North Allegheny narrowly kept its perfect record on Monday night.

The Tigers welcomed Central Catholic to their home diamond and were almost rattled by a late surge from the visitors. However, four runs in the third inning and two runs in the fourth inning were enough for North Allegheny to prevail, 6-5, and keep its hold over the top spot in Class 6A Section 1.

“It was a big win,” coach Andrew Heck said. “I thought [pitcher] Nico [Varlotta] settled in after the first inning and threw really well for us. Nate [Surman] came in and did an unbelievable job closing the game for us. They’re a very good team. They put up three in the first inning, so we were playing behind early. We found a way to make things happen. A big four-run inning ignited us. I thought we came up with some key plays and hits in a timely fashion… Credit to the bottom of our lineup. They’ve gotten on base the last two games and scored some big runs for us.”

Senior third baseman Miles Pealer and senior center fielder Sean O'Donnell led the Tigers with two hits apiece, while senior second baseman Mason Smith earned two RBIs.

For Central Catholic, six batters accumulated one hit each, while sophomore shortstop Landon Greene batted in two runners.

North Allegheny senior pitcher Nico Varlotta was the winning ace, striking out seven batters in five innings. He did, however, allow six hits and five runs. It was teammate Nate Surman that closed the game, striking out three batters in two innings.

The two sides will meet again on Tuesday, at Central Catholic.

“We’re used to the schedule. I like the format,” Heck said. “I think it’s the way baseball should be played. For us, it’s a lot of the same from the pitching and defense. We need to pound the strike zone on the mound. We have to play defense behind the pitcher. Executing on offense is our biggest thing. We left some runs on the field today. I don’t think we executed the way we wanted to, so we need to do the little things.

“That’s going to be key for tomorrow’s game, more than anything else; if we can execute better than we did today, offensively, that would be huge.”

More baseball

• Latrobe (8-3, 5-2) defeated Franklin Regional (7-2, 4-1), 4-2, to ruin the Panthers’ perfect Class 5A Section 1 record. Four different offensive players earned RBIs for the Wildcats: left fielder Mason Leonard, outfielder Eli Boring, first baseman Hayden Porterfield and third baseman Jack Stynchula. Latrobe junior pitcher Cole Short threw seven innings, earning four strikeouts. The winning pitcher was sophomore Joe Razza, who didn’t allow a hit in the ninth inning.

• Beaver Area (8-3, 5-2) kept its grip on first place in Class 4A Section 1 with a win over previously undefeated Blackhawk (4-1, 3-1) on the road, 5-1. Beaver scored four runs in the first inning to propel a fast start. Sophomore Derek Hughes and senior Ty Butler earned two RBIs each, leading the Bobcats, while also snagging two hits apiece. Butler secured the win on the mound, striking out four batters in 5 2/3 innings. He did give up a home run to Blackhawk junior Carter Davis.

• Belle Vernon (8-1, 6-1) was stunned on the road by Elizabeth Forward (7-2, 4-1) in Class 4A Section 2 play, with the Warriors blanking the Leopards, 7-0. JB Crovak led the Warriors offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Jacob Peterson, Charlie Nigut and AJ Grese each earned one RBI. On the mound, Cy Herchelroath featured in all seven innings, striking out eight batters and allowing only three hits.

• Riverview (8-2, 5-1) entered Monday’s contest against South Side Beaver (6-2, 5-0) with a one-game advantage over the Rams. Both teams, however, had a perfect Class 2A Section 3 record. South Side ruined that streak for Riverview with a whopping 16-2 win on the road. South Side pulled away in the third inning, with six scored runs, and added six more in fourth inning. The Rams finished the outing with 10 hits and 11 walks.

Softball

• It’s not often you see double-digit scores for both teams in softball, but Plum (8-2, 4-1) and New Castle (4-5, 2-2) managed to combine for 34 runs on Monday night. Plum earned the victory, 18-16. The Mustangs scored 10 of their 18 runs in the first two innings, giving New Castle starting pitcher Olivia Hood issues on the mound. New Castle clawed its way back, scoring at least one run in every inning but the fifth. Plum finished with 17 hits, while New Castle earned 16.

• Penn-Trafford (7-1, 5-0) and Franklin Regional (8-2, 5-1) entered Monday’s contest with perfect Class 5A Section 2 records, with Franklin Regional having one game on Penn-Trafford. However, Penn-Trafford left the field with the winning record, earning a 9-2 win. Seniors Cameron Ponko and Giuliana Youngo both recorded three hits, while Ponko scored four runners. On the mound, sophomore Allyson Paulone featured in all seven innings and struck out six batters.

• North Catholic (7-3, 4-2) was stunned by Blackhawk (4-3, 2-2) in Class 4A Section 3 competition, with a 2-1 loss on the road. North Catholic still remains in the top spot. Eva Parris led the Cougars with two hits, and scored the game-winning RBI with a double in the seventh inning. Kylie Prisuta was the winning pitcher, striking out nine batters.

First Published: April 15, 2025, 3:30 a.m.
Updated: April 15, 2025, 4:02 a.m.