Bethel Park beats Petes Township in consolation contest
Bethel Park defeated Peters Township, 17-2, in the WPIAL Class 5A consolation contest played May 27 at Ross Memorial Field in Washington.
With the win, the Black Hawks improved to 19-5 overall and earned the third seed out of District 7 for the PIAA tournament. They will take on Dubois June 2 in the first round of the state playoffs.
In the four-inning affair against the Indians, Ryan Petras smashed four hits, including two doubles. He drove in two runs.
Jack Bruckner tagged two hits, including a two-run double in an eight-run first inning. He finished with three RBI.
Owen White also recorded three RBI and a two-bagger while Ethan Stanhoff drove in two runs and doubled.
Noah LeJeune, Nick Rillo (2), Eric Miehl and Joey Levis also knocked in runs with base hits.
Matthew Hughes earned the win on the mound. He struck out five and scattered two hits over three innings. In relief, Dylan Paul allowed one hit and struck out two.
For the Indians, who slipped to 15-9 overall, David Oberschelp tagged a two-run homer in the third inning. However, the Hawks got the runs back in the bottom half of the frame before tacking on seven more in the fourth inning.
Despite the defeat, the Indians (15-9) are still qualified for the state tournament. They will begin their quest for a PIAA banner also on June 2 when they take on the District 3 champion Lampeter-Strasburg.
The PIAA Class 5A championship game is set for 4:30 p.m. June 12 at Medlar Field in Lubrano Park on the Penn State University campus.