Shields cools off Butler
Mt. Lebanon returns to WPIAL baseball finals
When the heat is on, David Shields prefers a jacuzzi over a sauna. The senior southpaw imagined the refreshing experience as he weathered 90-degree temperatures and hurled Mt. Lebanon to victory over Butler, 5-0, in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 6A baseball playoffs.
In recording the shutout, Shields struck out 11 and scattered two hits on 91 pitches.
“Heat is tough to adjust to,” Shields said. “It can make you tired, but you can also use it to your advantage.
“I stayed loose. It’s kind of like I’m in a hot tub all game. Once you overcome the factor of getting hydrated and cooling off a bit It helps so much.”
In succeeding on the mound, Shields benefited by the strong play of the infield behind him. Nolan Smith and he combined on two nifty putouts at first base while second baseman Brett Hamel, shortstop Nate Girod and third baseman Jake Tinnemeyer made the routine plays. The outfield had three putouts.
“Fantastic,” Shields said of the defense. “Routine balls that you miss can turn around a game. Those guys did their job. They went out and they executed.”
Mt. Lebanon manager Patt McCloskey agreed. He stressed the importance of that aspect of the game when Shields is on the mound and when playing at a complex like Boyce Mayview Park.
“Defense played well,” McCloskey acknowledged.
“St. Clair does an amazing job maintaining this facility but the field is hard and it is fast and we play on turf. We don’t get a lot of reps on grass.
“So for our defense to come out and play well was important because everything with David is all about pitch count. It doesn’t matter how well he is pitching, if he runs out of pitches, he runs out of pitches. Those plays are about being able to let David pitch seven innings.”
Shields was thrilled to go the distance, particularly after recovering from a bout of mononucleosis at the start of the season. The illness caused him to lose more than 20 pounds off his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame. Before the playoffs, he pitched only 21 innings but had 41 strikeouts and a 4-0 record with a 0.43 ERA.
“Everything is going well. I’m getting my strength back but I’m still not 100 percent yet,” Shields said.
“I was excited to go the whole game. That’s always fun and to execute the way I did. No walks,” he emphasized. “That’s always a big thing that I am proud of. It was a good game.”
Shields had complete command of his pitches. He even had the Butler players muttering. They could not comprehend how his slider was that fast.
Shields explained. “I changed the grip up a little bit to where I can throw as hard as I can and it moves a lot.
My fastball helps me out a lot, but that curve ball I can lean on on any count. So it might be (my best pitch),” he said.
Shields felt his set up on certain counts and execution contributed to his success against the Golden Tornado.
“I had my stuff out there,” he said. “It worked out.”
The fact, Shields is succeeding under pressure amazes McCloskey. Shields is one of the top scholastic prospects and is expected to be a No. 1 pick in the MLB amateur draft in June. As during the regular season, dozens of scouts showed up to watch the Miami recruit pitch against Butler.
McCloskey had thought that current Chicago Cub left fielder Ian Happ was mentally tough when he played for Mt. Lebanon but Shields might be more advanced.
“You are an absolute mental giant to come out in 90-degree heat and perform,” McCloskey said, noting he was sweating so badly during pre-game practice that he couldn’t see. “To throw seven complete innings with how many people here to see you. Seeing your picture in the paper nonstop for what seems like forever and not being phased by any of that and coming out and competing like that was tremendous. So hats off to David.”
McCloskey also doffed his cap to the defensive ability of Shields. He also noted how he was the starting quarterback at one time for the Blue Devils, who compete at the Class 6A level.
“(David) is the most athletic kid we have ever had or will have,” McCloskey said. “So it doesn’t surprise me. Those things you don’t have to worry about coaching him. He will athletically make the play.”
At the plate, Graham Keen and Girod made the plays. Both doubled and drove in a run apiece. Tinnemyer and Maddox Yost both collected two hits in the win.
Lebo recovers to beat SV
Mt. Lebanon (18-4) overcame a five-run deficit and defeated Seneca Valley, 11-5, in a WPIAL Class 6A semifinal game played May 21 at Boyce Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair.
With the win, the Blue Devils clinch a berth in the championships for the third straight season. Lebo will face North Allegheny (16-6) at 7 p.m. in the finals set for May 29 at Wild Things Park in Washington. The Tigers edged Pine-Richland, 5-4, in eight innings in the other semifinal contest. The Tigers edged Pine-Richland, 5-4, in eight innings in the other semifinal contest.
Graham Keen earned the win against the Raiders in relief of Nolan Smith. The freshman came into the game in the second inning. He threw a double-play pitch to end the frame where Seneca Valley scored all of its runs for the game. Keen allowed no more runs while scattering two hits and striking out five over 5 ⅔ innings.
Lebo rallied with four runs in the bottom half of the second stanza and evened the contest in the third. The Blue Devils added four more runs in the fifth and two in the sixth.
David Shields and Sawyer Klasnick powered the comeback.
Shields smacked three hits, two while batting right handed, and drove in five runs. His two-run triple highlighted the second inning in which the Blue Devils tagged four hits, including singles by Maddox Yost, Nate Girod and Klasnick. His two-run single highlighted the fifth, where the Raiders committed two fielding miscues.
Klasnick was 4 for 4 with four singles and two RBIs. He walked in his other plate appearance.
Keen, Smith and Matt Manning also had hits for the Blue Devils in the victory.