Liam Cooper Twirls Gem To Silence Hempfield In WPIAL Quarterfinals
By Randy Gore
Senior Liam Cooper tossed a three-hit complete game shutout to lead North Allegheny to a 2-0 win over the Hempfield Spartans on Monday night in the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals at Boyce Mayview Park. It was a masterful performance by the NA right-hander, tallying four strikeouts and needing just 72 pitches to dispose of the Spartans. Cooper improved to 6-2 on the season and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game for his heroics.
The victory was a measure of revenge for the Tigers, who were upset by the Spartans in the 2025 WPIAL quarterfinals, 3-0. This time around, it was North Allegheny who frustrated Hempfield with stellar pitching.
With Cooper holding the Spartans at bay, North Allegheny scored all the runs it needed in the second inning. Junior Christian Simons drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single to right field that plated Ryan Evanish for a 1-0 lead. Moments later, a fielder’s choice RBI groundout by senior Ben Kowger drove home Gavin Ust to extend the NA advantage to 2-0.
To his credit, Hempfield starter Lucas Simmons was outstanding on the mound as well, yielding only two runs and scattering seven hits in a complete game effort. Simmons struck out three batters and was the hard-luck loser for the Spartans.
North Allegheny improves to 13-8 overall with the win and advances to the WPIAL semifinals to face the Canon-McMillan Big Macs on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. The game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network. Hempfield’s season comes to an end with a 10-11 record.
BASEBALL SUMMARY VS. HEMPFIELD, 5-18-26
| Line Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hempfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| North Allegheny | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 7 | 2 |
