Bethel Park baseball exhibiting many positives
Bethel Park players anxiously await the outcome of the play at the plate. Though he collides with Upper St. Clair catcher Alex Gasper, John Lucchitti (No. 4) scored the the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning when the throw from the outfield eluded the reach of Gasper. The Hawks edged the Panthers, 3-2.
Upper St. Clair catcher Alex Gaspar agonizes on the ground while Bethel Park players rush to congratulate Jeremy Lazzari after he smacked the double that scored Jon Lucchitti with the winning run.
A.J. Lutz demonstrates the form that won him a single-season record 13 games in 1987 as he tosses out the first pitch prior to Bethel Park’s section game agaisnt Upper St. Clair.
Bethel Park manager Tony Fisher has every reason to be excited about his baseball team at this point in the season.
After nine games this spring, the Hawks were tied for second place in Class 6A Section 3 with Peters Township before they hosted undefeated Canon-McMillan April 19 at Purkey Field. Overall, the Hawks were 6-3 after suffering an extra-inning loss, 9-8, to Franklin Regional and a 2-0 cliffhanger to Mt. Lebanon.
“I am very pleased thus far considering we are not 100 percent healthy,” Fisher said. “We are hoping that after the Easter break we will be back to full strength.”
Despite defeat, too, the Hawks seem to be rounding into form offensively. They received a strong performance from Zack Straub but were on the “wrong end of that pitching dual” with Mt. Lebanon. They also exploded for six runs in the first frame against Franklin Regional but the Panthers chipped away at the margin before scoring the decisive run in the eighth inning.
Prior to that the Hawks have been the team to tag the timely hit.
For example, Jeremy Lazzari stroked a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 3-2 win against rival Upper St. Clair. The senior second baseman’s two bagger scored Jon Lucchitti with the decisive run in the bottom of the seventh. Meanwhile, Sean McGowan connected on the game-winning hit in the 11th inning of another one-run victory, this time against Peters Township.
“Honestly, we haven’t hit very well until Franklin Regional. That was our best hitting performance of the season as we collected 13 hits,” Fisher said. “Yet every game a different player has stepped up to help us win.”
On the mound, Justin Meis and Kevin Kogler have stepped up. A junior right-handed pitcher, Meis earned the win against USC and picked up a save against PT. A freshman, Kogler, who plays first base when not on the mound, hurled four scoreless and hitless frames against the Indians.
Meis previously toppled Seneca Valley. In 16 innings of work, he hadn’t allowed an earned run and has struck 17 batters.
Straub has also pitched well. The senior southpaw recorded wins against Fox Chapel, 4-2, and Taylor Allderdice, 10-2. He owned a 0.58 ERA and opponents were batting just .182 against him before the Lebo battle.
While the Hawks are working on batting practice, they are polished in the field. Fisher cited defense as “one of the keys” to BP’s good start. At shortstop, senior Colin Loughman has anchored the defense.
“He has been absolutely phenomenal,” Fisher said. “His defensive stats don’t show up in the paper, but there aren’t too many other guys that can play the middle as well as him.”
At the plate, there aren’t too many players batting as well as Ben Barnot. The junior leftfielder leads the team with a .529 average. He socked a home run in the seventh inning against Peters Township. Lucchitti, who doubled to lead off the seventh against USC, follows with a .350 batting average. While senior catcher Cole Rogers leads the team in RBI, senior third baseman Dereck Pritchard tops the charts in runs scored.
“Dereck has been tremendous at setting the table for our offense,” Fisher said.
As the Hawks near the second round of section play, Fisher said the team’s goals are simple. “Score wins to put us into the playoffs and vie for playoff seeding,” he said. “It’s still very early and yes, as always, there is so much parity on the South Hills baseball circuit,” Fisher said. “Anyone can beat anybody on any given day.”