May 18, 2016 5 min read

There was drama as well as excitement, and when all was done, Canon-McMillan survived but Bethel Park and Mt. Lebanon did not in the WPIAL playoffs for baseball and softball.

While the Big Macs used a walk-off single from Josh Palma to edge North Hills, 7-6, the BP Hawks succumbed to Franklin Regional, 4-1, in eight innings and Lebo dropped a decision to Woodland Hills, 4-3. The losses ended the seasons for BP and Lebo, but Canon-Mac (13-7) advanced to face Pine-Richland (17-4) in the quarterfinals.

“I’m just so proud of these kids,” C-M manager Tim Bruzdewicz said. “These kids have the eternal toughness. They aren’t going to quit until the very last out.”

The Big Macs fell behind, 6-2. They even trailed by two heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Cam Walker reached on an infield single to ignite the Big Macs. Ian Hess doubled. Tanner Piechnick, an Ohio University recruit who scored three times, hit an RBI single to cut the deficit to one. Matt Mish hit a slow roller down the first-base line that started foul and ended up fair. Mish ended up safe at second while pinch-runner Brandon Kline scored the tying run. With two out, Palma lined a hit to center, scoring Piecknick with the winning run.

“When it was 6-2, I told them that team isn’t going away,” said North Hills manager Randy Miller. “They’re peaking at the right time. That team is hungry. That team is dangerous. They played a heck of a game. How they attacked those last two innings was pretty impressive. That’s why they’re moving on.”

Lebo falls

Meanwhile, Mt. Lebanon ended the season at 11-10 overall after its loss to the Wolverines.

“Though we didn’t play our best game today,” said Lebo manager Patt McCloskey, “it takes nothing away from this season. After losing 16 seniors from last year’s team, it was a great accomplishment for this team to go 8-4 in the section and to have won our last league game of the year in order to make the playoffs. Additionally, the team really came together and enjoyed competing on a daily basis in both practice and the games. I couldn’t be prouder of what these 18 guys accomplished in 2016. It simply was just a lot of fun to be a part of this experience.”

Lebo had a chance to extend its experience in the seventh. Nick Callender walked. Eddie Jenkins drilled an RBI triple. Then Ethan Cuccarese socked an RBI single and stole second. “But we ended a little short,” McCloskey said.

Lebo scored its other run in the bottom of the fifth. Bridge Dudley scored on a Jenkins double.

According to McCloskey, Joey Lowen started the game and pitched well enough to win. Defensive miscues in the first inning afforded the Wolverines a three-run lead. “That limited our options for what we normally try to do offensively,” McCloskey said.

BP elminated

Franklin Regional snapped a 1-1 tie with four runs in the eighth inning to end Bethel Park’s season. The Hawks scored their lone run in the third, when Rob Morosetti singled and scored Colin Loughman.

The Lady Hawks also were eliminated in softball. They dropped a 10-0 decision to Latrobe. BP finished 12-7 on the year.

In other action, South Fayette lost to Blackhawk, 5-0, in the Class AAA baseball playoffs, while Chartiers Valley defeated Belle Vernon, 6-4. The Colts (13-7) will play Laurel Highlands (19-1) in the quarterfinals at a time, site and date to be determined.

Lady Macs win

Linda Rush slugged Canon-McMillan passed Fox Chapel, 9-2, in a first-round Class AAAA softball playoff game at North Allegheny. The senior shortstop drilled four hits in four plate appearances and scored four runs. She also smacked her 13th home run of the season, a solo blast in a two-run fifth inning that paced C-M’s 13-hit attack.

Kirsten Rush (no relation) went 3-for-4 with three RBI. She drove in one of Canon- McMillan’s four runs in the sixth inning with a double to left field.

In other first-round softball playoff action, Chartiers-Houston dispatched Leechburg, 9-4, while Peters Township used extra innings to edge Franklin Regional, 8-7.

Jessica Ford drove in three runs and Kayla Alderson hit two doubles for the Bucs, who improved to 12-7 overall. Kaitlyn Dittrich pitched a four-hitter to win on the mound.

Macie Kesneck drove in C-H’s first run, while Alderson and Ford had run-scoring doubles.

Kasey Scears and Lauren Lober each hit run-scoring singles in a four-run third inning that saw C-H’s lead balloon to 8-2.

Meanwhile, in Peters Townsnip’s dramatic win, Kylie Hartbauer drove in the decisive tally with a sacrifice fly. Haley Cecere had a triple and two RBIs for the Indians, who improved to 11-6 overall. They will face section rival Baldwin in the quarterfinals of the Quad-A playoffs.