Questionable call by PIAA

In the end, it all worked out.

And we're still not sure how.

Thursday afternoon, Northern and Punxsutawney met at Replogle Field in New Enterprise for a PIAA Class AAA baseball quarterfinal at 4 p.m.

After three innings were played, the umpires spotted lightning on the horizon and pulled the players from the field at 4:32 p.m.

Rain didn't hit the area until after 5 p.m. and there was minimal lightning, if any, the rest of the day.

In our opinion, the game could have safely continued, but the umpires erred on the side of caution and stopped the game.

Luckily, the nasty weather system moved out of the area and play resumed at 6:17. The game was played in its entirety.

But, this could have turned into a mess for all involved.

Consider what would have happened if the game could not have been restarted: the two teams likely would have been summoned back to New Enterpriese -- a two-hour drive for each team and their fans -- the next day. A lot of time and money would have been wasted.

In our opinion, there are two things the PIAA could have done to prevent what looked like a sure disaster.

1 -- Play the game at a site with lights. Sure, Replogle Field was a great choice in terms of distance between schools, but the lack of lights meant the game needed to be over by 8 p.m. When a game involves teams that are traveling such a far distance to reach a field, the PIAA should put the game at a location that can wait out a lengthy delay.

2 -- Start the game earlier. Let's face it, summer weather is here and that means thunderstorms roll in during the late afternoon. Why not schedule first pitch for 2 p.m.? Look, everyone from Punxy and Northern likely missed a day of work anyway to get to the game, so there's no reason to start when potential storms could arrive and wreak havoc.

Don't take this the wrong way, we like the fact that some traditional east teams play through the west and vice versa to even things out, but when these matchups occur, the PIAA should do all it can to ensure that a game is played in its entirety when both teams are at a field.

That means finding a site best suited for such a game that's as close to equal distance between participating schools as possible.

We don't think Replogle Field fit that description. Not when there are two better choices in Altoona and two more in State College.