Ambridge sophomore pitcher Kelly Haslett pitched well beyond her years this season and she continued that tradition in the playoffs. Haslett tossed a no-hitter in a first-round win over No. 14 Laurel Highlands (7-10) on Tuesday in a WPIAL first-round matchup.

Haslett was able to induce ground balls when need be and for the most part kept the ball in the infield while also striking out seven. It was only the second time Laurel Highlands had been shutout this season.

athlete

softball

There was much discussion among coaches in Class AA Section 5 that Beaver Area was one of the best young teams in the WPIAL and that the Bobcats could surprise some teams.

It took all of one game for Beaver to surprise some teams, one in particular, No. 4 seeded Seton-LaSalle (12-2). The No. 13 seeded Bobcats (11-6) upset the Rebels 10-3 in a WPIAL first-round contest.

softball

The next base-runner Riverside senior pitcher Kirsten Wilson allows this year in the playoffs, will be the first.

Wilson and the No. 3 seeded Panthers (16-0) got off to a perfect postseason start with a 10-0 dismantling of No. 14 Bentworth (9-9) behind a perfect game from Wilson.

softball

Below is a review of the West posts that appeared Sunday, May 12 through Friday, May 17. We're also including links from the previous Saturday (May 11).

Saturday, May 11
* Both Moon lacrosse teams experience growing pains
* Blackhawk only West team in WPIAL girls' lacrosse playoffs

Sunday, May 12
* Sports Town West Week in Review (May 5-11)

Monday, May 13
* Alumni Update: Brad Kubis (Bethany)
* Alumni Update: Olet Stasko (Westminster)
* Alumni Update: Jasmine Blackwell (Waynesburg)
* Alumni Update: DJ Chisom (Slippery Rock)
* Alumni Update: Derrik Zeroski (California University of Pennsylvania)
* Alumni Update: Ben Rawding (Gannon)

reviews

It's become a common site for Blackhawk High's girls lacrosse team to look down the sideline and see a familiar foe enjoying the fruits of yet another victory.

It happened again this season when Chartiers Valley, the No. 7 team in Laxpower.com's girls rankings for teams in Western Pennsylvania celebrated two more victories over the Cougars by scores of  11-6 and 13-8. The two teams meet for the third time in the WPIAL Division II girls semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Chartiers Valley High School. The winner advances to Thursday's championship game against either Shaler or the winner of Friday's first-round game between Hampton and The Ellis School.

lacrosse

Name: Trent Munk
High School: Ambridge Area
Grade: 12
Sport: Boys Volleyball
Position: Middle Hitter

volleyball

Cara De Carlo's feature on the Aliquippa boys' 4x100-meter relay team:

"Last year at the WPIAL track & field championships, the Aliquippa boys' 400-meter relay team didn't just cross the finish line -- they obliterated it.

The Quips took first with a record time of 42.28 seconds in 2012. Today, they'll return to the championship starting line at Baldwin High School with all but one of those 2012 record-setters.

"We've been together [on the relay] for a while," Aliquippa track coach Sherman McBride said."

track

John D' Abruzzo's feature on Freedom's Dee Dee Adams:

"DeeDee Adams isn't worried about fatigue.

A senior distance runner from Freedom Area High School, Adams is just going to clear her mind and run today ... a lot.

Adams plans to pull off quite the feat this afternoon by competing in four events during the WPIAL Class AA individual track and field championships at Baldwin High School. Adams will be penciled in to compete in the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs as well as participate as a member of Freedom's 1,600-meter relay team."

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Malik Vincent's feature on New Brighton's DiQuan Ambrose:

"One thing that New Brighton boys track and field coach Matt Suber was quick to point out about DiQuan Ambrose is that he's versatile.

He said he can put his senior standout anywhere in the Lions lineup and that he "usually does well in every event."

Though proven to be the aforementioned -- and then some -- Ambrose hasn't been paying much attention to what he brings in that aspect. His one and only focus for the season is to qualify for the PIAA championships later this month.

"He just fell out of the top five last year [in the triple jump]," Suber said. "He finished sixth and has been somewhat disappointed since.""

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John D'Abruzzo's feature on the OLSH baseball team:

"Personal statistics are basically just a bunch of numbers to Preston Falascino.

Sure, this senior pitcher/shortstop for the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart baseball team is both excited and proud of his individual accomplishments during the regular season, but he also believes his stats mean nothing if the Chargers aren't winning.

"Winning as a team is what matters," said Falascino, who lives in the Banksville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. "Stats are one thing and that's personal, but what our team accomplishes and our current winning streak is what's really important."

Behind Falascino, OLSH rode a 15-game winning streak into the postseason and captured the Section 5-A title with a perfect 10-0 record."

Nick Tolomeo's feature on the Sto-Rox softball team:

(Photo: Bill Palermo, recognized by his team last year after coaching his 700th game, is considering retiring when this season ends. Matt Freed/Post-Gazette.)

