It will be a familiar trip down Interstate 79 for the Mars baseball team, but this time, a district championship is at stake.

Last season, the Planets played Knoch in the WPIAL consolation game at Washington & Jefferson College’s Ross Memorial Park. With a berth in the state playoffs on the line, they defeated the Knights 3-1.

Mars, which defeated West Allegheny 4-1 in last Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 5A semifinal, will be making its first-ever appearance in the district final when it plays Latrobe Wednesday at Wild Things Park, just a stone’s throw from last year’s venue.

“We had that long period (1999-2015) when we didn’t win a playoff game, losing a lot of first-round games,” said Planet coach Andy Bednar. “Last year’s team got us over the hump with three playoff victories. The last few weeks, It’s been a playoff atmosphere because we’ve played so many one-run games.”

Latrobe (19-2) bounced Chartiers Valley in the semifinals to qualify for only the second WPIAL final in program history. The Wildcats lost to Bethel Park in 1985.

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