Two of the Beaver Valley’s WPIAL baseball championship games on May 28 will feature area matchups.
Freedom Area and OLSH will open up the Beaver Valley slate. Here is what you need to know about the championship matchup.
When is the WPIAL Class 2A baseball championship?
The WPIAL Class 2A baseball championship will be at EQT Park on Wednesday, May 28 at 2 p.m.
What’s at stake?
Both No. 8 Freedom Area and No. 2 OLSH are searching for its first WPIAL baseball titles in program history.
Both teams have made it to the championship game just one other time with Freedom Area appearing in a title game most recently in 2017 when it fell to California, 3-1, in 10 innings.
OLSH was the runner-up in the Class 1A championship game back in 2013 falling to Western Beaver, 3-2.
How they got here?
After capturing its second consecutive section title after a strong regular season, OLSH has put together two solid games in the postseason after receiving a first-round bye thanks to a strong pitching rotation.
In the quarterfinals, OLSH knocked off New Brighton 8-0 with Iseia Schulz pitching a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking just three.
Dean Douglass also had a big game in his first postseason game of his career, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBIs.
Then for the third time this season, OLSH defeated Riverview, 3-1, as Sean Hudac also pitched a complete game, allowing one unearned run on eight hits and striking out three batters.
The team has gotten strong pitching performances all season from Schulz and Hudac, but OLSH has also been able to handle the bats with seven batters hitting over .300.
Chad Minton has provided a steady source of run production in the middle of the order, leading the team in RBIs with 20, while catcher Thomas Medwig leads the team in hits with 36.
It has been a solid run for Freedom Area coming into the WPIAL championship game after finishing in third in Section II.
After handling its business in the opening round against Apollo-Ridge, Freedom Area shut down section champion and top-seeded Neshannock 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Boden Hillard pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits, three walks and striking out two.
Then in the semifinals, Freedom Area knocked off another section opponent in Laurel as it got multi-RBI efforts from Zach Kuntz and Colton Blank, who each got a pair of hits in the middle of the order.
Freedom Area has six hitters that are hitting over .300, with Kuntz leading the team in RBIs with 25. Tommy Ward, Xavier Robbins and Hillard are all hitting over .400 with the trio accumulating over 20 hits throughout the season.
Projected Starting LineupsNo. 8 Freedom Area (13-7)
1. Nick Fessler, CF
2. Tommy Ward, C
3. Mason O’Donnell, SS
4. Boden Hillard, P
5. Xavier Robbins, 3B
6. Zach Kuntz, RF
7. Colton Blank, 2B
8. Ryan Fessler, 1B
9. Anthony Taddeo, LF
No. 2 OLSH (15-7)
1. Bruno Williams, C
2. Gino Williams, SS
3. Sean Hudac, 3B
4. Dean Douglass, 1B
5. Iseia Schulz, P
6. Chad Minton, RF
7. Anthony Hensen, CF
8. Vann Kavals, DH
9. Ryan DeNinno, LF