These were taken at last Thursday's (May 9) track team championships. Look for these athletes (and many others) to return to Baldwin's track tomorrow to stake their place in the WPIAL individual championships.

track

Aliquippa runners are headed back to WPIAL championships tomorrow. They’ve never needed a track to be fast.

“Right now we do hill workouts,” said Aliquippa head track coach Sherman McBride. “We run the relay up hills. Sounds difficult, but that’s what we do. We do a lot of hill work, because there are a lot of hills in Aliquippa.”

Aliquippa is located west of the city, where the Ohio river seems to meet the mountains in a sheer drop-off. The Quips are unintimidated by such geography…

Many are familiar with Aliquippa’s tradition in the 400-meter relay, and the 2013 squad is no exception to the tradition. Hassahn Thompson, Dravon Henry, Malik Shegog, and Shaquere McBride are out to win the WPIAL in the event. They want a trip back to the state meet, and a gold medal from the PIAA.

track

In track and field, 79-71 is a horse’s nose difference at the Preakness.

“It came down to distance,” said Beaver Area coach Steve Goldcamp. “And I believe throws were where we were losing it [last Thursday]. We came up short -- we had a couple kids out with other activities.”

Goldcamp noted that he could not be too sure whether the missing Beaver Area athletes would have made the difference between winning and losing; he took nothing away from South Fayette.

Ok, that’s not quite true. The Bobcats took away some points in the 800-meter race.

track

A few notables to watch for:

Angela McCowin, Ellwood City, hurdles
Sophia Esposito, Montour, high jump
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Hopewell, long jump and triple jump
Lauren Costa, West Allegheny, sprints, hurdles
Alexis O’Shea, West Allegheny, middle distance

Robert Norman, Moon Area, long jump

Interesting: West Allegheny’s Lauren Costa does sprints and hurdles; her teammate Alexis O’Shea does distance (as well as fall cross country). The two have something in common, though: both played fall soccer before opting out in lieu of other activities.

A few notables to watch for:

Sierra Murray, Beaver Falls, hurdles, jumps
Tiffany Vaughn, Beaver Falls, sprints
Dee Dee Adams, Freedom Area, distance
Jessica Kelosky, Riverside, middle distance
Alyssa Wolf, OLSH, middle distance
Page Nye, Riverside, pole vault
Lyndsey Gallagher, Riverside, triple jump
Essence Barron, New Brighton, sprints
Ruthe Neeley, Beaver Area, middle distance
Amanda Ficarri, South Side, pole vault
Karissa Lambert, Beaver Area, pole vault
Elaina Smith, New Brighton, long jump
Koryn Jozwiakowski, Fort Cherry, triple jump
Demi McFrazier, Rochester, shot put
Jenna Lucas, Fort Cherry, discus and javelin
Cheyenne Winkle, South Side, javelin

track

It’s been a long time since 2010 when Beaver Falls was on top of the WPIAL baseball world as the Class AA champions. The Tigers haven’t made the playoffs since and missed again this year but took steps in the right direction.

Playing in the section with two defending WPIAL champs and a defending PIAA champ, Beaver Falls won just four section games but one of them was over one of the defending champs (WPIAL Class A Neshannock) and another a win in the final week over Laurel, which is in this year’s playoffs.

baseball

Last year, Hopewell finished 17-3 in the regular season and this year the Vikings were again 17-3. But the same record if more of a coincidence than a reflection of the team.

This year’s 17-3 Vikings are under the direction of a new coach in Mike Shuleski as one change and the other is what that 17-3 record has earned the team. Last year, Hopewell finished second in Section 1-AAA but this year, the Vikings were 9-1 in section play, earning the section crown and a second-seeding in the WPIAL playoffs.

baseball

It’s only been a couple of years since Section 5-AA sent three teams into the WPIAL semifinals. The section may be just as strong this year – two defending champions couldn’t even make the playoffs (WPIAL Class A Neshannock and WPIAL Class AA Ellwood City), but there won’t be three teams from the section in the semis this year.

Riverside (the defending PIAA Class AA champ), Laurel, and Beaver are all on the same side of the bracket. That has been a recurring theme in the brackets this year as Blackhawk, Hopewell, and West Allegheny from Section 1-AAA are on the same side of the bracket as well.

baseball

With the regular season concluded and the playoffs about to start, it’s easy to declare New Brighton the most improved baseball team in the West during the regular season. Last year, the Lions finished 8-12 while competing in Section 5-AA and improved to 13-4 this season while competing in Section 1-AA for an improvement of 8 ½ games.

The improvement moved New Brighton into the playoffs this year but the second most improved team has seen its season already end. Central Valley improved its record by seven games, improving from 4-16 to 10-8. In Section 1-AAA both years, the Warriors fell short of the playoffs, though.

baseball