North Penn baseball eyes State finals in Monday's PIAA semifinals bout

North Penn, Pope John Paul II, Upper Dublin, and Faith Christian Academy are all vying for a trip to the PIAA state championship game as they compete in their respective semifinal matchups Monday, according to Mike Cabrey at The Reporter.

• North Penn (6A) is seeking its fourth appearance in the state final — and first since 2015 — after winning the SOL Colonial title and its first District 1 championship since 2008. The Knights, now 21-5, face Neshaminy at 3 p.m. Monday at Villanova Ballpark. North Penn opened state play with wins over Ephrata (8-2) and Hazleton (9-6), led by strong hitting from Christian Barnes and Luke Chartrand.
  
  
• Neshaminy, which has never reached a PIAA final, advanced by defeating Parkland and Coatesville, with clutch seventh-inning hits in the quarterfinals and solid pitching performances from Caleb Bonner and Matthew Gryn.

The winner will play later this week at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College.

Meanwhile:

• Pope John Paul II (3A) is back in the semis for the first time since its 2014 title run.
• Upper Dublin (5A) looks to make program history with its first-ever trip to the state championship.
• Faith Christian Academy (1A) is just two wins away from back-to-back state titles.

Each program hopes to punch its ticket to the finals in what promises to be a high-stakes day of baseball.