"I've never seen anything like it. This is something," said Jim Rider, who has been affiliated with Bethel Park High School baseball since 1974 as a player, assistant coach and current manager. "Never in a million years would I have predicted this."

After Rider's Black Hawks and Joe Maize's Indians from Peters Township failed to clinch the final playoff berths in the division, both having lost on Monday, four teams, including Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon have the chance to join Canon-McMillan in the playoffs.

The Big Macs had clinched a spot in the WPIAL Quad-A baseball playoffs by overwhelming Baldwin, 13-0. However, they claimed the section banner by rallying to beat BP, 6-5, on Monday at Purkey Field.

"Canon-Mac did what it has done all season long. Get the big hits when the had to," said Rider. "Four of their six runs came with two outs."

After balking in CM's fourth tally, BP intentionally walked Matt Pierpont. Phil Staab then drilled a two-run double. Staab finished with two hits and three RBI while Michael Hull added three hits in the contest.

Though BP loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, the Black Hawks stranded the runners.

In the game, only Matt Carson (2) and Tyler Bowen (3) managed multiple hits as Chris Dittmar and Chris Douglas combined for the win on the mound. Jimmy Meyer tripled.

Though he hurled three perfect innings, Nate Clark suffered from lack of support in the field and untimely hitting. An error enabled CM to overcome its early three-run deficit and Aaron Wiegel socked a run-producing hit later in the contest.

Wiegel along with Douglas and Steve Roach smacked doubles against the Highlanders while Dittmar homered.

Douglas earned that win on the mound. He scattered six hits in the five-inning contest.

The CM-BP outcome coupled with Upper St. Clair's 15-6 thumping of Peters Township put an interesting spin on today's action.

With the win, USC, which received a home run, double and single from Brian Lattanzi, moved into playoff contention, dropping PT to 8-6 in the division while improving its own mark to 7-7.

This Wednesday, a win over rival Mt. Lebanon at its new home field in the Boyce-Mayview recreation area, coupled with a PT loss to the Big Macs would create a log jam in the section for the final playoff spots.

Should that scenario play out, all three clubs would finish 8-7 in the division with each splitting the best-of-three series against one another.

Meanwhile, BP visits Baldwin, which has yet to win a section contest.

A Baldwin triumph hence would cause a four-way tie for second place in a section that has produced last year's WPIAL finalists (PT and BP) not to mention the 2006 champion (Lebo) and 2005 runner-up (USC).

"That certainly would be something," said Rider.

PT rolling

Something has been PT's resurrection.

After losing to Mt. Lebanon, 12-2, back on April 18, the Indians faced elimination from a post-season it has dominated since 2002.

The Indians, who are the defending WPIAL champions and have been to the state finals three times in that six-year span, however, regrouped. Before losing to USC on Monday, PT had won six straight and vaulted into playoff contention.

The Indians thumped those same Blue Devils, 16-1, and Baldwin, 8-5, most recently.

In the Lebo triumph, Pete Ross and Nick Merich drove in four runs each. Both drilled three hits each, with Ross doubling and Merich socking a home run.

Jordan Jankowski, who earned the win on the mound, and Mike Divella both doubled for the Indians, who are 13-7 overall and 8-6 in the section.

Against the Highlanders, Jankowski drove in two runs with a single and a double. James Stratico, who earned the win on the mound, also cracked two hits, including a double.

Will McClure also collected two safeties while Jimmy Rider and Merich each homered.

In the loss to USC, Jankowski smashed a home run while Ross and Austin Hancock each doubled.

In addition to Lettanzi's five-RBI night, Brian Gaudio collected three singles and a double while Roberto Capriotti drilled three hits, including a double, for the Panthers, who were a game away from a playoff berth.

Mt. Lebanon, which used extra-base hits by Jordan Steranka, Brett Saber and Eric Isler to beat Baldwin, 7-2, remained in a three-way tie with PT and BP in the Section. All had 8-6 records heading into Wednesday's action.

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After the pairings meeting, this Thursday for softball and this Friday for baseball, the top three teams from each conference who have qualified for the post-season, will commence single-elimination play in the WPIAL tournaments on Monday, May 12.

The championship games in all four classifications for baseball will be held May 28 and 28 at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington while the softball finals for all four divisions will be played May 29 and 30 at California University of Pennsylvania.

Canon-McMillan, Seton-La Salle and Chartiers-Houston are among the top clubs in their respective divisions for baseball. Bishop Canevin earned a playoff berth behind the unbeaten Rebels in Section 6-AA. But, Chartiers Valley fell out of playoff contention in Section 3-AAA after falling to West Allegheny, 10-0.

The Lebo ladies along with Keystone Oaks, Bishop Canevin and Chartiers-Houston rank among the best softball squads.

Chartiers Valley gained a playoff berth in Section 3-AA behind KO and Montour while Peters Township clinched a playoff berth with an 8-4 win over Canon-McMillan.

The Lady Indians' bid for a post-season berth has been remarkable considering they lost their starting pitcher to a knee injury. Shaylee Ianno had 125 strikeouts in nine games before suffering the ACL tear.

In the win over the Lady Macs, Kelsey Cunningham smashed a three-run homer. Paige Burris drilled a double while Amanda Heitmeier and Jody Kohne both tripled.