchelroath threw 6.1 innings for Elizabeth Forward, striking out seven while allowing six hits, two runs (one earned), and two walks.
Manzi finished 2-for-5 at the dish with a double and homerun for Indiana. James Crovak was 3-for-5 and Jack Crovak was 2-for-4 for Elizabeth Forward.
Indiana opened the WPIAL playoffs with a bye, then topped ninth-seeded Ambridge, 1-0, in nine innings, and fifth-seeded Belle Vernon, 11-2, to qualify for its second straight final. Elizabeth Forward also started with a bye before topping 11th-seeded Ringgold, 8-5, and seventh-seeded Central Valley, 4-1.
In the third-place consolation game played Tuesday at Washington & Jefferson College’s Ross Memorial Park, Central Valley defeated Belle Vernon, 7-3, to earn the final PIAA qualifier spot.
Indiana will start the PIAA tournament against either the District VI or District VIII champion, while Elizabeth Forward plays the champion from either District V or District IX, and Central Valley takes on the District X champion. All three schools are searching for their first PIAA title, with the Indians coming close last season as the Class 4A runner-up.
CLASS 3A RECAP
Riverside senior Zach Hare sat down all 21 batters he faced, completing the first perfect game in a WPIAL championship game since at least 1940, as the top-seeded Panthers defeated seventh-seeded Quaker Valley, 1-0, in the final game of three played Wednesday.
Hare struck out 15 in his perfect outing for Riverside (17-2, 9-1 Section I), and allowed just one batter to hit it out of the infield. The senior struck out eight consecutive batters after getting a pop-up to begin the game.
Despite his historic outing, the Panthers didn’t produce the winning run until their last at-bat in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on the corners and two outs, junior Jackson Barber reached on an infield single, scoring senior Christian Lucarelli to make it 1-0.
Quaker Valley (15-7, 6-4 Section I) saw senior Nolan Wagoner throw 4.2 shutout innings with five strikeouts against three hits and two walks allowed.
Riverside sophomore Dylan Meyer went 2-for-3 at the plate, and Barber, Lucarelli, and senior Drake Fox also provided a hit each.
Riverside’s run to a third consecutive WPIAL championship game appearance included wins over 16th-seeded Shady Side Academy (4-3), eighth-seeded Burrell (11-0, 5 inn.), and fifth-seeded South Park (1-0, 12 inn.). Quaker Valley topped 10th-seeded Ligonier Valley (4-2), second-seeded Avonworth (1-0), and 11th-seeded Mohawk (5-2) to make it to EQT Park.
In the third-place consolation game played Wednesday at Washington & Jefferson College’s Ross Memorial Park, South Park was a 4-3 winner over Mohawk.
Riverside begins the PIAA Championships against the District VI runner-up, while Quaker Valley will play the champion from either District V, District VIII, or District IX. South Park faces the District VI champion, and Mohawk gets the District X winner. The Panthers are the only school of the four to previously win a PIAA title, as their haul of five (2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2023) is a WPIAL-high.
CLASS 2A RECAP
Another terrific pitcher’s duel in the Class 2A championship game made sure runs were hard to come by, but eighth-seeded Freedom Area was able to scrape one out in the top of the sixth inning to capture a 1-0 win over second-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, winning its first WPIAL title in the second of three games played Wednesday.
Freedom Area (15-7, 8-4 Section II) needed a single run in its next-to-last at-bats to secure its inaugural crown. After freshman Nick Fessler reached on an error and senior Tommy Ward singled to center, junior Boden Hillard roped a one-out single up the middle to bring home Fessler.
Owner of the game-winning RBI, Hillard helped his own cause on the mound by throwing a shutout, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out five.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (15-8, 11-1 Section III) saw senior Iseia Fields-Schulz go 5.2 innings with 11 punchouts, allowing just four hits, two walks, and an unearned run.
In addition to Hillard and Ward, sophomore Mason O’Donnell and junior Colten Blank recorded hits for the Bulldogs. The Chargers saw senior Gino Williams and junior Chad Minton reach base with a hit – Williams’ hit being a two-out triple in the third inning.
Freedom Area’s trek to EQT Park saw victories over ninth-seeded Apollo-Ridge (12-2, 5 inn.), top-seeded Neshannock (3-0), and 12th-seeded Laurel (8-7). Our Lady of the Sacred Heart opened the tournament with a bye, then defeated 10th-seeded New Brighton, 8-0, and sixth-seeded Riverview, 3-1, to reach the championship game.
