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Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 11:01 AM
Jeff Helsel | Mon Valley Independent
Belle Vernon pitcher Colton Lee
When senior Colton Lee pitches, Belle Vernon baseball fans show up to watch.
Lee is having an impressive spring on the mound for the Leopards (10-2, 7-1), who are in contention for the Section 2-4A title. They trail Latrobe (11-2, 8-0) by one game.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound left-hander is 4-0 in four starts with a minuscule 1.97 ERA and has struck out 39 in 21 1/3 innings.
“He’s been lights out,” Belle Vernon coach Tony Watson said. “Colton has been a vital part of our varsity pitching staff since his freshman year.”
Lee, who also was a starting receiver and linebacker for the Leopards’ back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA championship football teams, had only allowed 16 hits and six runs while walking 14.
“I feel like his experience and championship pedigree has contributed a great deal to our success,” Watson said. “He carries himself with a calm, composure that rubs off on all of his teammates.”
Lee had a 15-strikeout game against Uniontown. He allowed one hit in the 3-1 win.
Playoff teams
There still are about two weeks left in the WPIAL regular season, but a few county teams already have clinched playoff spots.
Hempfield has clinched in Class 6A, while Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional are qualifiers in 5A, and Latrobe and Belle Vernon are postseason-bound in 4A.
The top four teams in each section qualify.
Section races
Several county teams were in the thick of section races after Tuesday’s games.
Hempfield was a game back of Mt. Lebanon for first in Section 2-6A after it dropped the first two games of a series against the Blue Devils.
Hempfield and Norwin will play their three-game series Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with Game 1 and 3 at Hempfield.
Section 1-5A could come down to the end and might be settled in a two-game series between Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford.
The teams were tied at the top at 7-1. They are scheduled to play on May 6-7.
Section 2-4A-leading Latrobe (11-2, 8-0) was in good position for a title, although Belle Vernon (10-2, 7-1) was only a game behind. Those teams are set to meet Monday and Tuesday with Game 1 at Latrobe. Both games will be under the lights with 7 p.m. starts.
Latrobe has not lost since March 28.
In Section 4-3A, second-place Mt. Pleasant (9-4, 7-1) faces a pivotal two-game set Monday and Tuesday against top team Waynesburg (10-0, 8-0).
Mt. Pleasant has won five in a row and nine of its last 10.
Greensburg Central Catholic (6-2, 5-1), which was two games back of first-place Serra Catholic (11-0, 8-0) in Section 3-2A, will play Serra Catholic Monday and Tuesday. Game 2 is at GCC.
Knights rally
Norwin rallied to win two of the first three games of its Section 2-6A series against Central Catholic, wins that could help to propel the Knights (7-7, 5-5) into the postseason.
The Knights scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, with Nate Silberman delivering the team’s only hit, to clip the Vikings, 3-2.
Then, Jackson Huss provided a go-ahead single in the top of the seventh as the Knights won the second game, 5-4, in eight innings.
Rankings check
Hempfield began the week ranked No. 2 in the TribLive WPIAL 6A top 5, while Penn-Trafford jumped one spot to No. 3 in 5A.
Latrobe stayed at No. 3 in 4A, as did Greensburg Central Catholic in 2A.
Hempfield, which had lost three of four by midweek, dropped out of the Trib’s state rankings.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at [email protected].
Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford
