Tons of runs
I don鈥檛 know what蘑菇视频 harder to believe, that we have had a week and a half of nice weather or that we are already at the midway point of the softball and baseball seasons in Greene County.
Many teams are already starting the second half of their respective section schedules and these next couple of weeks are going to be critical for county teams if they have any hopes of advancing to the postseason.
Some teams are gaining that separation from other teams at the halfway mark and have section titles in their sights, while other squads are looking to make one final push for the playoffs.
Here are some headlines and things that have caught my eye over the last couple of days.
Runs鈥uns鈥nd more runs!!
If you are a fan of low-scoring pitchers鈥� duels, then probably the 2016 softball campaign is not for you as all five county squads boast high-powered offenses this spring.
As of Tuesday, the five county teams have played a total of 56 games and the squads have combined to score at least 10 runs in 28 of those contests.
Waynesburg Central secured two pivotal Section 2-AA games last week and was led by an offense that produced a 19-10 triumph over Washington and a thrilling, come-from-behind 18-17 victory over Carmichaels.
The Lady Raiders have averaged close to seven runs per game and came into their section contest against Beth-Center on Wednesday with a 4-8 overall re cord and a 4-3 mark in section play.
Taylor Staley, Tara Staley, Tiffany Ross, Syndey Hare and Rachel Elsenheimer have been key producers for Waynesburg in the middle of their line-up this season.
West Greene has also been led by a potent offense in 2016, as the Lady Pioneers have scored at least 10 runs in 10 of their 13 games. West Greene had scored at least 10 runs in eight straight games heading into its meeting against section foe Chartiers-Houston on Thursday.
The Lady Pioneers鈥� offense was in full display this week, as they picked up two non-section wins over Monessen (10-0) and Frazier (10-3).
The other county teams are strong on offense as well this year, Jefferson-Morgan has scored at least 10 runs in six of its 11 games, Carmichaels has tallied at least 10 runs in five of its 11 contests and Mapletown has registered at least 10 runs in four of its nine games.
Close Encounters
Section 1-A baseball has been filled with close meetings and a lot of one-run games, as teams are trying to jockey for position within the section.
Perhaps the closet contest of the season came on Monday when Jefferson-Morgan outlasted Carmichaels, 5-4, in nine innings.
The Rockets got a solid outing from Gage Clark on the mound with nine strikeouts over eight innings, while Eli Rafail scored the game-winning marker in the ninth for J-M.
The Mikes had eight hits in the contest, including doubles from Joel Spishock, Darren Krause and Reed Long.
Carmichaels was on the wrong-side of another one-run game on Saturday, as the Mikes fell 2-1 to Bentworth at CONSOL Energy Park. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh, the Mikes rallied for a run and recorded the third out in the frame with the bases loaded.
West Greene started its section docket with three straight losses, including an eight-inning 4-3 defeat to Bentworth on April 8, but has hit its stride over the last week, picking up two big wins in Section 1-A play.
Last Friday the Pioneers exploded for a 14-9 triumph over J-M and continued their hot hitting with a 16-8 win over Mapletown on Monday.
It seems that Bentworth and California are the top two teams in the section, so that third playoff spot might be up for grabs between the Pioneers, the Rockets and the Mikes.
Break out your schedules
If you are like me, than you realize it蘑菇视频 hard to get to all the games in Greene County this season. So with that being said, here are a couple of must-see games to put down in your calendar for next week, as we are about to hit the stretch run of the 2016 campaign:
n Waynesburg Central at Washington, baseball April 22, 4 p.m.
n California at Carmichaels, baseball April 22, 4:15 p.m.
n Jefferson-Morgan vs. Highlands (at PNC Park), baseball April 23, 2:30 p.m.
n Jefferson-Morgan at West Greene, softball April 25, 4 p.m.
n Carmichaels at West Greene, baseball April 25, 4 p.m.
n Bentworth at Carmichaels, softball April 25, 4:15 p.m.
n Bentworth at Waynesburg Central, softball April 26, 4 p.m.
n Waynesburg Central at Charleroi, baseball April 27, 4 p.m.
n Jefferson-Morgan at Bentworth, baseball April 27, 4 p.m.