In the third-place consolation game played Wednesday at Washington & Jefferson College’s Ross Memorial Park, Riverview topped Laurel, 2-0, to earn the final PIAA qualifier spot.
Freedom Area will play the District VI runner-up to start the PIAA tournament, while Our Lady of the Sacred Heart gets the District V or District VIII champion, and Riverview plays the District X winner. The Raiders are the lone school of the three to previously win a PIAA title, doing so in 1983.
CLASS 1A RECAP
Serra Catholic senior Tyler Skaggs extended the WPIAL’s streak of years with a championship game no-hitter to three, achieving the feat as the top-seeded Eagles blanked sixth-seeded Carmichaels, 9-0, in the Class 1A title tilt, which was the first game of three played Wednesday.
Skaggs struck out 10 in his no-hitter for Serra Catholic (20-3, 8-2 Section III), allowing two walks and hit two batters as the only blemishes of his afternoon. He finished his historic outing with three strikeouts in the seventh.
The Eagles scored one run in the second, two in the fourth, one in the fifth, and added five insurance tallies in the sixth. In the second, freshman Cole Hann singled through the left side to score junior Max Black, making it 1-0. Two innings later, Owen Dumbroski reached on a fielder’s choice to score sophomore Christopher Johnson, and then he and Hann executed a double steal that saw the latter swipe home, making it 3-0.
Black hit a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth to score Skaggs, and then Serra Catholic added five runs in the sixth on a Skaggs RBI single, senior Jacob Holmes two-run double, Black RBI groundout, and Johnson RBI single.
Senior Jase Zdravecky started for Carmichaels (15-5, 9-3 Section II), going 3.1 innings with three strikeouts. Classmate Robbie Wilson-Jones walked twice as the lead-off hitter for the Mighty Mikes.
Johnson went 3-for-4 for the Eagles, while Black and Hann both had two-hit days. Holmes and Skaggs each had a run-scoring hit.
Serra Catholic started the WPIAL tournament with a bye, then topped eighth-seeded Jefferson-Morgan, 11-1, in six innings, and fifth-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic, 3-2, to make its fourth consecutive WPIAL championship game. Carmichaels started the playoffs with a 9-1 win over 11th-seeded Union, then dispatched of third-seeded Leechburg, 6-3, and second-seeded Eden Christian Academy, 4-3.
In the third-place consolation game played Wednesday at Washington & Jefferson College’s Ross Memorial Park, Eden Christian Academy defeated Greensburg Central Catholic, 10-2.
Serra Catholic starts the PIAA tournament against the District IX runner-up, Carmichaels plays the District VI champion, Eden Christian Academy takes on the District IX champion, and Greensburg Central Catholic will get the District X champion. Both the Centurions and Eagles have won a PIAA championship before, with the Centurions winning in 2002 and the Eagles claiming gold in 2011. The Warriors were the Class 1A runner-up a year ago.
PIAA PREVIEW
Start Date: Monday, June 2
Number of Champions from WPIAL: 41 (1 in Class 6A, 4 in Class 5A, 5 in Class 4A, 14 in Class 3A, 12 in Class 2A, 5 in Class 1A)
- Previous Champions: Riverside (5), Bethel Park (3), Canon-McMillan (2), Moon (2), North Allegheny (2), Neshannock (2), Seneca Valley (2), Shaler (2), Vincentian Academy (2), Center (1), Connellsville (1), Ellwood City (1), Ford City (1), Greater Latrobe (1), Greensburg Central Catholic (1), Hopewell (1), Knoch (1), Montour (1), Mt. Lebanon (1), New Castle (1), Northgate (1), Penn Hills (1), Pine-Richland (1), Ringgold (1), Riverview (1), Serra Catholic (1), Washington (1), Wilmington (1)
Last Class 6A Champion from WPIAL: Canon-McMillan (2018)
Last Class 5A Champion from WPIAL: Shaler (2023)
Last Class 4A Champion from WPIAL: Montour (2022)
Last Class 3A Champion from WPIAL: Riverside (2023)
Last Class 2A Champion from WPIAL: Neshannock (2015)
Last Class 1A Champion from WPIAL: Vincentian Academy (2018)
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